diff --git a/workers/dockerfilebuild.py b/workers/dockerfilebuild.py
index 9d552a4ae..744057574 100644
--- a/workers/dockerfilebuild.py
+++ b/workers/dockerfilebuild.py
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ from docker import Client, APIError
 from tempfile import TemporaryFile, mkdtemp
 from zipfile import ZipFile
 from functools import partial
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
+from threading import Event
 
 from data.queue import dockerfile_build_queue
 from data import model
@@ -31,6 +33,8 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 user_files = app.config['USERFILES']
 build_logs = app.config['BUILDLOGS']
 
+TIMEOUT_PERIOD_MINUTES = 20
+
 
 class StatusWrapper(object):
   def __init__(self, build_uuid):
@@ -316,6 +320,8 @@ class DockerfileBuildWorker(Worker):
       'application/gzip': DockerfileBuildWorker.__prepare_tarball,
     }
 
+    self._timeout = Event()
+
   @staticmethod
   def __prepare_zip(request_file):
     build_dir = mkdtemp(prefix='docker-build-')
@@ -347,7 +353,24 @@ class DockerfileBuildWorker(Worker):
 
     return build_dir
 
+  def watchdog(self):
+    logger.debug('Running build watchdog code.')
+
+    docker_cl = Client()
+    
+    # Iterate the running containers and kill ones that have been running more than 20 minutes
+    for container in docker_cl.containers():
+      start_time = datetime.fromtimestamp(container[u'Created'])
+      running_time = datetime.now() - start_time
+      if running_time > timedelta(minutes=TIMEOUT_PERIOD_MINUTES):
+        logger.warning('Container has been running too long: %s with command: %s',
+                       container[u'Id'], container[u'Command'])
+        docker_cl.kill(container[u'Id'])
+        self._timeout.set()
+
   def process_queue_item(self, job_details):
+    self._timeout.clear()
+
     repository_build = model.get_repository_build(job_details['namespace'],
                                                   job_details['repository'],
                                                   job_details['build_uuid'])
@@ -370,7 +393,7 @@ class DockerfileBuildWorker(Worker):
 
     start_msg = ('Starting job with resource url: %s repo: %s' % (resource_url,
                                                                   repo))
-    log_appender(start_msg)
+    logger.debug(start_msg)
 
     docker_resource = requests.get(resource_url, stream=True)
     c_type = docker_resource.headers['content-type']
@@ -402,7 +425,11 @@ class DockerfileBuildWorker(Worker):
           log_appender('error', build_logs.PHASE)
           repository_build.phase = 'error'
           repository_build.save()
-          log_appender('Unable to build dockerfile.', build_logs.ERROR)
+          if self._timeout.is_set():
+            log_appender('Build step was terminated after %s minutes.' % TIMEOUT_PERIOD_MINUTES,
+                         build_logs.ERROR)            
+          else:
+            log_appender('Unable to build dockerfile.', build_logs.ERROR)
           return True
 
         log_appender('pushing', build_logs.PHASE)
diff --git a/workers/worker.py b/workers/worker.py
index be4984bdd..a525913a1 100644
--- a/workers/worker.py
+++ b/workers/worker.py
@@ -9,10 +9,12 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
 class Worker(object):
-  def __init__(self, queue, poll_period_seconds=30, reservation_seconds=300):
+  def __init__(self, queue, poll_period_seconds=30, reservation_seconds=300,
+               watchdog_period_seconds=60):
     self._sched = Scheduler()
     self._poll_period_seconds = poll_period_seconds
     self._reservation_seconds = reservation_seconds
+    self._watchdog_period_seconds = watchdog_period_seconds
     self._stop = Event()
     self._queue = queue
 
@@ -20,6 +22,10 @@ class Worker(object):
     """ Return True if complete, False if it should be retried. """
     raise NotImplementedError('Workers must implement run.')
 
+  def watchdog(self):
+    """ Function that gets run once every watchdog_period_seconds. """
+    pass
+
   def poll_queue(self):
     logger.debug('Getting work item from queue.')
 
@@ -43,8 +49,8 @@ class Worker(object):
     logger.debug("Scheduling worker.")
 
     self._sched.start()
-    self._sched.add_interval_job(self.poll_queue,
-                                 seconds=self._poll_period_seconds)
+    self._sched.add_interval_job(self.poll_queue, seconds=self._poll_period_seconds)
+    self._sched.add_interval_job(self.watchdog, seconds=self._watchdog_period_seconds)
 
     while not self._stop.wait(1):
       pass