The recent spike in fuel prices globally has impacted the construction industry by far more than just an increase in the cost of fueling vehicles and heavy machinery. On-site fuel thefts are becoming more prominent due to current events, and we have a few simple steps & a proactive solution that will keep your site protected, as the threat continues to loom.
Rising Fuel Prices and How it Effects Construction:
With these rising costs, we have started to see a major increase in theft at gas stations, farms, and most recently, construction sites. Within our own client base, our Investigations Team have conducted several in-depth investigations & reviews for fuel thefts that have occurred on construction sites, outside of our standard monitoring hours.
What are 3 key ways you can protect your fuel storage tanks on site?
1. Tank Placement
A well thought out tank placement is an effective strategy for preventing on-site fuel theft. Fuel storage tanks should be located a safe distance away from any fence lines, ensuring that thieves cannot tamper with the tank from outside the site.
If possible, it is also recommended to install an additional layer of construction fencing, specifically around your fuel storage area, concealing the tank from the public. Since thieves often attempt to stay as discrete as possible, you should consider placing your fuel tanks in well-lit sections of your construction site.
2. Implementing Protection Measures
Monitoring the usage and levels of your fuel tanks can help control the flow of fuel throughout your construction site, as well as catch any internal or external theft that occurs.
This includes recording your fuel levels daily, locking filling points, as well as disconnecting your pump controls from the power supply, if you are utilizing an electric pump. Additionally, thieves will often bring their own tanks to fill up with your fuel. In order to avoid this, you should keep a close eye out on the vehicles that access your construction site. Unauthorized vehicles may return to steal fuel, or materials & equipment.
We are only beginning to witness this boom in fuel related theft and that is why we highly recommend adding these various passive security measures to protect your construction site fuel storage tanks.
3. Proactive Video Monitoring
Your site(s) are most vulnerable to gas theft at night and early morning when there are no workers present. Our proactive video monitoring aims to detect and deter construction site crime, such as fuel theft, during the hours of 6:00pm to 6:00am Monday-Friday, and full 24-hour coverage over the course of the weekends & holidays.
Our innovative security units, equipped with high-resolution security cameras are placed in the direct line of site of your on-site fuel storage. Additionally, previously installed fuel storage tanks can be protected by installing an additional camera(s) to provide full coverage, if the tank is not in view of our existing systems or the view is obstructed as construction is being completed.
Providing details as to the whereabouts of the fuel storage tank, when it is not in plain sight or if the view is completely obstructed, can provide our Monitoring Team with valuable insight: to ascertain where a potential thief may be heading on site, allowing them to respond accordingly.
When a potential thief is identified on our security cameras, our highly skilled video monitoring operators will utilize powerful peripherals to deter the suspect. Issuing voice commands from our live communications speakers, and activating high-visibility LED strobe lights will often deter a suspect from proceeding.
If the suspect is not deterred, our operators will quickly contact local law enforcement, providing them with important details that will assist in apprehending the individual such as suspect description, location, and behavior; all while gathering detailed evidence with our high-resolution Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras. Once the incident is contained, our operators will gather all the information on the attempted fuel theft and compile it into a security report that can be accessed through our security information reporting platform, syncroReports, for client review.
Due to the recent spike in gas prices, we have seen a major increase in on-site fuel theft attempts. Our proactive video monitoring & security solutions are the premier choice for monitoring and protecting your sites from these costly thefts.
Resources:
- “Canadian gas prices reach ‘record territory’ amid attack on Ukraine” CTVNews, Nicole Bogart, March 2nd, 2022