Keeping Cranes Secure on the Jobsite
August 20, 2008 • Smaller pieces of construction equipment are typically the most frequent targets for theft on the jobsite. Skid-steer loaders and tractors may be near the top of the stolen equipment list, but that doesn't mean that aerial work platforms and cranes are immune to the problem.
A recent theft of a 15-ton crane from a
The crane was stolen sometime between noon on a Sunday and 7 a.m. the following Tuesday, from the site of a future Hilton hotel, according to the article. Construction workers were finished using the crane and were preparing to return it to Neff Rentals, which owns the crane. The crane had no tracking devices on it.
Crane Theft Prevention
New York, N.Y.-based National Equipment Register, which has developed databases to record equipment ownership and theft information, has provided Lift and Access with a few tips on the prevention of theft. Although a tractor or skid-steer loader is a much more likely target for thieves, crane and aerial equipment thefts have been increasing, according to the NER.
1. Harden yourself as a target • Don't let your machines be an easy target for a thief.
- Lock your equipment and take the keys • This sounds simple, but machines are stolen daily simply because the keys were left in the ignition. Make it company policy that operators will be fined if keys are found left in machines.
- Install hydraulic or ignition lockout devices. These are inexpensive, simple to install and simple to operate.
- When machines are stored at a site or over weekends and holidays, remove an ignition circuit, a relay or battery cables to prevent operation. Like a lock out, this is a simple and effective step and can be part of your service crew's normal routine. On newer machines, talk to your dealer's service department about what components can be removed easily and harmlessly.
- Anything that increases the time and effort required to move your crane will make a thief think twice. If the outriggers are down, if the block is on the ground, if the super structure is facing away from the direction of travel, etc. Think like a crook: “What would waste my time in getting this thing out of the yard?”
2. Monitor your machines • Know where your assets are at all times.
- Use a GPS device or other technology to warn you if your machine is moved, day or night.
- If GPS is not practical, do it the old-fashioned way. Have someone check up on machines staged at sites. Have your salesmen, service man or parts runner make quick checks on machines in their daily travels. Keep a log so you have a time frame if the machine disappears.
- Monitor vandalism • Whoever is checking on machines should check for this as well. If taggers can spray paint your machine with impunity, a thief knows nobody is monitoring it. Move machines that get vandalized to a safer place.
- Report thefts and vandalism immediately • Police cannot act on crimes they do not know about.
3. Communicate • This is one of the simplest and most proactive steps.
- Be sure the general contractor and any security guards on a site know that only your authorized personnel may operate or remove your equipment. So that this is effective, make sure they also have someone's cell phone number in case something comes up. If someone is loading your reach forklift at 6:00 a.m., and all he has is your office number, there is not much an $8.00 an hour security guard is willing to do.
- Talk to the shift commanders at the local police substation or precinct. Let them know thefts are on the rise, give them a handout with pictures of your machines and an emergency contact number and request that their officers call if they see anything odd. Remember that what is clearly a theft in progress to you may look like just another guy loading up a machine to someone outside the industry. This is also a good time to find out to whom you report thefts and vandalism.
- Talk to area businesses • If there is a 24-hour gas station across from the yard or a site where you must leave a machine, be sure they have your cell number and offer a reward if their call stops a theft in progress. Give them a similar handout with pictures of your machines and your emergency contact information.
- Register your machines on NER's databases • This provides law enforcement access to your ownership information 24/7.
4. Get Educated • These tips are just common sense ideas. For more information, attend an FBI-LEEDA/ NER/NICB Equipment Theft Summit. The NER will have a theft summit in
