Metal theft has been on the rise, partly due to the ever-increasing demand for scrap metal in Asian markets and the developing world economies’ need for steel. According to estimates from the Department of Energy, as of 2014, metal theft has a billion-dollar impact on the US economy annually. It not only results in the direct loss of steel but also affects the structural integrity of buildings, costing owners thousands of dollars to repair.
However, the growing concerns over metal theft do not outweigh the advantages we get from steel structures. We can’t simply stop using these buildings and let the vandals win. Can we? Of course not – we can only beef up our security. Here’s how:
Motion-Detecting Lighting Systems
Nothing irritates thieves more than motion detectors. The bright light could go off at any point, and they might not even know it was there in the first place. It is even more effective when accompanied by sounds or alarms.
Be sure to put extra focus on regions of the building you think would make for prime targets. For instance, places that you don’t use a lot or where parts can be removed easily from your prefab steel building. The perfect way to identify such points of interest for a thief is to put yourself in their shoes and determine where you would choose to hit.
CCTV System with a Video Recorder
CCTV cameras, alongside motion detectors and alarm systems, can sufficiently deter most petty thieves. You might want to go a step further and hire a staff to carry out 24×7 remote surveillance of your cameras. What’s more, record your CCTV footage and store the recordings for a while. You will be able to discourage thieves.
One more thing – ensure that the access points for the cameras are not readily accessible from the outside, or at least secured in a lockable box. Otherwise, anyone who’s ambitious enough might be able to disconnect them, and your screens would show nothing but darkness.
Smart Entry-Resisting Perimeter Fence
It all boils down to what you have between your custom steel buildings and the bad guys. How good is the layer of protection separating your valuable structure from potential intruders?
We all indeed feel safer with CCTVs around. However, sometimes they are only useful when trying to identify a criminal after they have stolen from us. Why wait for the thief to break in and cause damage to your property when you can prevent them from gaining access in the first place? Consider installing a smart entry-resisting perimeter fence. You can only go through one of these if you have a key or a digital card, which makes them quite the ideal barrier.
Key-Less Electronic Locks
You are more likely to lose physical objects (such as keys) to thieves as opposed to passwords and pin codes. With key-less electronic locks, however, you take away that option.
Talking of losing keys to intruders, you should avoid leaving your clicker in the car. A thief could easily break into your car, grab the remote, and gain easy access to your garage or steel structure. A great alternative would be getting a keychain remote. Ditch the remote on your visor.
Eliminate Free Access to Your Building
Be sure to remove all unnecessary access to your building’s roof and the surroundings. Do you have any ladders lying around? Secure them or get rid of them. The same applies to scaffolding, dumpsters, piping, trees, and any other accumulated materials – like pallet piles.
You don’t have to chop down the whole tree or get rid of the much-needed dumpster. You only have to ensure these items won’t aid an invader. For instance, you could prune your tree branches to prevent anyone from using them to gain access to the roof.
Spread Awareness among Tenants
Going the extra mile to educate your tenants about steel theft could go a long way toward protecting your metal structures. Also, remind them not to share their keys or leak passwords to strangers. If anyone claims they got locked out, they should deal with the security or the person in charge.
Spreading awareness also ensures that everyone in or around the building is continuously on alert regarding such mischief-makers. Don’t take any chances. The damage could be very costly to fix!
Additional Security Measures
So far, we have only talked about what you can do to protect your prefab steel building from vandals. You might be wondering, “How about measures taken by the dealer? Well, at Steel Carports, we are keen on playing our part.
Our building specialists consider all the possible vulnerabilities in our designs. We ensure that the parts are not easy for thieves to break apart or unscrew. Not forgetting, you can have your steel structure’s roofs, walls, and floors airtight as well as waterproof.
The Bottom Line
Steel theft is not uncommon, but that shouldn’t discourage you from getting a custom steel building. You’ll be just fine for as long as you take appropriate measures such as:
- Motion detectors
- CCTV
- Smart entry-resisting perimeter fence
- Digital locks
- Removing free access
- Spreading awareness
- Purchasing your steel structure from a reliable supplier
At Steel Carports, we pride ourselves on being America’s top dealer of metal buildings. We have decades of experience in the industry. With the help of a dedicated team of building specialists, we offer fast deliveries at no extra charge and use only high-quality materials. Our customers enjoy exceptional warranties on metal buildings because, yes – we are that confident in our steel structures. Also, we offer flexible payment options with numerous financing options. Contact us now at (833) 647-8335 to get a quote or design your dream steel building with the help of our experts.