Editor’s note: Access, Control and Technology are all important components of a secure construction site. In part two of this series last week, Jim Kollaer explained the first of three keys to security: Access. The series continues here as he addresses the second key to jobsite security: Control.
Control
Control is the second leg of your ACT jobsite security plan, and it begins with the site design and security plan that you develop and implement. Integral to that plan is the security fencing that surrounds your entire jobsite as part of your ACT plan. It should be a minimum of 6, but more likely 8 feet tall, and be covered in a material that limits easy viewing at ground level of your jobsite. It is important, as we have stated, that the perimeter have limited and planned access points. Some cities, like Irvine, California, require that the fence be covered as long as you are storing materials and equipment on the site or until the structure is secured under lock and key. They even specify in their permitting codes the screening materials they require you to attach to your security fence.
Control focuses on the access points – especially on the worker ID process, the drug and alcohol testing, the OSHA required safety courses, and certifications that you or your vendors provide to your workforce. Cities, as part of your security plan, are requiring you to inform and meet with the local police and with fire and health agencies to exchange information and to review your site security plan to avoid or respond to any problems that might arise during the build.
Jobsite control extends to the way that you monitor the site during the off-hours whether through the use of cameras, guards, private security, or agreement with the local police to drive by the jobsite more frequently while you are under construction.
Security control includes the random inspections and testing by third parties to ensure that there has been no “ID substitution” and that each individual worker is who they say they are, that they have the skills and certifications that they claim to have, and that their safety courses are up to date. Some owners require the minimum 5-hour OSHA safety course and others are requiring a minimum of passage of the 10-hour course before the worker will be allowed to enter the site or work on the project. That requirement extends to all subs as well as to the general contractor’s workforce.
In the conclusion of this series next week, Jim Kollaer will explain the third key to jobsite security: Technology.
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