The Dallas Morning News
reports on a storage facility incident in which the owner ended up with a huge bill. After the customer stopped paying for a storage unit, the owner discovered a mess. One that could lead to legal trouble.
The Surprising Contents Found in the Storage Unit
This was no ordinary mess. The owner got the shock of his life when he opened the unit. It contained medical waste consisting of dirty syringes, bags labeled with “hazard,” and boxes with blood spatter. That’s not all. The same customer had other units filled with the same medical waste.
The owner did the right thing by contacting the authorities. However, the authorities say they may hold the owner responsible for the unsafe storage waste. That’s not the end of it. The estimated cost for cleaning up is $56,000.
This didn’t have to happen. No, the owner cannot control what the customer does. However, the owner could have security systems in place to help prevent it from happening.
What Storage Facility Security Can Do to Prevent This
You have many storage facility security options. Here are some possibilities:
- Gate and fencing
- Keypads
- Door alarms and electronic locks
- Lighting
- Live video surveillance
The first four items secure the facility to ensure your customers feel safe and their stuff is protected. It also deters potential loiterers and panhandlers from living in a storage facility. They won’t catch someone bringing in something you don’t want them to store, like medical waste.
Remote video surveillance, on the other hand, can watch for suspicious activity and break-ins. Should thieves bypass any of the first four security barriers, they can’t hide from the cameras. This video shows how cameras helped catch self-storage unit trespassers.
When you factor in the expensive cleanup bill, implementing live video monitoring for storage facility security would be cost-effective while reducing risk and liability.
Avoid cleaning up a customer’s expensive, dangerous mess and law enforcement holding you accountable by implementing the right storage unit security. If you’d like to learn more about proactive self-storage security, please contact us.
