A guide for tradies: ways to help prevent tool theft

Picture this. You wake up, ready for work. You head to the back of your ute, parked in your driveway at home. You pull back the cover of the tray to find every power tool gone. The only things left? An old Phillips Head screwdriver and a tape measure.

Unfortunately, this is the reality for far too many tradies. Too often, carpenters, plumbers, electricians and builders have tools taken from their homes, trucks and job sites.  

So, what can be done about it?

There’s good news and bad news. Unfortunately, not all thefts can be prevented. Brazen thieves can force entry, using clamps to break locks. But with the right strategies in place, there are ways to make their criminal pursuits a whole lot harder. And, if they do manage to jump through all the hurdles, having the right type of insurance may be able to help recover certain losses to help make sure you’re not left worse off. Let’s dive in.

There’s a phrase from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War that perfectly illustrates the value of calculated planning in achieving advantage. The saying is “a dagger at night is worth 1,000 at sunlight” and it’s all about being strategic and catching enemies by surprise. 

These steps are your dagger, my friends:

Note down the make, model and serial numbers of all your valuable tools and equipment. If anything gets stolen, you’ll need this information to help identify and (hopefully) recover or replace what has been taken. 

Mark your territory. Stolen tools will be a lot harder to sell with your name and licence number etched on the base. Not only that, if they happen to be seized by police, they’ll be a lot easier to trace back to you if they can be easily identified as yours.

Opportunistic criminals thrive on apathy and forgetfulness. When running errands, make a conscious effort to always lock your vehicle’s doors and windows, no matter how quick you think you’ll be. Likewise, if you store your tools in a garage, always ensure it’s locked when you don’t have eyes on it. 

In addition to that, you may also want to consider the following: 

• installing a car alarm
• investing in a heavy-duty toolbox
• securing toolboxes to the tray of your ute or floor of your van so they can’t be removed
• removing tools and equipment from your vehicles when you’re at home and locking them in a safe place.

If — despite all your efforts to protect them — your tools still get stolen, not all hope is lost. Business insurance for tradies may be able to help, depending on the policy you choose.

Because there’s no one-size-fits-all policy for every business, you may need to mix and match a few cover options to protect your tools vehicle and more. 

Here are the types of cover tradies might consider:

Portable property cover

This is the one for your tools and equipment. It provides cover for loss, damage or theft of insured property that you take with you on the road or store at a worksite.

Commercial motor vehicle cover

This is for your work vehicle that you use to operate your business, whether it’s a truck, van, ute or trailer. Like personal vehicle insurance, there are different levels of cover to choose from —  the main difference is that it’s for the vehicle you use while you’re on the job – in technical terms, your Business Registered Vehicle.

Public liability cover

Helps protect you from claims of accidental damage or injury caused to others if you’re found to be liable. 

When choosing your cover, always read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for full details of what is and isn’t covered by a policy. This helps ensure there are no nasty surprises if you need to make a claim. 

Last but not least, always keep a look out for suspicious activity, whether you’re at home or on a job site. If you notice anything untoward, like people loitering around construction sites or vehicles, make a record of it and report it to a site supervisor or police. If your tools have been stolen:

• Make sure you’re safe, call 000 in an emergency, and don’t confront an intruder or thief.
• Don’t touch anything, as this can impact police investigations.
• If you have insurance, call your insurance company so they can help you through the claims process.