Shipping Containers and Theft: How to Secure Your Jobsite!

Theft Prevention with Shipping Containers

Jobsites face an increasing number of risks ranging from arson, petty vandalism, and damage from publicity-seeking protestors. But the number one risk for all jobsites regardless of scale and location is theft. Some theft reports estimate the total loss of equipment from construction jobsites to be $1 billion a year. This number isn’t even taking into account the losses of small tools, materials, and lost production time because of theft. This makes theft prevention and security a necessity in jobsites.

Shipping containers provide jobsite storage and container security to help prevent theft of materials and equipment.

What does it Mean to Keep Your Jobsite Secure?

A secure jobsite is one where you can be sure that your equipment, tools, materials, office, and even your scrap are where you left it and ready for use when you return to work.

The cost of thefts from jobsites includes:
• Lost production time while you replace the stolen items.
• Cost of direct replacement through rental or purchase.
• Increased insurance costs as premiums rise.
• Penalty fees if you miss construction deadlines.

An additional hidden cost of unwanted visitors to your jobsite includes health and safety risks through damage to equipment, spillage of chemicals, as well as damage to the construction project itself through arson, vandalism, and theft.

Enhancing your jobsite security through theft prevention measures protects people and saves money.

Why is Security at a Jobsite Essential?

Robust jobsite security will send most thieves, however well equipped, in search of an easier target.

Both visible and hidden security measures at your jobsite act to:
• Deter opportunistic thieves and troublemakers; and
• Prevent thefts of equipment, tools, and materials.

You can prevent thefts and vandalism by securing and locking away all high-value items, materials, and chemicals. If the jobsite is left clean, tidy and all items are securely stored in a container, then there is nothing left lying around for the opportunistic thief or vandal to take or destroy.

Running a secure jobsite is safer for your workers because all tools and materials are in safe storage when not in use. You have less risk of injury through trip hazards or other accidents involving tools and materials. You also reduce the risk of accidental fires by storing fuel and combustible materials in a fire-resistant storage container.

Other perks include increased organization so you can readily decide when to order more materials and equipment as secure storage makes reviewing stock straightforward. Your workers will be more efficient because it will be easier for them to access (and return) tools and supplies during the workday. Excellent jobsite security saves you money and time by preventing the cost burden of theft and vandalism while improving routine productivity.

How Do Shipping Containers Help Prevent Theft?

Someone wishing to break into your jobsite to steal anything will not have an easy time doing so if you’re using a shipping container for storage. Shipping containers require specialist tools, knowledge, and time if you want to attempt to break into them. Plus, the range of shipping container sizes means you can choose the appropriate container to store tools, materials, and machinery efficiently for security and access.

A shipping container is a reinforced steel box where all the entry points have additional security features such as:
• Bars over office windows making it difficult to gain entry.
• Secure shipping container padlocks.
• Lock boxes for an added barrier to prevent breaking a lock.
• Inner bolting systems to prevent access to intruders.
• Portable cross bar locks.

All these locking systems make it difficult for a potential thief to pick or drill the lock or even cut it off with bolt cutters. The container’s backup measures, cross bar locks and inner bolts, mean that even if the lock gets broken, the doors won’t open.

The more difficult and frustrating it is for a thief to break into your shipping container, the more likely they will give up and look elsewhere for a target.

The outer steel structure requires specialist equipment to cut through the sides or the roof, so most thieves will try to break the locks or window for easy access to the contents of your storage container. However, you can take additional security measures to discourage even the most determined thief.

Tips to Increase Security Around Your Shipping Containers

Locking your materials, tools, equipment, and even valuable scrap inside shipping containers will provide a high level of security for your job site but further steps you can take include:

Location

Thieves prefer to go about their business unseen and unnoticed. Placing your shipping containers where they are visible means someone acting in a suspicious manner is likely to be noticed. Sitting your storage containers close to each other can leave a would-be thief with little room to maneuver between the containers and makes it easier to apply additional security measures to your job site.

The location of your shipping containers, as a single measure, is unlikely to prevent potential thieves from targeting your job site. Still, the careful selection of areas for storage can help boost your security measures.

Depending on the job site location, there may be some benefit in hiding the storage containers from attracting attention. The idea is that this will deter opportunistic thieves who spot a storage container and assume that the contents will be valuable.

Fencing

Adding a protective locked security fence to your shipping container adds more time and effort for thieves to access your containers. The additional barrier is a practical deterrence measure, and you can add alarms, lighting, as well as video surveillance.

Fencing needs to be high enough to make it impractical for people to climb. Some sites use a double fence to increase the difficulty of gaining access. Other construction job sites favor solid fences to hide the site, so a would-be thief must guess if the potential reward is worth the risk.

Alarms, Lights and Cameras

A noisy alarm may not attract attention in a rural location, but you can install an alarm system that sends a message to the site manager or a security company. Plus, most thieves wish to avoid drawing attention to themselves with a loud alarm, so the prospect of triggering an alarm may be a sufficient deterrent. Some alarm systems can run off a mobile phone, so no access to a power outlet is not a hindrance to using an alarm to secure your shipping container.

Lights are useful for accessing the container not only by your workers on dark mornings and afternoons, but lights also deter thieves. You can have permanent lighting or motion-activated lights that highlight a potential intruder. If your storage containers are behind a fence, you are unlikely to have animals triggering the lights.

Cameras can act as a deterrent and as evidence following a theft. A beneficial aspect of video surveillance is employing a security firm to have eyes on your job site during off days and over holidays. You can link the video surveillance to a loudspeaker system so your security team can ward off potential trouble.

How Can StorageContainer.com Help?

Storagecontainer.com supplies robust steel storage containers with a lock box in ¼ inch steel. The lock box encloses your choice of padlock and makes it challenging for anyone who wants to try and cut your padlock off the door or pick the lock.

Our experienced staff are happy to advise you on other security modifications and other products that enhance your job site security. We have 40 years of experience delivering secure storage on job sites. We offer a range of container sizes to help you find the ideal configuration. Helping you keep your materials and tools on your jobsite where they belong-saving you money, keeping you working, and delivering on time.

Get A Quote Today