How To Prevent Scaffolding Thefts

How To Prevent Scaffolding Thefts

Site managers will surely know their responsibilities when it comes to looking after their projects – but it’s possible that they might have overlooked the possibility of scaffolding theft when everyone has shut up shop and gone home for the day.

Sadly, scaffolding theft is often in the news these days and it can be especially distressing for companies of all sizes but particularly smaller ones that perhaps rely on renting this from scaffolding contractors in the UK. If scaffolding has been pinched, it’s all too likely that tools will have gone missing as well – and this could have a serious impact on someone’s livelihood, since such equipment certainly isn’t inexpensive.

Just this month (August), we’ve read about all sorts of different cases of scaffolding being taken from building sites. According to the Oldham Chronicle, for example, about £3,000 worth of scaffolding was stolen from a learning disability centre in Chadderton, with the perpetrators climbing over a 7ft wire fence to take the tower down before scarpering with the materials.

And, as reported by ITV at the start of the month, scaffolding was taken from a Bookers Cash and Carry on Glasgow Road in Dumfries, with police now keen to speak to those spotted inside a white Ford Transit van at the time. Similarly, the Gazette & Herald reported on August 15^th that an exhibition by the Scarborough Art Society had to be cancelled because thieves and vandals targeted the exhibition site, making off with scaffolding poles, a flat-pack shed and easels.

As you can see, this is a problem that affects a huge range of different businesses – and it certainly seems as though it’s an issue that won’t be going away any time soon. So what can be done about it? Just how can you go about protecting your site and your investments?

Reviewing your construction site security on a regular basis is a must, as is investing in anti-theft measures like CCTV cameras, heavy plant tracking devices and physical security guards. You could also consider trialling the use of something like traceable liquid scaffolding security paint.

Something like SelectaDNA Trace can be applied to anything you’re concerned about going missing, from compressors and cranes to scaffolding and excavators. If you think it’s worth something, then surely a criminal will as well – so do all you can to protect yourself today. Once you apply the paint, leave up signs warning people that it’s being used… it’s sure to serve as an excellent deterrent.

You’d also be wise to ensure that all those working on site have received the appropriate training to help prevent thefts from occurring. Instruct them on how best to protect tools and materials during the week and consider using an equipment order sheet so you can keep track of all equipment in use on site. You could also think about running an incentive programme at work where employees are rewarded when no thefts have taken place that week or that month, for example.