Construction supplies, which includes everything from lumber and steel I-beams to bolts and nuts, are often stolen from construction sites when unattended. If you are experiencing this problem, or you have a lot of supplies that are being destroyed by the elements, you need onsite storage solutions. Here are three ways to keep your supplies dry and prevent theft.
Tarps and Guards
The cheapest approach is probably the use of tarps and security guards. What you save on buying cheap, tie-down tarps you can spend on a security guard's salary. The tarps can be pulled down over the tops of the piles of supplies and anchored tightly in the ground below. It would take time and effort to release properly tied-down tarps, at which point a guard making rounds on your construction site would probably spot would-be thieves. Additionally, the tarps keep out moisture, which can warp and rot wood and oxidize steel.
Temporary Chain Link Structures and Cameras
A second solution is to construct twelve-foot high chain link enclosures so that you can lock valuable supplies inside. You will still have to use tarps to keep things dry, but now any would-be thieves have to scale a twelve-foot structure and figure out how to remove supplies. Even if they bring a bolt cutters to get through, your backup security measure of cameras can catch it all on tape. This eliminates the need for a security guard because the cameras will record details of the thieves, which you can then pass on to the police. Be sure to place your cameras high enough up that anyone going into "the cage" cannot see them and disable them.
Construction Containers
When you want an absolutely fool-proof solution to the elements and theft, use construction containers. They are more expensive than the options above if you purchase the containers, but they eventually pay for themselves with the level of protection they provide. Everything you place inside remains dry and cannot be stolen because of how these containers lock. To make it more complicated for thieves, place containers with supplies that you are not currently using very close together, with the back of one container blocking the front of another so that the doors cannot be opened until the containers are moved far enough apart. People can get inside if they want or need to, but they cannot get lumber or I-beams or lengthy items out.
For more information on construction containers, check out a company like A & N Trailer Leasing Co Inc.
