Many construction sites will shut down this Christmas to allow workers to spend time with their families and observe the festivities. But what happens to the construction site during this down period? There are plenty of things to tick off to ensure the site is secure. Whether you are shutting down for a few days or a week, this guide offers tips and advice for the construction site Christmas shutdown.
Risk assessment and plan
The first step to ensuring a successful Xmas shutdown for your construction site is to perform a risk assessment. This involves finding answers to various questions, such as how long you will be closed and the consequences of shutting down.
Once you have checked out the risks, you can implement various safety and security measures. When you have a list of what needs to be done, you can tick them off one by one with your shutdown date in mind.
Planning this out carefully is important, giving yourself plenty of time to put all the best practices in place. If you leave it too late, you will be rushing around at the last minute, leading to mistakes.
Review security system
All construction sites will have some basic level of security in place, helping to deter trespassing and theft – which can lead to lots of accidents. Before the Christmas shutdown, reviewing your current security system will ensure everything is working as it should and identify any holes that can be fixed.
When you are away from the site for Christmas, the construction area needs to become a fortress, with locks, concrete barriers, cameras, and access control systems all in place and operational.
You can also consider adding some extra temporary security during the shutdown for further peace of mind.
Secure your Building Materials!
When it comes to the content of the construction site itself, those precious building materials must be secure. They should be stored away safely and locked up using your security protocols.
Not only will this prevent any theft, but if building materials are stored away correctly, you can also prevent any damage from being exposed to all the potential bad weather.
You also might want to consider the quantity of building materials you keep onsite during the Xmas shutdown.
Protect the site from adverse weather.
When shutting down for Christmas, it’s worth preparing for the worst that the weather can throw at the construction site. After all, the weather can be pretty bad in December, with rain, snow, and wind being possibilities.
Weatherproofing your construction site is, therefore, important. For example, you can utilise temporary protection products such as tarpaulins to protect exposed areas and construction site materials.
Remove or lock away valuable tools.
Construction sites are packed with valuable tools and equipment. While some tools can be removed until the construction site reopens, this won’t be feasible for all equipment, especially larger items like power tools.
Large expensive construction equipment must be locked away securely, away from the gaze of thieves outside the site. These should be stored in an alarmed area closely monitored by CCTV.
You could also consider tagging such machinery with tracking devices. This way, you can track down any stolen items more easily.