Construction sites run on tight deadlines and house expensive equipment to complete a building. Safety on site ensures the efficiency and productivity of all workers, along with the security of the vehicles and equipment used. Fleet managers play a role in implementing the security, as they are responsible for the fleet-related costs involved in construction. A fleet management solution helps any manager monitor vehicles and other important assets in several construction sites. When it comes to answering how to improve fleet management, the solution keeps all equipment, fleets, and staff working at their best in safe conditions. Find out how you can achieve construction site security with these solutions and tips.
Encourage a Safety Culture
How can fleet safety be improved? Build a culture of safety in your fleet construction company. Encourage drivers assigned to the site and staff in charge of specific equipment with incentives for following safety protocols. Reward them for their efforts with additional days off, bonuses, and gift checks or extra cash prizes. Be sure to brief everyone about the driver incentives program and train them accordingly on how to follow safety rules. Apart from establishing a safety culture, you also increase staff morale and offer them more reasons to stay in your fleet.
You can also use construction fleet management software to maintain the site’s safety culture. The software enables you to receive alerts in the event of speeding or other driving violations in your fleet. The software can also summarize safety data in easy to read reports for you to analyze and use to make better managerial decisions.
Schedule and Invest in Employee Security Training
Empower your fleet drivers and equipment operators on how they can maintain the construction site’s security. Schedule a specific time and date to walk them through the processes and guidelines on site security and safety. To complement this effort, you can limit the number of staff in charge of certain heavy equipment. Put the experienced staff in charge of larger equipment and have them go through security checklists on a regular basis.
Prevent Equipment Theft and Invest in its Security
Construction site theft costs in commercial and residential projects start at $300 million to $1 billion annually. Apart from equipment, important materials like copper and lumber can be stolen as quick cash sources. Other equipment night thieves or even a few site employees may steal includes expensive heavy equipment and the construction vehicles like tractors or bulldozers. The likelihood of recovering stolen construction site equipment is lower than 20 percent, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.
It’s crucial you invest in a tracking technology like telematics, which sends notifications when equipment is moved off site. The telematics solution notifies you of equipment operation outside of working hours. You’re more likely to retrieve stolen equipment and reduce the chances of theft. The presence of this technology also reduces the rates from your construction fleet insurance.
Create an Effective Security Plan.
Your fleet management software is only as good as your overall security plan. How you use the notifications and data depends on the plan you have in preventing theft and ensuring safety on site. Keep these tips in mind when creating and implementing your construction site’s security plan:
- Monitor and protect the site with a fence. The fence should be high enough to deter intruders from entering. It should also limit the access employees and other staff have through designated entrances and exits.
- Invest in a security system and train personnel to operate it. Surveillance cameras and alarms help you track any theft incidents on site. The alarms deter a thief from stepping on foot, while the cameras increase the chances of identifying any trespassers.
- Assess security risks that are specific to your construction site. Do the assessment regularly, especially when monitoring and tracking inventory of vehicles and equipment.
Use Fleet Management Technology to Optimize Asset Utilization
Construction fleet management involves multiple sites and their respective equipment. Fleet management technology helps managers keep track of the construction assets in each location and analyze how they can be optimized. The technology provides the data for improving equipment utilization and resource management, which helps managers make more informed decisions about equipment use and maintenance. Managers can also see if it’s practical to rent more resources or transfer underutilized equipment from another site.
Final Thoughts
Driver safety technology and fleet management tools help construction site managers implement projects with everyone’s best interest. Drivers and operators assures everyone’s safety on site, while stakeholders are guaranteed the security of the equipment in use. Investing in top notch equipment like fleet safety cameras complements the safety culture of your company and the careful planning of a fleet manager. Start finding the best technology and planning for the best managerial solutions for your fleet construction company today.
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