According to ConstructionInformer.com, the average construction equipment theft incident costs companies over $46,000. Another discouraging fact about equipment theft is that less than 25 percent of all equipment is ever recovered. If you want to preserve the investment you have made in your equipment, then it is important to take the necessary steps to protect your equipment when your job site is shut down for the night.
Your expensive construction equipment makes tempting prey to criminals.
Use Proper Site Security
For larger jobs, it is definitely an advantage to hire security guards to watch over your equipment. If you cannot afford guards, then be sure to put up fences with strong locks on them, and you should also install lights attached to motion detectors to deter criminals. Most criminals will cut through a lock if they are determined enough, but they will scatter like rats when a light comes on.
According to the Warren Cat Company, another good way to deter equipment theft is to make a circle with your larger equipment and place the smaller equipment inside that circle. Since criminals are more interested in the smaller equipment, the idea of having to move big equipment out of the way will have criminals thinking twice about stealing anything from your site.
Keep Your Equipment Updated
Older construction equipment can easily be hotwired and driven off your job site by any criminal who knows what they are doing. But the new construction equipment often has keyless starting systems that are impossible to crack, and they also seize up the engine when someone tries to force the engine to start. You should invest in new equipment to protect your company from the financial losses that come with equipment theft.
Keep Your Equipment Inventory Updated
One of the problems construction companies run into is they are unable to properly identify their equipment after it has been stolen. The idea of doing a complete inventory can seem time consuming, but it could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars when you are able to retrieve your equipment.
You should also give every piece of equipment a special number that corresponds to your own asset tagging program. You can either engrave the number on your equipment, or you can bolt a metal plate to the equipment with the number that will make it easier to recover your equipment if it has been stolen.
Use smart security techniques to protect your equipment.
Know The Risks You Face At Each Site
Some construction sites are going to require stronger security methods than others. Instead of applying a blanket security policy to each job site, you need to analyze the area where your job sites are located and employ security measures that are appropriate for those areas.
PDH Contractors has plenty of information on how to protect your construction equipment, and methods you can use to improve your construction techniques. You can go to the PDH Contractors website and browse courses by state to find the educational resources that apply specifically to your company, and to your part of the country. Avoid losing revenue to equipment theft by staying updated on security measures through PDH Contractors.