3. Encouraging greater responsibility
Having an electronic database for your toolpark also allows you to register serial numbers, providing a detailed record of your equipment should it go missing. Many companies also mark their tools to help identify and recover them if they are stolen.
Better internal systems can also help encourage workers to take greater responsibility over their equipment. If equipment has been signed out under a person’s name, they are more likely to take greater care of tools and ensure they are returned safely so they are not culpable should an item go missing.
Encouraging this sense of responsibility is an effective way to improve the security of tools. It can help remind workers to lock tools away in site boxes when they leave, ensure vans are securely parked and locked, and stop workers from leaving tools on site at night. It also helps reduce tools being passed around and misplaced by careless workers.
Theft can have a huge impact on a business, with the loss of expensive tools leading to extra costs through procurement or hiring of replacement tools at short notice. This can lead to unwanted downtime, increased costs and unhappy clients (as well as annoyed workers and stressed management).
Unfortunately, it’s not possible to stop crime, but by improving your security and asset management systems, you can help to reduce some of the factors that lead to theft.