How to leave your site over the festive period
With most businesses having already planned their closures over the Christmas break, we thought we’d give you a few ideas on how to leave your site with minimal or no staff present.
Switch off electricity and water
If you are able to, leaving electricity and water supplies isolated and off reduces the chances of any equipment being left draining power or a tap leaking for over a week. You might end up with a massive bill or at worst your premises could end up damaged. Make a good sweep of your premises before you leave.
Leave it tidy
This might seem like overkill (particularly when your site is outdoors and “tidy” might be a vague concept) but can be vital in reducing the risk of fire and property damage. A slight draft can cause items to move and you could end up with a call out from your alarm company at an inopportune moment. Or in the event of a fire, the tidier your yard the less chance fire has of spreading and catching to other areas. The winter break is a great excuse to give your site a good tidy and get rid of anything you won’t need. It doesn’t have to be Spring to start Spring Cleaning.
Hide valuables
Robberies on sites are very often performed by opportunists. They are passing by and see something that they think they could sell or keep and just decide to go for it. Using dust sheets or other covers for kit and materials is a great place to start. Out of sight is out of mind, is particularly true for burglars. You wouldn’t leave your tools on show in a locked van so use that same logic. Move anything of value away from plain sight where you can, and cover it up if you can’t.
Keep it locked, keep CCTV on and make sure it’s alarmed
I’m sure you do this every day but it’s especially important to make sure your security is tip top before you leave for any length of time. This will save you any headaches with your insurance company should the worst happen and a locked site is much less likely to be targeted in the first place. Visible security measures are a real deterrent for potential thieves.
Final thoughts
Common sense is key as always. Check your site and then check it again. An extra check 20 minutes before you leave could save you time and hassle in the long run.
We hope you have a restful Christmas and look forward to speaking to you about your timber needs in the New Year.