October is Crime Prevention Month, so it’s a great time to bring up a not-so-great topic: theft from construction sites.

It’s a big problem—and by that, we mean it’s an expensive one.

According to the National Crime Information Bureau, in the United States as much as $1 billion a year is lost due to theft of construction equipment and tools. An even more discouraging number: the recovery rate is less than 20 percent. And California is in the top three states for construction site theft.

Clearly, the solution is to do everything you can to prevent theft from occurring in the first place. Here are some ideas to help.

Crime Prevention Tips

• If you haven’t already, install anti-theft or recovery devices with tracking capability on vulnerable or valuable equipment.
• Make use of theft deterrents such as fuel shutoffs, wheel locks, tagging devices that activate an alarm, encrypted or electronic keys, or geofencing that establishes boundaries.
• Stamp or engrave pieces of your equipment with identifying marks or your corporate logo.
• Use hydro locks that will prevent equipment from moving in straight line.
• Install a system that will disable your equipment’s electrical or ignition system if a universal key is used.
• Keep it simple:
• Remove fuses and circuit breakers when you have to leave equipment unattended.
• Use fencing and install security cameras and motion sensors to secure the jobsite.
• Remove keys from equipment or vehicles.

And just in case someone does manage to steal your equipment:

• Maintain an accurate inventory of all your equipment, including year, make, model, photo, purchase date, serial number, and a copy of your receipt.
• Register equipment with the National Equipment Register.

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