Best Strategies to Win Security Jobs in the Construction Industry

Building a structure requires several important things to support a construction task smoothly. These include careful considerations, a strategic plan, a site, and supported tools. All these factors can speed up the building's construction and ensure the safety of the workers. However, all of them can cost a lot of money and require proper control. Therefore, it needs good protection from problems that may happen. That is why many construction companies and projects are hiring for security jobs.

As a result, the request for these security jobs has grown by 105% in the last ten years in the UK. In terms of building work, a security position can earn money as much as £20,000 to £35,000 per year. These numbers are based on the work experience you have. With that being said, having good plans and skills is really important. In this article, we will walk you through everything you need to know to apply for this job.

What are construction security jobs?

Construction security jobs are positions that aim to protect valuable assets on the worksite, prevent the site from vandalism, and ensure safety protocols are followed. Therefore, the responsibilities for these positions usually include surveillance, monitoring, and patrolling, emergency response, reporting and documentation, and access control. Thus, a construction security guard is required to be able to do everything quickly to avoid any unwanted incidents.

Moreover, construction sites that are almost finished become one of the most targeted by criminals to commit theft or vandalism. This is because the site contains valuable materials, tools, and machinery that can be resold at a high price on the black market. Additionally, these criminals often conduct their illicit activities at night, as people are less likely to witness them and the actions remain undetected. Therefore, these roles are essential to secure those assets, especially at night.

Despite theft and vandalism, construction security jobs also aim to protect the building area from people with unauthorised access. Those people who don’t have access can create other problems that can harm the site and the worker. For example, an intruder might cause damage to the safety equipment. As a result, this can put the worker at risk of accidents.

Essential skills for construction security jobs

There are several skills that every construction security job should have, such as risk assessment, physical fitness, emergency response, effective communication, conflict resolution, security equipment usage, and regular inspections. Some of these skills come naturally with your birth, and some of them can be developed through habit or learning sources. These skills are the abilities and practical qualities that can help the construction guard to protect a site.

For example, many of them can use physical skills to safeguard the site from bad criminals. These physical skills can include physical strength, heavy lifting, endurance, dexterity, posture, good hearing, and more physical skills. These skills can help the guard avoid any physical interventions from bad people while working. Besides physical, there are several skills that construction security jobs should have, including:

Risk assessment

Conducting a risk assessment to protect a construction site is crucial because it enables construction security personnel to identify and address potential threats. As a result, they can make the area safer from illegal activities and protect the construction assets. This can also help you to follow the rules regarding safety and security for creating a structure. 

Emergency response

A construction security guard is someone who is usually the first to come to emergency scenes. For this reason, it is crucial for this position to have emergency response skills. Having this skill can make them act fast to save people from unwanted incidents on the construction site. This skill can be acquired through comprehensive training. As a result, they can handle the emergency swiftly. 

Effective communication

Good communication is an essential skill for all jobs, including construction security jobs. Knowing how to deliver precise and accurate information can help them convey any guidance, instruction, warnings, and procedures for the safety protocol when building a structure. As a result, this can make a safer environment. Moreover, they can use this skill when they need to communicate with authorities, visitors, workers, and emergency services. 

Conflict resolution

Despite being the first to come in an emergency, construction security jobs can also be the ones who need to separate any conflict that may happen at the site. Therefore, they need to have conflict resolution skills. This aims to prevent violence and keep the site work safe. Having this skill can help them to solve any conflict proactively, avoid legal problems by solving a conflict through communication and negotiation, and more. 

Security equipment usage

Security equipment is important to any workplace, including a construction site. This equipment can be in CCTV cameras, access control systems, alarm systems, and two-way radios. Having these tools can help you protect a site. However, these will be useless if the one who manages it doesn’t know how to use it. Therefore, it is important for any security position to use this equipment.

Maintenance tasks

Keeping all the equipment and assets in good condition is also vital for security jobs, especially in construction. You can start by conducting regular inspections, cleaning, monitoring, and system repairs. The systems can be security systems, alarm systems, and access control devices. If these systems work well, this can improve site protection and make the security guard much easier.

Highest-paying security jobs

In the UK, the highest-paying security jobs are security officer, surveillance officer, store detective, information security analyst, and security supervisor. These positions share similar purposes, which is protection. However, these positions require valuable skills that many people don’t have. Therefore, they can earn a lot of money. Below is the average base salary per year of each position that you want to know. They include:

• Security officer: £ 26,002 per year

• Surveillance officer: £ 32,604 per year

• Store detective: £ 30,958 per year

• Information security analyst: £ 34,611 per year

• Security supervisor: £ 42,975 per year

Final thought

Security jobs are not that hard, but we can not say that it is easy work, especially in guarding a construction site. The level of difficulty of this position depends on the roles, locations, skills, and preferences. However, this position can be demanding, especially for those who work in a construction site that has a high-risk environment, long hours, and requires specialised duties and skills. Therefore, they earn more money.

To learn more about these construction security jobs, you need to join a comprehensive training program. In this case, the College of Contract Management can provide you with the learning materials. These learning materials are varied based on your chosen topic, including this security position. Therefore, it becomes a trusted educational institution in the UK.