6 tips to stop your tools being nicked

Research by property maintenance solution provider, Help me Fix, has revealed that on average, 81 tradesmen per day will have tools stolen, incurring a cost of £1,705 – that’s a total cost of £137,438 per day.

What can you do to prevent it? Help me Fix have put together six top tips:

Storing tools correctly
Of course, the most obvious is to take your tools home with you and the majority of thefts will be down to tools being left in less secure workplaces or vehicles overnight.

However, it’s not always feasible to bring larger items home from your place of work, or to clear your van at the end of a long working day. But at the very least, it pays to store the most valuable items you own in the safest place possible.

Prevention parking
This not only applies to how you park, but also where. Parking with rear or side doors tight to a sturdy fence or wall can make it much harder for thieves to operate successfully.

However, parking in busy public areas during the day, or well-lit locations at night can also be a deterrent, as can parking in an area with visible CCTV cameras.

Making your mark
If the worst does happen, it’s vital to have some sort of identifying mark on your tools in the event that they are recovered. This can be in the form of a code or company name and can be written or painted on.

Make a record
Record all the serial numbers of the tools you purchase.

Track high value items
Big ticket items such as construction vehicles in particular are popular targets for criminals and as they cost thousands of pounds to replace, they often come with GPS tracking systems built into them. However, you can replicate this safety measure with your smaller items by fitting smaller portable GPS trackers.

Get insured
Should the worst happen and you can’t retrieve your stolen tools, you can at least replace them at minimal cost.

Ettan Bazil, founder of Help me Fix said: “It’s heart-breaking when a tradesperson wakes up to their tools being stolen and their van broken into.

“There are some fantastic schemes out there that can help tradespeople in their time of need, such as the “Tool Angel” service by Williams & Co.”

Williams & Co’s “Tool Angel” loan service is designed to help plumbers and heating engineers who have been the victims of tool crime.

A Tool Angel Loan Kit includes a range of 8 Makita LXT18v power tools, including batteries, chargers and accessories, a 240v core drill along with a Kane Flue Gas Analyser, all contained in an Armorgard armoured steel box.

Any Plumber or Heating Engineer on the UK mainland can benefit from this free, no-obligation service, even if they have never been a Williams customer and are never likely to be.

Call 01329 226501 between 7am and 8pm, seven days a week – even on Sundays or Bank Holidays .

All you need is your crime number. In large parts of the country, they can get a Tool Angel kit to you the same day.

See www.williams.uk.com/tool-angel/ for more details.

 

Look after your work tools Picture: Suntorn Somtong