Preventing theft of tools, materials and equipment on site
The 14 spools of copper wire delivered on Friday at 15:30 are gone when the electricians arrive on Monday. They sat on a pallet by the back fence, where a panel had been lifted off its stand. Nobody listed what was delivered, and the delivery ticket is somewhere in the foreman's truck.
Make theft slow and unrewarding: time valuable deliveries so they are installed or locked away the same day, keep tools and stock locked up, mark and record what you own, and close the site the same way every night. Thieves take what is portable, easy to sell and left out overnight: tools, copper, fuel, appliances. Records matter as much as locks: when police recover stolen tools, a serial number is the easiest way to establish ownership and get them back.
- Walk the site at closing time as a thief would: fence gaps, unchained gates, dark corners, keys in machines, stock visible from the street.
- Time valuable deliveries for when they can be installed or locked up that day, never late on a Friday.
- Lock it up: tools and valuable stock in locked containers or a tool room, in sight, with keys held by as few people as possible. Daily tool sign-out is in controlling small tools.
- Mark and record: engrave or stamp the company name on tools and equipment in visible places and one hidden one, and register make, model and serial number, with a photo of each plate. Stickers and marker are easily removed.
- Immobilize equipment: keys out, cabs and fuel caps locked, machines parked in view.
- Close the same way every night: the last supervisor out walks a short checklist and signs it with the time.
- When something is taken, report it to the police at once with the serial numbers, note it in the daily report, tell your insurer as the policy requires and close the gap.
Common mistakes
- Leaving material out overnight because it goes in tomorrow.
- Handing gate and container keys to whoever asks.
- Letting the closing checklist become a signature without the walk.
Checklist
The closing walk
- Tools and valuable stock locked away
- Machines keyed off; cabs and fuel caps locked
- Nothing valuable in the open or visible from the street
- Fence walked and gates chained
- Lights on and alarm set
- Checklist signed with the time
Check your understanding
A $1,650 laser level goes missing from a gang box left unlocked over lunch. Is a police report worth the half hour?
