Heavy equipment theft that includes generators, air compressors, light plants and mobile equipment continues to be on the rise in the construction industry. Equipment theft is driven by easy access and resale value. Any piece of equipment that has a lucrative brand name, is relatively new, and can easily be loaded or driven off could be considered an easy target for theft at any given worksite.
A report by the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) reveals that there was a total of 11,625 heavy equipment thefts in 2014 reported to law enforcement, an increase of 1.2 percent from the previous year. It’s estimated that the annual cost of construction equipment theft is between $300 million and $1 billion. Companies shouldn’t wait for a theft to occur before they implement a heavy equipment theft prevention program, especially since recovery rates for stolen equipment is so low. Most of the time companies need to set aside large sums of money just to replace the stolen items, which results in lost revenue.
Heavy Equipment Theft Prevention Tips
There are several steps a company can take to ensure their heavy equipment remains secure, including:
Keep records of all equipment
Companies should create and maintain an inventory of all equipment and tools. This includes collecting and maintaining the model, serial number, and Product Identification Numbers (PIN). PIN numbers should be etched into more than one location on the equipment. Companies can give each piece of equipment a recognizable indicator, such as an engraving or stamp. Keeping a record of bills of sale, as well as taking photographs are all good identifiers if equipment were to be stolen.
Secure your fleet from intrusion
Equipment left overnight that isn’t safely secured can be vulnerable to thieves. Unfortunately, there are many worksites that don’t have proper security measures. In order to lower the risk of your equipment being targeted, it’s important that companies take necessary safety measures, such as installing hidden fuel shut-off systems, hydraulic cylinder sleeves or hydraulic valve locks, ignition locks, and steering wheel locks; disconnecting batteries; removing fuses and circuit breakers when equipment is unattended; and making equipment immobile or difficult to move after hours or on weekends by placing more easily transported items like generators and compressors in the middle of the circle surrounded by larger pieces of equipment.
Install security
Today, technology plays an important role in heavy equipment theft. A digital, wireless video system can provide clear and interference-free nighttime security to any worksite location. Security cameras can be set up to record continuously during off hours, or the cameras can be programmed for motion activation. If there’s a lot of heavy equipment to be accounted for, it might be beneficial to install a light tower on the premises, fence the equipment storage area and install a motion detector on the fence.
Companies can also check to see if local law enforcement would be willing to patrol during off hours, especially if the site is in a high-theft area. If you doubt that you can control theft, move the equipment to a safer location during off-hours.
Use anti-theft tracking systems, devices and recovery systems
Link the equipment to GPS tracking systems. When mobile equipment is stolen, it will give law enforcement the ability to pinpoint the equipment’s whereabouts.
Conclusion
It’s vital that companies take the necessary steps to create a secure environment so that their heavy equipment on a construction worksite is not compromised by potential thieves. Overall, companies that put reasonable investments into security measures and heavy equipment theft prevention can be spared from any downtime that results in lost revenue.
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