Hire companies need to be more vigilant during periods of extended closure such as e.g. Christmas shut downs. There will be long periods when hire depots are not manned and present the criminal element more time to break into yards and steal equipment, fuel, or batteries.
Fit CCTV cameras to all our depots, workshops and yards. Ensure that when cameras detect movement in the yard, out of normal working hours, a message is sent to the General Manager, who can access the camera to establish if the police need to be called.
Depots that have had previous break-ins should be monitored remotely by a security guard company.
Entrance gates to depots and yards should be secured with either a concrete block or a large piece of unmanned plant parked next to the yard side of the gates.
Items, like hydraulic peckers and micro diggers, should be stored inside each night.
The keys for transport vehicles should be removed each night and stored in a security box, where possible. Additional vehicles should be kept indoors where possible.
Fire doors should be kept secure with additional security measures where necessary.
With red diesel no longer being allowed to fuel construction equipment, some hirers have installed new white diesel tanks at depots, which have a key fob security to activate the electric pump to fill equipment. It is recommended that a daily printout is produced to allow managers to check that the fuel being used is being recorded correctly.
Some companies have been caught out by bogus hires, whereby equipment is delivered to a site with little or no site accommodation or any other equipment. If equipment is ordered directly with a hire depot from a mobile phone then the hire desk should also ask for a landline number for the head office to verify the order and to receive an official hire order. If a delivery driver is unsure when they arrive on site, then they should contact the general manager of the depot supplying the equipment. It is also recommended that a photograph is taken of the person signing for the equipment.
Survey Equipment Theft is on the rise, vans are regularly targeted by thieves. To overcome this issue, it recommended to have deadlocks fitted to all our survey equipment delivery vehicles.
