Construction Site Security Guards

A security officer on site changes the arithmetic for anyone considering it. Cameras record what happened; an officer is the reason it does not. On a construction site holding plant, cable and first-fix materials, that difference is usually the whole value of the contract.

Andor Group supplies SIA-licensed security officers to construction sites, commercial premises, retail parks and vacant buildings across the south of England and nationwide. Every officer is vetted to BS 7858, trained for the environment they are working in, and monitored in real time through HitDesk, our workforce management platform, so you can see that the cover you are paying for is actually being delivered.

What a static officer does that other measures cannot

Deters before anything happens

A uniformed, visible presence removes a site from the list of easy targets. Most losses on construction sites are opportunistic and the people responsible choose sites that look unattended. Presence is the measure that works before an incident rather than after it.

Intervenes, rather than records

Monitored cameras are effective, but they depend on someone travelling to site to act on what they show. An officer already on site challenges an intrusion as it starts, closes a gate that has been left open, and stops the situation escalating. Where the risk is a child climbing scaffolding rather than a thief, that immediacy is the entire point.

Holds the perimeter as it changes

A site boundary is not static. Deliveries open it, subcontractors cut through it, and a panel moved on Tuesday is still moved on Saturday unless somebody notices. An officer walking the line regularly catches that drift; a fortnightly inspection does not.

Controls access when the gate is busy

On smaller sites the officer often covers access control as well, checking inductions and logging entries. On larger or busier sites that is a separate role, and a dedicated gateman on the entry point works alongside the officer rather than instead of them.

Vetting, training and what officers are actually qualified to do

Every officer holds a valid SIA licence for the role they perform. Screening is carried out to BS 7858, the British Standard for security screening of individuals working in a security environment, which covers employment history, identity and right to work rather than a simple reference check.

Beyond the licence, officers are trained for the site they are on. That includes first aid, GDPR awareness for handling visitor and CCTV records, access control procedure, and site-specific requirements such as additional PPE and induction to your own safety rules. Construction sites are not retail environments and the training reflects it.

Proving the cover was delivered

This is where most guarding contracts are weakest and where a client has least visibility. Subject to your approval we install geo-fenced QR tags at defined points around the site. Officers scan them on each patrol, so attendance and route are verified live rather than written into a book at the end of a shift.

Those records, along with incident reports and shift logs, are available through the HitDesk client portal during the shift, not after it. If cover is missed, you know while there is still time to act. If an incident occurs, there is a timestamped record that was created at the time and cannot be reconstructed afterwards.

When a static officer is the right answer

Static guarding is usually right where a site holds high-value plant or materials, where there has already been an incident, where the site is overlooked or accessible from public land, or where a client or insurer requires a physical presence.

It is not always the right answer. A site with low residual risk overnight may be better served by mobile patrols at irregular times, and a site with a clean perimeter and good sightlines may be covered more cheaply by monitored CCTV. An empty building between contractor demobilisation and client occupation is a vacant property problem with its own answer. We would rather specify the right one than sell the largest.

Accreditation

Andor Group holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, certified for security guarding services, together with SafeContractor accreditation and SSIP approval under the Deem to Satisfy process, and is a Constructionline Gold member, having also completed Constructionline’s Social Value assessment. We work to BS 7499 for static site guarding and mobile patrol services, BS 10800 for the provision of security services, BS 7984 for keyholding and response services, and BS 7858 for security screening, with BPSS clearance where a contract requires it. Employer’s liability, public liability and professional indemnity insurance are each held at £10 million. Certificate numbers, scopes and expiry dates for every accreditation are set out on our accreditations page, and copies are available on request. Licence details for individual officers can be provided for verification before mobilisation.

What we need to mobilise

Assignment instructions written for your site are what separate effective cover from a body on a chair. To produce them we need the site layout with access points and the perimeter marked, the programme and which phases carry the most exposure, what high-value plant and materials will be on site and when, your induction and site rules, the escalation route out of hours and who has authority to act on it, and any history of incidents on the site or nearby.

From that we set patrol points, define what the officer checks and logs, and agree what happens when something is found. Sites that have had problems with previous providers almost always turn out to have had generic instructions.

Common questions

Are your security guards SIA licensed?

Yes, without exception. Every officer holds a valid SIA licence for the role they are performing, and we provide licence details for checking before they start on your site.

What does BS 7858 vetting cover?

It is the British Standard for screening people who work in security environments. It covers identity, right to work, and a verified employment and education history over a defined period, rather than a reference or two. It is more thorough than standard pre-employment checks.

How do we know patrols are actually being done?

Geo-fenced QR tags placed around the site are scanned on each patrol and appear live in the HitDesk client portal. You can see attendance and patrol activity during the shift rather than relying on a paper log produced afterwards.

Can you cover nights, weekends and shutdowns?

Yes. Most construction cover is nights, weekends and holiday shutdowns, since that is when sites are empty and exposed. We also cover extended and 24-hour requirements where the risk justifies it.

How quickly can you put an officer on site?

For most sites within our coverage we can mobilise in a few days, and faster for an urgent gap. Having the site layout, risk assessment and induction process ready is what speeds it up, because assignment instructions can then be written for your site specifically.

What welfare does an overnight officer need?

Somewhere warm, dry and lit, with a toilet and means to make a hot drink. An officer without it is a less effective officer at four in the morning. Where the site has no provision we can supply welfare units with the cover.

Discuss cover for your site

Tell us about the site, the programme and what is on it, and we will tell you what it actually needs. See the full range of construction site security services, or get in touch on 020 4602 3974 or at sales@andorgroup.com.