Site Security
Protecting a Project’s assets is at the top of the list for most Developers and Lenders these days. Whether it be finances, property, or business, setting up some type of a security blanket for your project assets always adds additional comfort to the certainty of the project and desired outcomes. Most of the time these everyday risks can be covered through insurance; but what do you do when you are faced with protecting a growing (maturing) asset?
In the construction world, site security awareness is on the rise to help owners protect their newly purchased land. Trained security companies (3rd party) play pivotal roles in managing site access, whether it be for personnel or vehicles. Site security personnel, along with video surveillance, is used by owners 24/7 to protect their site from intruders.
Example
Over the last few years, there has been a spike in the construction industry in trespassing charges brought about by young thrill seekers. A couple of cases in the NYC metro area come to mind when mentioning this. Young teens have been sneaking onto (already high risk) job sites and climbing Tower Cranes to get the best photo they can. There is also a recent case in Portland of a man in a mental health crisis climbing atop of a construction crane where he stayed for five-plus hours before returning to the ground. Needless to say, the risk involved is extremely high. The operators climbing the crane on a daily basis are trained professionals, and are covered under the insurance of the project (whether OCIP or CCIP). If there were to be claim of any unauthorized entry on the site that resulted in serious injury or death; the first questions insurance investigators would ask would be:
1. Where was security?
2. Where they making rounds during check-in?
3. Was the project adequately staffed for the night shift (when these occurred)?
Having a diligent and disciplined site security company on a construction site can prevent unauthorized entry to projects and mitigate insurance claims. In addition, protecting the site will help prevent theft which, in turn, can result in insurance claims.
Site Safety Management
The presence of site safety in the past 10 years is also on the rise. As we know, construction sites generally have many serious hazards that could lead to injury or death. While booming NYC construction is a very positive sign it brings about more injuries, which subsequently impact insurance claims. So how do we keep workers on the construction site safe? How do we keep claims low? The answer is a combination of training and safety awareness on the job.
The Site Safety Manager plays a key role from the moment a new worker comes on site. They start of by providing orientation as well as going over all of the site risks and educate workers on basic safety requirements for the job. Having a Safety Manager patrolling the job site keeps workers on their toes. Workers who have reoccurring safety violations may be asked to leave the project. This will potentially :
1. Keep injuries and claims low. (by removing unsafe workers)
2. Let other employees know the consequences of unsafe work.
3. Hold contractors more accountable for the training and supervising of their workers.
Prior to Site Safety Managers being required on construction sites, the superintendent was responsible for the safety of the site they supervised. Needless to say, their agenda is meeting deadlines and getting the work done, so you can see how safety can be put aside to meet their goals. When a person’s sole responsibility is to ensure the safety of all workers and oversee all high risk work; there’s a good chance that project will have a low injury rate, keeping insurance claims low and the owners happy.
Visit our blog board for more insight into how The ALS Group manages our Real Estate and Construction Clients’ risks.
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