Many businesses across the country will have left their offices to work remotely, in support of the government’s social distancing measures. However, this could leave the buildings open to security breaches if they’re not adequately secure.
As part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government wants more people working from home in order to reduce the spread of the virus. Even though the physical doors might be closed for now, businesses can’t simply shut down altogether and forget about their premises.
Office buildings and other commercial sites need to be secured correctly to ensure that they are safe from trespassers while they are vacant. Businesses that don’t take the appropriate measures may find that there are problems with their insurance, should they need to make a claim.
Securing your vacant commercial property
In order to support businesses at this time, we have created a checklist of security steps that you can take to keep the site as secure as possible.
Carry out a risk assessment
The first step to understanding how your site needs to be secured is to conduct a full risk assessment. Many businesses will already have one of these in place, but it’s useful to reassess the needs given the current situation.
Where are the access points?
There will be the clear access points to the site which are used daily by staff and visitors. However, there may be other areas that you are unaware of, such as gaps in the fencing or unsecured doors, which could be utilised by trespassers to get into the building if it’s vacant for a long period.
Is additional security required?
Where the main car park / access to the site doesn’t have any gates or shutters you should consider hiring bollards or blocks to prevent unauthorised access. Empty office car parks could become open to traveller encampments, which is obviously a security concern and could prevent employees getting onto the site.
If an unauthorised group does set up on your site, there are quick measures you can employ to evict them – without the need to go to court. For more details on our traveller eviction services visit our website here.
Does anyone need to gain access?
Even though the majority of employees will be working remotely, there may still be times when they need to physically be in the building. Whether this is to collect post or access documents, you need to ensure that they are able to do so. If you’re using a security company, make sure that there is a list available of employees or those who have authority to be on site. Check that they have the relevant keys or alarm codes and that they don’t pass these onto anyone else.
Safety risks
When the building is going to be left unoccupied for a considerable period of time, are there any measures you need to take to reduce the fire or flood risk? Should the electricity and gas supply be disconnected? Will anyone be visiting the site on a regular basis to check on the building? Obviously if people are still going to be utilising the offices it’s not practical to disconnect all the supplies.
Security Services
Even when you have put the right security measures in place, there are additional services that you could utilise to enhance the safety of the site.
For instance, you could opt to install a CCTV or remote monitoring system. This can act as a deterrent to would be intruders, preventing unauthorised access. However, in the event that the site is broken into, it provides valuable evidence for the police.
For large or important sites, as well as those that cannot be secured by other means, a manned security service could be the best option. As well as being beneficial to reducing thefts from the site, manned security personnel can also provide assistance for other problems which might occur. This includes, damage caused by a fire or flood and vandalism from trespassers. To find out more about the benefits of manned security click here.
From site security to squatter and traveller evictions, at CEA Limited we can help keep your building secure throughout the coronavirus pandemic. To contact us to discuss your requirements you can email office@cealimited.co.uk or call us on 0113 532 8350.
Our team are either working remotely or observing social distancing in the offices and all calls are diverted where necessary.