When it comes to defending your equipment, materials and jobsite from theft and weather conditions, you may think it only happens to other people. You may assume you’re safe, but if you’re not prepared when the worst comes to light, your business can suffer from lost money, time and productivity.

With the use of telematics, tracking devices and technology, you can prevent unauthorized entrances and prepare for harsh weather conditions in your area. Instead of walking around your jobsite each day to ensure your equipment is available, telematics systems can notify you when specific machines leave your area or are in a nondesignated location. They can communicate information about every piece of machinery and their locations at all times.

By using what’s called the Internet of Things, you can increase the efficiencies of your site and receive data from equipment to ensure the safest conditions.

How to Secure Your Jobsite from Theft

In the unfortunate case someone intrudes on your jobsite, you have the potential of losing expensive materials and machinery you will need to replace. As a result, it can cause a delay in your projects, accounting for project overruns and downtime. Your insurance premiums may also increase.

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, construction material and equipment theft account for more than $1 billion per year in losses.

However, you can implement numerous safety measures to assure jobsite security. While some companies have little supervision — especially during weekends and at night — you can increase your security and make sure you keep identification numbers and necessary records of each equipment piece. With ID numbers and files, you can track and recover machinery much easier.

Take a look at how you can secure your jobsite from theft by referring to the following preventive measures:

• Apply “no trespassing” signs
• Connect tracking devices to each machine
• Increase lighting during off-hours
• Install security cameras with motion sensors
• Lock machines when not in use
• Organize equipment in a strategic manner
• Secure site with a fence
• Use dummy cameras when necessary

By employing active safety measures, you make it clear there is a high risk of getting caught, which will deter unwanted people from entering. Signage such as “no trespassing” notifications act as warnings and indicate the privacy of your worksite.

You can integrate tracking systems with your local police stations, so they can take care of equipment recovery in a more efficient manner. With suitable lighting fixtures, you can discourage thieves by reducing hiding places. Motion-activated sensors can also be a useful tactic.

Security cameras are one of the most popular forms of keeping areas safe — on and off the jobsite. Installing surveillance video cameras and even hiring a security guard can assist in deterring unauthorized visitors and help with the identification process if someone vandalizes your property.

When you leave for the day, make sure to lock your machines and use immobilization devices like wheel locks, fuel shutoffs and ignition locks. Strategically organizing your heavy equipment is also helpful. Park them close together or in a circle with the small pieces in the center.

Building generic and geofences are also common ways to discourage thieves. Enclosing the site with your equipment, trailers and storage areas can prevent someone from removing your equipment off-site. Installing a geofence in specific regions is ideal if you want to keep a close eye on machinery. If equipment crosses a designated boundary, you and other managers will be notified.

It’s smart to plan deliveries ahead of time, too, so you know when someone will be on jobsite to secure packages. This will decrease the risk of unauthorized personnel from entering. Insurance coverage can also provide help from theft or vandalism and acts as a safety net.

Protecting Your Equipment from Severe Weather

Although you can’t always 100 percent predict what will happen and when, a practiced contingency plan can help you prepare for unexpected weather conditions. Here’s what you need to know about performing the proper steps.

• Evaluate site-specific risks
• Secure materials
• Anticipate alternative construction plans

High winds, from severe storms, can damage structures under construction, leading to lost money and delays. Wind often affects masonry walls, forms, framework and roof coverings. After an evaluation of wind-exposed areas, brace your building components, cover large wall openings and store materials for windy conditions.

Have your site surveyed to determine exposures to severe whether such as tornados, flooding or extreme temperatures. Create an emergency plan to prepare and avoid significant downtime or equipment losses.

• Develop a checklist
• Have a relocation plan
• Secure supplies in advance
• Prepare to act if severe weather arrives
• Access damage
• Prevent theft and begin cleaning

NMC Cat is Here to Help

If you have further questions on how to how to protect your jobsite, contact NMC online for more information. You can also call 800-628-6025 to learn about our products and services.

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Hopefully, you’ll never have to put your contingency plan to the test. Having one, however, provides countless benefits for you both now and after disaster strikes.

Benefits of Forming a Contingency Plan

While you might think you’ll never gain advantages from a contingency plan except in unlikely disasters, the reality is that having one can help right away in several ways in addition to the usefulness when something goes wrong. When you prepare a contingency plan for your business, it will:

• Increase awareness: Almost every business owner has considered how the company would face and handle a crisis, but usually, the plans aren’t comprehensive. When people in charge take time to create a full contingency plan, they’re forced to evaluate every possible scenario and ramification. You’ll have to consider every strength and weakness of your facility and operation, which will give you a more methodical strategy for prevention, resolution and bounce-back.
• Improve peace of mind:Understanding the ins and outs of your business and performing a full analysis of possible threats and solutions will keep you and all employees feeling more confident about the company’s trajectory. When you understand the big picture and know it, you can focus on what you do best and move the business forward instead of fretting over what ifs.
• Prevent panic: No matter how many times you’ve thought about something going wrong and how prepared you might feel, it doesn’t change the fact that people tend to panic in emergency situations. The fear response is a strong one, and trying to make crucial decisions while you’re panicking about losses could lead to incorrect, irrational choices. When everyone has a clear, well-documented plan of action to follow, everyone can rapidly move into recovery mode.
• Minimize company losses: When disruption occurs, whether in the form of a power outage, storm or other situation, production losses can be devastating. Employees could feel too unsafe to work, data could get lost and equipment could stop working. The best contingency plans will include a way to reroute data, emergency generators, determinations for who will supervise what duties, escape routes for employees in danger and plans to obtain equipment should yours fail.

How Can NMC Rental Services Help?

If your equipment gets damaged in an unexpected event, it won’t stop you from needing it to continue getting work done. In such an unfortunate situation, trust NMC Rental Services to get you the machines you need quickly and affordably. Every piece you get from us will be high quality and performance ready, and our team of expert technicians will maintain the equipment and keep it running so you can focus on other crucial recovery operations.

Forming a contingency plan now instead of waiting until disaster strikes could save you untold production, profit and reputation. It could mean the difference between overcoming a disaster and folding in the face of it. Don’t wait. Contact NMC Rental Services right away to get one crucial part of your contingency plan in place.

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Make a Plan

This won’t happen in an hour, so make sure you give yourself ample time to create a foolproof, comprehensive plan for the shutdown. A scheduled outage could have a huge impact on your business operations, so try to begin your planning at least four months ahead of time. Conduct a full risk assessment and check additional resources to make sure you aren’t forgetting anything. Anticipate potential risks so you and your employees can avoid them.

Train Your Workforce

Plant turnaround safety should be reviewed annually because of the high-risk nature of the work. Re-educating your workforce about safety during the procedure is a step you won’t want to skip. Invest in your workers’ safety they’re your most valuable asset. Teach them the full emergency-response procedure in detail to ensure they’re ready for a shutdown.

Communicate Effectively Throughout the Process

Successful communication with your entire team starts far in advance of the shutdown with informing everybody of the plan and what their active role will be. You can avoid injuries and hazards through effective communication. Be sure you have a code in place phrases that mean someone needs to respond swiftly or motions that signal danger to everyone around. You might choose to implement verbal phrases, safety slogans, banners or hand motions, but make sure everyone is in on the plan.

Assign Workers Correctly

Almost every shutdown involves heavy machinery and huge jobs that take several workers. It’s not the time to try to save on employee hours. Make sure you have qualified and fully trained workers managing machinery. Have someone spotting the operation and guiding equipment transport, and ensure you have the resources and manpower to manage and oversee each operation without risk or failure.

Manage Your Materials and Equipment

One of the most crucial steps in the whole process is keeping hazardous material locked up and stored safely. You need to avoid exposure to acidic chemicals, toxic fumes, flammable gases, airborne fibers and more. If you can, have a specialist check for any exposure risks. Make sure you’re following OSHA’s guidelines at all times.

Next, unplug equipment that stores energy or poses a threat lock up the gear and protect the key until all work is complete so your workforce stays safe from all moving parts. Use restraint pads to keep your system off while workers are completing maintenance. Turn off the machine, padlock the system and hold onto the key.

Document the Procedure

You never know when you might need approval from inspectors, which means you need to keep detailed documentation on each machine’s maintenance. Plant executives and outage workers might come and go, but they all need to know the full procedure to ensure the right records. Make sure they know who will do what work, what energy sources require control, where to access control panels and how to remove a lockout.

If you’re in the process of planning a plant shutdown, NMC Rental Services can help. We’ll not only get you the high-quality machines you need at an affordable rate, but we’ll also provide a team of trained technicians to make sure your rental equipment and jobsites are adequately maintained for peak performance. Contact us now to learn more about our equipment services and rentals.

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