Protecting your site against theft

Thefts from building sites are a problem nationwide, with losses ranging from small hand tools to 6m shade sail poles hauled out of the ground. Here’s what experts recommend doing to reduce the risk of loss and increase the chances of getting stolen goods back

Insurance companies say claims for theft of tools, equipment, and materials have been rising in recent years. Some thefts are a spur-of-the-moment grab of a tool left lying around, while others are planned operations that involve angle grinders for cutting locks, diggers for removing heavy items, and flatbed trucks for carrying them away.

Materials are a big target. Whole pallets of goods have been stolen in several cases, and some materials are stolen after installation. Tools, generators, batteries, and fuel are also commonly taken. Even if you are insured, you are still likely to be out of pocket after a burglary or theft because insurance excesses of $1,000 – $2,500 are not uncommon. Luckily, there is a wide range of things you can do to reduce the risk of this happening.

Site management 

Ideally, you should plan site security in advance. A security plan that staff and subcontractors are aware of can help reduce the risks of theft. Having a secure site is specified in many contracts and is effectively required in the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Under this law, contractors have a responsibility to care for others on the building site, even if they are not workers.

In practical terms, this means reducing risk by stopping members of the public from being able to access the site. This generally means good fencing and warning signs. While these are a requirement with many local authorities, there is no blanket requirement in the Building Act or Building Code for all construction sites to be fenced. Building Code clause F5 Construction and Demolition Hazards requires barriers where work presents a hazard in publicly accessible places and requires hazards that might attract children to be enclosed to restrict their access. This can help with security too.

Locks and lighting deter thieves. Invest in good-quality locks on garages, sheds, and containers. Smart padlocks are available that you lock and unlock with a smartphone. Overnight lighting around the site perimeter and at the main entrance and close to storage areas or machinery will discourage thieves and vandals.

Remove valuable tools and equipment from site overnight and at weekends. Where valuable items such as a new water heater or copper wiring or piping are left on site, they should be out of sight and well secured. Where trailers are left on site, fix a wheel clamp or towball lock.

Consider installing security cameras or contracting a security company to monitor the site. There is a wide range of options, including motion-sensor cameras and camera software that recognises known people and vehicles. If an intruder is seen on site, floodlights and horns can be activated to scare them off. Security companies can install continuously monitored cameras. Check that any private security firm you engage holds a company licence, any individual has an individual licence, and employees have certificates of approval.

If there are any neighbours around the site, meet them and provide them with a contact phone number to call if they notice any suspicious behaviour.

Daylight Robbery

Thefts can also happen in broad daylight, even with staff on site. Check the identity of anyone you don’t recognise entering a worksite. There have been several cases in recent years where thieves have brazenly entered worksites wearing work or PPE gear, pretending to be tradespeople, and driven away with valuable tools.

Where possible, arrange material deliveries first thing in the morning on the day they are due to be installed so they aren’t lying around for long. When you have removed the packaging from materials or equipment, don’t leave it in a visible location, where it might act as an advertisement that those goods are now on site.

Theft from vehicles

Don’t leave tools in a vehicle where opportunist thieves can see them, even if the vehicle is locked and even if you are insured. Insurance policy holders have a ‘duty of care’, which requires people to take reasonable care of their property, such as not leaving valuable items in vehicles overnight.

A robust lockable toolbox can be fixed into your truck and can have an alarm fitted to it. Park vehicles in a locked garage overnight wherever possible. Many tool thefts from vehicles take place when the vehicles are parked on the road or even a driveway. Ideally, bring expensive tools inside your home overnight.

Protecting Tools

Police strongly encourage builders to clearly mark tools for identification. Building companies can put company names and phone numbers onto tools, and individuals could put a driver licence number. The identifier should be engraved or burnt into the tool, so it is difficult or impossible to remove.

This labelling has two advantages:

1. Having a driver licence number or company name on a tool helps Police return stolen tools to their owners. In November 2023, Western Bay of Plenty Police were able to return five sets of tools valued at over $30,000 to their owners because the tools were engraved.
2. Thieves are less likely to steal well-branded tools in the first place because they are harder to sell or trade.

Keeping a register of your tools is a good idea and can help with tax and insurance as well as security. Keep the invoices/receipts for tool purchases. Take photographs of all your tools. Where they have serial numbers, keep a record of them.

An Auckland tradesperson, who had tools worth $10,000 taken from his van, was reunited with them after Police checking tools at a pawn shop identified them through the serial numbers.

For high-value tools or tool kits, consider tracking equipment such as low-power GPS tracking chips that can be used with a smartphone app. Choose the right system for the purpose – a low-end device designed to find your keys in the house might not be best to give real-time location updates for a toolbox over a wider geographical area.

These high-technology options can go hand-in-hand with old-fashioned approaches, such as encouraging workers to take greater responsibility for the tools and equipment they are using. Having a system where expensive tools or equipment must be signed out when they are used can encourage this.

111 or 105

If you see a theft or burglary in progress, or you think someone’s safety is at risk, call the Police on 111. To report a theft to the Police after the event, you can call 105 from any mobile or landline.

Article by David Hindley, BRANZ Freelance Technical Writer. This article was first published in Issue 203 of BRANZ Build magazine. www.buildmagazine.org.nz