The holiday shopping season is ramping up into the last—and busiest—leg of the season, meaning warehouses and distribution centres across Canada are facing a surge in operations. With supply chains working overtime to fulfill increased demand, these facilities also experience heightened security risks. Increased inventory, employees working overtime, and stretched resources can create the perfect storm for thefts. Warehouse security teams must proactively address these security risks.
In this blog, we’ll discuss how warehouse security guards proactively handle increased risks during the holidays, keeping operations running smoothly while protecting valuable assets.
What Risks Do Warehouses Face During the Holidays?
The holiday season, particularly around Boxing Day, is the busiest time for warehouses and distribution centres. Inventory volumes spike as businesses fulfill orders and tight shipping timelines put pressure on distribution operations, creating opportunities for theft and unauthorized access. In 2022, the US and Canada saw a 15% increase in warehouse thefts, for a total of 1,778 incidents. This number is likely to go up for 2024 as thefts rise across Canada this year.
Large volumes of inventory make warehouses prime targets for organized thefts. Thieves may attempt to break in outside of working hours or move large amounts of inventory during the day while other workers are preoccupied. Contributing to the lapses in security, the movement of employees, contractors, and delivery drivers in and out of the property can increase opportunities for thefts.
Employee theft is another major risk for warehouses. Increased chaos and disorganization within warehouses can present opportunities for employees to steal inventory items undetected. Temporary workers brought in to manage holiday demand can increase security risks and theft rates.
Warehouses with inadequate or no security coverage will find their resources stretched thin, leaving vulnerabilities that thieves and bad actors will exploit. Warehouse management teams must work with a professional security company to determine a security strategy that covers all of a facility’s needs during the holidays.
How Warehouse Security Guards Manage Holiday Risks
Warehouse security guards play an important role in protecting inventory, staff, and operations during the holidays by identifying risks early, deterring theft, and responding swiftly to incidents. Here’s how:
1. Monitoring Access Points
Warehouses often have multiple entry and exit points, including loading docks, employee entrances, and restricted areas. Security guards stationed at access points will monitor activity, verify credentials, and prevent unauthorized individuals from entering the property.
Warehouses with a front desk benefit from a front-desk security guard to log visitors, check identification, and monitor CCTV footage in real time to ensure site security and catch thefts in the act. Front-desk security guards can assist in a warehouse’s administration tasks, further streamlining processes and helping operations run smoothly.
Warehouses located on properties with a gate may need a gatehouse security guard. Similarly to concierge security guards, gatehouse security guards check driver identification, log visitors, and permit vehicles onto the premises.
Monitoring access points is a critical part of any warehouse security strategy that cuts down on disorganization and improves recordkeeping, allowing warehouse security teams to pinpoint and reduce inventory shrink.
2. Deterring Theft
The visible presence of uniformed security guards acts as a deterrent to potential thieves, including external criminals and employees who may be considering internal theft. Uniformed security guards patrol the warehouse facility, monitor inventory as it’s loaded and unloaded from trucks, and can be assigned to patrol high-value areas.
Warehouse security guards are trained to discreetly observe suspicious behaviour and professionally address incidents to avoid disrupting day-to-day operations. Warehouse security teams may further implement bag checks after employee shifts to ensure workers are not leaving with stolen inventory.
3. CCTV Monitoring
Real-time surveillance during the holiday season is essential. Front-desk warehouse security guards use CCTV cameras to monitor warehouse floors, loading areas, access points, and exterior areas for suspicious activity. Footage of individuals committing thefts is included in reports and can be used in investigations by management or, if necessary, law enforcement.
Suspicious behaviour, such as looking at security cameras, intentionally staying in a security camera blindspot, or moving inventory in an unauthorized or unusual manner, should ideally be caught and addressed before a security incident escalates.
4. Conducting Regular Patrols
Foot patrols are another key method of warehouse security. They’re essential for accurately identifying vulnerabilities within a warehouse, particularly during peak times of operations. Uniformed security guards conduct frequent patrols of the interior and exterior warehouse spaces, checking for:
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Open or unlocked doors
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Unattended or out-of-place inventory
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Suspicious individuals or activity
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Tampered locks or security systems
These patrols ensure that security remains tight throughout the day, minimizing opportunities for theft or break-ins.
5. Managing Deliveries and Shipments
Warehouses can quickly become disorganized and chaotic with constant deliveries and outgoing shipments during the holiday rush. Warehouse security guards assist in managing these processes by monitoring inventory transfers and helping to keep records of all shipments, in addition to verifying driver and visitor identification.
6. Emergency Response
The increased speed of warehouse operations during the holidays can raise the risk of accidents, such as fires, injuries, or equipment malfunctions. Warehouse security guards are trained to respond quickly in emergencies to ensure the safety of staff members.
Warehouse Security: The Blackbird Security Difference
During the holiday season, having a well-equipped team of warehouse security guards is critical. At Blackbird Security, our security guards receive Standard First Aid training through our in-house training program, Blackbird Academy. This allows our guards to provide critical, sometimes lifesaving first aid to injured individuals before emergency responders arrive at the warehouse. Also included in our program is Fire Safety training, which helps our guards identify and respond to key fire hazards and safely evacuate buildings.
Additional Blackbird Academy courses include:
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Peaceful De-escalation Training
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Report Excellence
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Advanced Communication Mastery: Essential Skills and Verbal Judo
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Customer Service Excellence
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Introduction to Canadian Criminal Law
Partner With Canada’s Best Warehouse Security Company
The holiday season brings increased security risks that pose a real threat to warehouse operations. To combat these risks, warehouses need increased security coverage during the holidays. A high-quality warehouse security team will protect your investment by preventing thefts and securing your inventory. All it takes is one major theft to significantly impact your bottom line—the cost of lost merchandise, insurance claims, business disruption, and loss of client trust can far exceed the investment in professional security services.
Don’t leave security up to chance. Get in touch with us using the form below to find out how we can secure your warehouse in the coming year.
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