Archive for November, 2007
Construction Theft is Expensive and Construction Security Is Not
I still get “sticker shock” every time I see how many dollars worth of value thieves steal from construction sites.
Even the relatively low-value thefts shock me, like this story from Buffalo NY in which thieves netted $2,400 worth of tools. That’s not much in the scheme of things, but the cost of their loss would have gotten them construction security from Pro-Vigil for almost two months.
From the story:
Police said the thief entered the construction site and stole two chop saws, a generator, two circular saws, two nail guns and a wheel barrow.
In Ontario, Canada construction site thieves stole over 15 thousand dollars worth of tools, including “a generator, a sledge hammer, and laser levels.”
These are the folks who become our customers… folks who get hit by thieves and decide they don’t want to have that experience a second time. We just wish we could get on their sites BEFORE they have that first theft but hey, education is expensive.
Construction security doesn’t have to be though…
Check out:
$2,400 worth of tools stolen from construction site
Construction theft near Wasaga
Construction Costs to Increase 8% in 2008?
If the Associated General Contractor’s report is right, we’re set for a steep increase in construction costs for 2008 due to a rise in material costs and current problems in the credit markets.
Costs could rise as much as 8%… and you know that any increase in material costs will result in an increase in theft. Just look at what happened when the price of copper rose so dramatically.
To minimize material costs be sure that you implement construction site security before your job begins and not after you learn the hard way that meth heads got into your materials for tens of thousands of dollars plus down time.
To better prepare for rising costs here are a few resources that should get you thinking in the right direction:
AGC’s Construction Inflation Alert (PDF)
Cutting The Fat – Slow Down Survival Tips
Studies Reveal Reasons For Low Productivity
5th Work Site Vandalism Incident for Utah Site Does $100,000 in Damage
A Herriman, Utah paper reports that a recent vandalism incident cost them $100,000 in damages. I don’t believe this estimate covers the costs of repairs and lost work due to the vandalism.
What astounds me is that this is the 5th incident that this Utah construction company has experienced.
You should have theft and vandalism prevention methods in place at the start of every job. But if you don’t, you should be increasing your security AFTER your first job site hit. Letting things go just gets more and more costly…
A local newspaper interviewed the driver of an articulated hauler from the site. Here’s the quote that highlights the specific vandalism damage:
“They were smashing trees down there at the bottom,” Perry said, pointing at a clump of 25 knocked over juniper trees. Perry says the vandals smashed in the front of his hauler by hitting the trees. “The hood was all crinkled I had to straighten that out.” The vandals didn’t stop there. They took a front loader and went looking for more mischief. A huge boulder now rests on top of a track hoe, more of the vandal’s handiwork. Also in their path of destruction, a road grader, found flipped on its side with the help of that same front loader. “They lifted it up underneath the tires and tipped it right over,” Perry said.
Keep your construction company OUT of the news reports for construction site theft and vandalism with Pro-Vigil’s job site security services! Pro-Vigil stops job site intrusion with 24/7 security personnel who monitor live digital video of your site and chase intruders off with sirens and strobes. Contact Pro-Vigil at 866.616.1318 today for a free security consultation today.
Resources:
Police investigate extreme vandalism in Herriman
They Rob You Once Shame on Them. They Rob You Twice Shame on You.
Is Any Press Good Press? Your Company in Construction Site Theft News…
The AIA Creates the “IPD” to Save The Construction Industry from Eating Itself
If you’re running your own construction operation then you’re well aware of inefficiencies and cost overrun in your projects. In fact, you’re probably visiting our site because you want to knock the high and unexpected costs of theft and vandalism out of your budget entirely with Pro-Vigil’s construction security services.
Obviously when it comes to cutting your costs and raising your value to your clients we think job site security is tops. We admit that there’s more to construction than construction security though, and thought we’d bring up a recent proposal from the American Institute of Architects: “Integrated Project Delivery: A Guide”
The AIA’s press release for their guide places blame for inefficiencies on construction:
An Economist article from 2000 identifies 30 percent waste in the U.S. construction industry; a National Institute Standards and Technology (NIST) study from 2004 targets lack of interoperability as costing the industry $15.8 billion annually…
I’m a bit leery of any program that centralizes project control in one camp, though it looks like the basis for “Integrated Project Delivery” is “mutual respect and trust” and, more importantly, “mutual benefit and reward.”
So will it be worth it to you to down load their 62 page guide and ramp it up for your next construction project? No, and the paper seems pretty academic too, without much hands on real-world examples of this concept in action.
Still, it’s worth while for you to have a passing understanding of it in case an architect or owner brings it up, and if you’re serious about running your company as a business then you’ll be serious about reducing that 30% of waste in your budget so that you can pass the savings on to your clients and your employees… and your own bottom line.
Resources:
Integrated Project Delivery: A Guide
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and The AIA California Council, Partner to Introduce Integrated Project Delivery: A Guide (press release)
Via The Construction Informer, one of our new daily reads and one of the few construction industry blogs out there.
They Rob You Once Shame on Them. If They Rob You Twice…
I watch the news a lot. Stories on construction site theft always catch my eye. It amazes me how general contractors leave themselves wide open to multiple site thefts – often from the same thief.
And if it’s not multiple thefts at the same construction site it’s multiple thefts at job sites in the same AREA. Why? Because thieves can’t just fly site to site like Santa Claus when their meth supply runs out, they’ve got to plan their theft runs. The more thieving they get done in one area the better for them.
One of the SIMPLEST ways you can foresee theft at your construction site is to watch for news stories about construction site theft in your county or region. Theft in your area is a sure sign that you should prepare for theft at YOUR job site.
The minute you see this story you should be on the phone with your construction site security company of choice getting guards – or better yet Pro-Vigil security surveillance trailers – out at your job site.
Take this string of construction site thefts in Cumberland County, PA. That area suffered three construction site thefts in less than a week. If you’re a Cumberland County PA contractor then you’d best boost your security tonight! From: Theft at Carlisle Barracks construction site probed
In Shawnee County in Kansas there were three separate incidents reported over the past week that resulted in over $10,000 in lost tools and materials. Thefts in county investigated
Construction theft remains an ongoing issue. Stop thieves before they start with Pro-Vigil’s job site security services! Pro-Vigil stops job site intrusion with 24/7 security personnel who monitor live digital video of your site and chase intruders off with sirens and strobes. Contact Pro-Vigil at 866.616.1318 today for a free security consultation today.
Is Any Press Good Press? Your Company in Construction Site Theft News…
You may believe that any press is good press. In that case you probably wouldn’t mind getting headlines like these related to your company:
Explosives missing from rural construction site
Construction Theft in Bonneville County
Vandals strike construction site, reward offered
$15,000 Reward Offered In Construction Theft Case
Brothers charged with construction site burglary
I think there IS such thing as bad press – your clients could end up in the news because of the lack of appropriate security on your construction sites.
Here are some resources so that you can be sure to have the best job site security possible:
How Secure is Your Construction Security Fence? 11 Questions to Ask
How to Analyze Your Job Site’s Security Needs BEFORE the Job Begins
Reducing Employee-Driven Job Site Theft
5 Security Lighting Tips For Your Construction Site
Security Questioning Tactics for Your Construction Site
Sometimes it takes more than a fence and good lighting to keep your job site secure. Pro-Vigil stops job site intrusion with 24/7 security personnel who monitor live digital video of your site and chase intruders off with sirens and strobes. Contact Pro-Vigil at 866.616.1318 today for a free security consultation today.
Could Thieves Break into YOUR Construction Site with a Cardboard Box?
We wrote recently about choosing security fencing for your construction site, but a recent story of two Canadian thieves proves why a physical barrier is never enough…
Police recently put a stop to a year-long burglary spree in Canada that netted over $250,000 from fast food restaurants. The two suspects hid “inside a three-sided cardboard box placed up against the front of the door while using specialized glass-cutting tools to break in.”
Staff Inspector Brody Smollett told a Canadian news paper, “They would cut out the glass, slide in, sometimes they wouldn’t even stand up until they got to where they needed to go, they would slither across the floor in case there were motion sensors.”
It’s unfortunate that people choose to use their talents in these ways, but it’s a good reminder that there’s no end to the ingenuity of thieves. A security fence does not adequately protect the tools, machines and materials on your job site, though it will always be a security necessity.
You need live security monitors for your construction site. Live guards are an excellent option. Pro-Vigil’s 24/7 security personnel monitor live digital video of your site and chase intruders off with sirens and strobes at a rate that’s far below the cost of guards. Contact Pro-Vigil at 866.616.1318 today for a free security consultation today.
Resources:
Click here to read Thieves use cardboard box in GTA break-ins >>
Click here to read How Secure is Your Construction Security Fence? 11 Questions to Ask >>
