How vulnerable is your jobsite to theft? Print out the score card below, bring it to your jobsite and answer yes or no to 22 simple questions to find out exactly where you stand.


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To rate your site, simply answer yes or no to each question below. Each “yes” earns you 1 point, for a maximum of 22 points. Each “no” earns you nothing.

If you have any questions about increasing security at your construction site, please contact Pro-Vigil immediately.

==> Security Process Questions
Rigorous security procedures send clear signals to your employees and potential thieves that you’re aggressive about stopping theft.

1) Is one person held responsible for security on your jobsite?
2) Do you have an “end of day security check” procedure in place?
3) Do you screen employees for drug use and history of theft?
4) Do you have live surveillance video or other crime deterrents in place?

==> Perimeter Security Questions
Your perimeter is the first obstacle a thief or vandal faces. Make sure your perimeter has multiple hardened layers.

1) Do you have a security fence?
2) Is your fence 8 feet or higher?
3) Do you have security warning signs around your perimeter?
4) Is your perimeter well maintained and free of brush and junk piles?
5) Do employees and workers park outside of your security fence?
6) Do you have 3 or FEWER access points?

==> Security Lighting Questions
Strong lighting makes thieves nervous – like rats, they prefer darkness and shadows. How effective is your jobsite security lighting?

1) Have you thoroughly lit your jobsite with white light?
2) Have you eliminated pockets of deep shadow?
3) Have you eliminated glare so that your jobsite is easily visible from the street?

==> Storage Security Questions
Thieves break into your jobsite for materials, equipment or machinery. How well do you protect yours?

1) Do you have a centralized, well-lit storage zone?
2) Do you defensively block-in materials and equipment with heavy vehicles?
3) Are your conex boxes protected with strong locks?
4) Do you remove material and equipment from trailers immediately upon delivery?

==> Local Threat Level Assessment
While not all threats are under your control, you can at least be aware of situations that increase your vulnerability to theft.

1) Is local construction unemployment at a normal level?
2) Are local theft levels normal?
3) Is your jobsite one or more miles from highway access?
4) Do you have observant neighbors or a steady pedestrian flow nearby?
5) Are your neighbors friendly or at least neutral to the development?

Scoring Your Site:
yes = +1
no = +0

Your Construction Site’s Security Score:

A score of 1-5:
Your construction site has a high vulnerability to theft or vandalism. Thieves and vandals feel safe and comfortable committing crimes against your property.

A score of 6-18:
Your construction site has a moderate vulnerability to theft or vandalism. Amateur and impulse thieves may steer clear, but professional and habitual thieves will still clean you out.

A score of 18+:
Your construction site has a low vulnerability to theft or vandalism. Career thieves and casual thieves alike will think twice about hitting your property. Don’t relax though – there’s always room for improvement.

Left to right we have: Jeremy White, Kris Brackin, Rodney Bleam, Richard Elliott, Eugene Bacheldor of the Pro-Vigil, Inc CA Division!

If we’d known California was this much fun, we would have started here first ;)

That’s the Coyote Hills Golf Course by the way, over in Fullerton, California.

When: Nov 19th, 20th
Where: Long Beach Convention Center
Why: There is nothing like the power of industry-direct networking. Equally, education plays a role in the evolution of the building industry. BIS offers DRE certified courses, builder direct feedback, and green-focused seminars.

Learn More: BuildingIndustryShow.com >>

Register: register for the BIS online >>

Use Promo Code for Free Pass: Check your newsletter or contact us for the promo code!

We’re excited to bring Pro-Vigil to the builders, contractors and construction companies of Southern California at the Building Industry Show!

Here’s seven tips for keeping your jobsite trailers safe:

1) Store Trailers in Your Surveillance Security Zone
If you have security surveillance cameras on your jobsite, keep your trailers within the zones visible by your live monitors. Mark out the visible zones for yourself and then make sure your trailers are in it at the end of every day. Add this task to your end-of-day security routine.

2) Tongue Locks, Hitch Locks, Coupler Locks, etc…
The market has no shortage of trailer tongue locks. They are cheap, effective and easy to use. So use them. Effective security is about layers – adding a lock is one highly-effective layer you can add with little effort.

3) Remove a Tire
It really is that simple: remove a tire and lock it somewhere out of sight. You can also chain the removed tire to the trailer, or simply let the air out of the tires if you have a compressor available. Immobilization is good security.

4) Keep Trailers Well Lit and Visible from the Street
Thieves hate light and street visibility – that’s how they get caught. Study our guide on jobsite security lighting and make sure that thieves don’t feel safe coming onto your jobsite.

5) Defensive Parking
Make it highly inconvenient for thieves to just drive up and hitch by blocking the tongue, or the trailer itself, with other heavy equipment or materials.

6) Chain the Trailer Down
A good chain and padlock can buy you minutes – and sometimes that’s all you need. Better yet, they act as highly-visible deterrents to potential thieves. High visibility, good lighting and a chain can scare off some of the more cowardly thieves.

7) Put Your Name on the Trailer
Is your company logo big and bold on the side of your trailer? Put it there so that everyone knows who it belongs to. This serves as low-grade deterrence and is a good way for police to ID your property in the worst case scenario.

More Pro-Vigil Guides to Construction Security:
Stop Generator Theft: 14 Portable Generator Security Tips
10 Skid Steer Security Tips: The Jobsite Thief’s Favorite Tool
Highway Construction Site Security: 11 Ways to Stop Road Jobsite Theft
Equipment Yard Security: 10 Tactics that Stop Equipment Yard Theft

What matters is that we helped him make the right decision… the decision to GET OFF THE JOB SITE IMMEDIATELY.

Put Pro-Vigil on the job at your property and watch intruders run. Contact us today >>

Surveillance video done right brings a smile to the face.

Contact us today to learn more about adding live security surveillance to your property >>

It’s this simple:
1) We observe thief enter equipment yard and call police.
2) Police arrive and arrest him.
3) Client saves time, money and hassle.

Learn more. Contact Pro-Vigil today >>

Like this skateboarder, probably cutting through the jobsite. Watch him stop on a dime at 16 seconds and sprint out the way he came in.

He’ll think twice about cutting through jobsites again, and you can bet he’ll remember what Pro-Vigil’s VGS Cubes look like!

That’s the power of Pro-Vigil’s live surveillance services and onsite deterrents.

Watch more Pro-Vigil in action videos >>

Watch as they gather around the box, and see what happens when we hit them with the strobes and sirens at about 1:05.

That’s Pro-Vigil Security Cameras in action…

Don’t make your construction site a target for portable generator theft! This article describes 14 different ways you can protect your portable generators, divided into pro-active and reactive measures.


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9 Pro-Active Portable Generator Security Methods
We believe that the best time to fight crime is BEFORE it happens. These tips will help you stop thieves before they steal your generators.

1) Unload From Trailer and Secure Immediately
Have you ever found $500 just laying on the ground? That’s what a thief sees when you leave your generators loaded and ready to go on trailers. If you plan to store generators onsite overnight, always get them off the trailers and under several layers of security.

2) Secure the Trailers
If you have no choice but to leave them on the trailers, do everything you can to secure the trailer itself. This includes chaining the wheels, defensive parking, removing the hitch and more. Other suggestions in this article should help too.

3) Remote Monitored Security Video Camera Surveillance
Stop generator theft before it happens with live video surveillance connected to sirens and strobe lights onsite. When intruders enter with intent to steal, live security monitors trigger the strobes and sirens and then call the police if necessary.

This news report gives a good idea of the power of live, theft deterrent surveillance:

Further reading: 6 Construction Video Surveillance Tips for Max Monitoring Impact

4) Construct Generator Security Zone on Site
Centralize your storage within clear camera view – keep your portable generators, conex boxes, material pallets, and heavy equipment in direct view of your surveillance security zone. If you don’t employ construction surveillance then fence in your security zone and keep it well lit so that it’s visible from the road.

5) Install Appropriate Fencing
Good construction security fencing is the first line of theft prevention for jobsites. It’s more of a temporary deterrent, however and really only serves to delay intrusion rather than stop it completely. Fence height, barbed wire, size of mesh, the number of gates and the size of your clear zone around the fence all determine the fence’s effectiveness in preventing generator theft.

Further reading: Construction Security Fencing Checklist

6) Bright-White Security Lighting
Strong, white security lighting plays double defensive duty: it deters more cautious thieves and lights your jobsite at night so neighbors and passers by can see more brazen intruders. Be sure to position lights so that they don’t glare out onto the street, and remember to keep your generator security zone well lit.

Further reading: 5 Jobsite Security Lighting Tips

7) Chain and Padlock to Other Equipment
Like good security fences, chains and padlocks only delay theft – they can’t stop it. Sometimes delay is all you need though, especially if you utilize live video surveillance and/or leave the generators well lit and visible from the street. Be sure to weave the chain through wheels if possible, and attach to other heavy items that can’t be easily loaded by hand onto a trailer.

8) Defensive Blocking
If thieves can’t get to your generators then they can’t steal them. Block generators in with materials, other vehicles, or anything else on your jobsite that will make the generators awkward or difficult to get at.

9) Portable Generator Storage Boxes
If you generators remain on your vehicles then consider portable generator storage boxes which not only prevent theft but have handy cut-outs to enable operation.

5 Reactive Portable Generator Security Methods
Reactive methods, while lacking the impact of pro-active security methods, still pack a punch when it comes to potentially recovering stolen property.

10) Keep Detailed Records of Your Generator
Proving to the police and a court of law that a stolen generator was indeed yours requires good records. Record product identification numbers, make, model, year etc, take digital photographs, record the date of sale and retain the bill of sale.

11) Paint or Engrave with ID Numbers
Make it easy for police to identify who a generator belongs to – mark yours by engraving or painting on ID numbers or even your company’s logo. Make your mark big, bold and deep so the chop shop can’t remove it quickly.

12) Security Video Camera Surveillance
Security camera systems – without pro-active theft deterrents – can help you or the police to identify thieves after they have stolen generators from you.

13) Equipment Recovery Systems
There are several different recovery systems, methods and technologies available for recovering stolen generators. Check out the National Equipment Register as well as LoJack.

14) Monitor Craigslist and eBay After Theft
Just in case your generator was stolen by amateur thieves and not an organized crew, monitor Craigslist and eBay for a week or two after the theft. Police often do this too. Google offers a free “web band” scanner service called Google Alerts that monitors the web for you. All you have to do is tell them what sites to watch and what terms to look for. Monitor those sites for the make and model of generator you had stolen.

More Jobsite Security Resources from Pro-Vigil:
10 Skid Steer Security Tips: The Jobsite Thief’s Favorite Tool
Equipment Yard Security: 10 Tactics that Stop Equipment Yard Theft
Job Site Security: Establish Your End-of-Day Routine
9 Ways to Stop Construction Theft During Holidays and Vacations
How to Analyze Your Job Site’s Security Needs BEFORE the Job Begins
Reducing Employee-Driven Job Site Theft
Job Site Security: Establish Your End-of-Day Routine
Secure Jobsite Boxes: 4 Key Features to Look For
5 Security Lighting Tips For Your Construction Site
How Secure is Your Construction Security Fence? 11 Questions to Ask