You’re not alone. In fact, a study from the Chartered Institute of Building found that 92% of respondents in the construction industry suffer from regular site theft. One in five of these respondents added that theft takes place on a weekly basis from their sites.

The NICB (PDF) adds that the average value of a stolen piece of construction equipment is $46,273. They add, “Annual estimates of the cost of equipment theft vary from about $300 million to $1 billion, with most estimates in the range of $400 million.” What’s worse? “The estimates don’t include losses from business interruption. Those losses include the cost of rentals, project-delay penalties, and wasted workforce and management time.”

In other words, construction site theft is a prevalent and expensive problem in the industry.

How can you prevent it?

Construction risk insurance.

One need only Google the construction labor shortage to confirm this. For example, a recent report in Reuters featuring data from the National Association of Homebuilders showed that nearly eight years after the housing bust—which drove an estimated 30% of construction workers into new fields—homebuilders across the country are struggling to find workers at all levels of experience.

The association estimates that there are approximately 200,000 unfilled construction jobs in the United States, marking an 81% increase in the last two years!

Kukun found the same to be true in our own analysis of major construction markets across the U.S.

For example, the number of construction jobs in New York State increased from 2011 to 2015, with the number of work permits rising from 98,781 to 129,267 at a value of $137,507,266 to $231,297,337 (up over $93M), respectively.

This is just one of the large markets across the U.S. for construction and the pattern here is indicative of our larger research, showing that as the demand for construction work increases, there is a lack of labor to meet this need.

The big picture is that without enough workers, the supply of residential construction workers trails demand for homes and the shortfall will dampen the overall U.S. economy.

It is imperative that the construction industry works to bring the traditionally offline industry of construction online. If we want to attract Millennials to careers in construction, we have to speak their language!

In an op-ed for Crain’s, the New York attorney argues that criminalizing construction accidents threatens construction companies of all sizes. He points out that “a prosecutor can bring criminal charges against any contractor or subcontractor… whenever there is a fatality, the general contractor will be held liable in almost every conceivable circumstance.” In other words, if there is ever an accident — regardless of whether the contractor himself is at fault (ex: being drunk on site) — the construction company is liable.

Should Gerstman’s analysis hold true, construction firms are facing unprecedented liability when it comes to on-site workplace accidents.

And since that’s the case, accident prevention needs to be even more of a focus for construction managers.

Construction safety is nothing to mess around with. Even if you’re following OSHA’s guidelines to the letter, there are additional things construction managers can do to protect their crew.

Experience is the best thing to rely on when it comes to keeping workers safe. That’s why I reached out to a host of construction professionals for unconventional construction safety tips. In an industry where best practices save lives, this advice is indispensable. Read on to find out what these managers say about keeping their crew safe and healthy.

1. Get your point across with creative demonstrations.

2. Protect your toes!

3. Invest in the right equipment for fall prevention.

4. Test your equipment.

5. Use “Toolbox Talks.”

6. Keep your workers cool and your worksite clean.