You’ve got the skills to pay the bills and the tools to get the job done! As a tradie, your tools are a big part of your livelihood. If they were stolen it would not only be an inconvenience, it could prevent you from earning money! So we’ve put together our top 4 tips to help prevent tool theft.
- The first step in securing your tools is keeping a record of what tools you have. Record the tool type, the make and model, and any other information that can help identify it. For power tools, include the tool’s unique serial number. If your tools are stolen it will be helpful when you come to lodge your insurance claim with AMI.
- Personalising your tools is a way to deter thieves from stealing them. Stealing is often a crime of convenience and it’s much easier to steal something that isn’t unique or easy to identify. Painting your tools a bright colour or engraving your name into your tools is a way to make them obvious and easy to identify – this will help get them back to you if they are stolen and then recovered by Police.
- Often, tools are stolen at night – this is especially common in construction sites or open-air job sites. So make sure that at knock-off time, your tools are securely hidden away before you go off and have a cheeky bevvy. Our tip? Store them in a secure, unsuspecting place.
- For many tradies, the ute or van is the office, the ride to work and the tool storage. When you park the ute overnight it’s a good idea to take your tools out and store them in the garage – but this can be a real pain after a long day on the job site. Storing your tools in a secure box with a visible lock can deter thieves from attempting to pinch your tools – and you don’t need unload and load them into the ute every day!
All the prevention in the world won’t deter some thieves, so it’s important to make sure your tools are covered. The AMI Tradies Insurance Bundle covers your tools and includes public liability for just $19* a week. Ts & Cs apply.
