Top Ten Tips for Enhancing Plant Security

Despite efforts nationwide to improve equipment security by plant manufacturers, the police and many other parties, plant theft still remains rife and there are few plant hire companies or contractors who haven’t been a victim of theft of plant machinery or tools at some point on either construction sites or at depot locations. Here are our top ten tips to help you protect your investment.

1. Invest in plant tracking – just a small investment can help you rapidly recover equipment in the event of theft. Using AMI’s plant tracking systems, stolen equipment has been recovered within an hour! Not only that but plant tracking can help reduce your insurance premiums so it’s a win-win all round.

2. Keep accurate lists of all the equipment in your fleet with information such as the year, manufacturer, model, serial numbers, etc. Even take photographs of the equipment you own – all this information can help identify a machine if it is stolen.

3. Consider registering your equipment with an organisation that maintains databases of plant equipment e.g. TER (The Equipment Register).

4. Make sure all keys are removed from equipment when not in use and keep them in a secure location. Always sign equipment in/out.

5. Always log visitors in/out of sites and maintain details of who is authorised to use certain equipment.

6. Secure the site perimeter with proper fencing and use well-secured gates.

7. Stress the need for high security with colleagues, sub-contractors and any other relevant parties.

8. Make sure sites are well lit at all times, especially overnight when work has ended. Criminals do not want to be seen. The better you light your site, the less inviting it is for thieves.

9. Consider the use of additional security. Larger sites may need 24 hour manned guarding, whereas smaller sites may only need mobile patrols at night.

10. Consider the installation of CCTV.
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