“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” John Wooden
Have you ever written yourself a note only to discover later on that you’re struggling to read your own writing? Think about someone else trying to read it. Would they have any idea what it said? Now imagine that hastily recorded nugget of information had something to do with your equipment inventory and you had a theft. You now need to share information, say maybe a serial number, with a police officer taking your theft report. Would you know, with 100% certainty, if that the digit belonging to your asset was a “zero” or the letter “O”? Or if it was the number 1 (one) or the letter “L”? These little details can make all the difference in the world when it comes to reporting our losses and having any hope of a potential recovery.
Construction equipment, by its very nature, already presents a number of potential challenges for all kinds of reasons: inconsistent manufacturer markings (layout, location, and length), where and how the equipment itself is used, and a general unfamiliarity by pretty much everyone that doesn’t work with it on a daily basis. Since construction equipment is already cloaked in mystery to those who don’t work with it every day, it’s that much more important to make efforts to attain the utmost of clarity when recording details of your inventory.
- Know the difference between your equipment being considered a “vehicle” or “property”
- Check out this link to CPP’s website for details! //cppsocal.org/resources/education-training/
- Equipment that is a vehicle will generally have a 17-digit VIN or PIN that should be used when reporting a theft. Unfortunately, the full PIN isn’t always readily available so a bit of digging might be in order
- Take a photo of the unit that shows the location of your company decals, unit #, other OAN’s (Owner Applied Numbers), and any after-market work that will help your asset stand out
- Always record information for your inventory directly from the unit itself and not from supporting paperwork
Mistakes and missed details are incredibly common – especially when thinking about construction equipment. It’s never anyone’s intent to leave out information, or be wrongly informed, but the fact of the matter is: EVERYONE is busy beyond measure and it IS going to happen. After noticing the consistency of errors within reports, made both by the victim and the reporting officer, CPP implemented a report verification process to help address the potentially costly details that were regularly overlooked.
It’s also these types of often overlooked or frantically recorded / reviewed details that can leave our site security vulnerable. It’s human nature that when we do or see something from the same perspective every single day, that it becomes white noise. If you park in the same spot at work and walk the same path into the office, your conscious mind glazes over many of the details that crooks are counting on you NOT seeing. Things like the little hole in your fence that will allow easy access to your yard, the padlock on your gate that has been switched out, or the stack of materials that blocks your security camera, rendering it useless. Taking a few moments to walk your yard, making every effort to see it from an outsider’s perspective, will help highlight potential weaknesses that might otherwise remain overlooked. (CPP members can call and request a free site security review!) These site walks are especially important before weekends and holidays, when thefts are more likely. Committing as little as 10- 20 minutes a week to survey your yard, with a dedicated focus of viewing it from an outsider’s perspective, will go a long way in highlighting weaknesses that invite foul play.
When we become too set in keeping things simple, it can be easy to overlook the sometimes not so tiny details that can lead to potential problems. Failing to notice the minutiae of site security, inventory, or reporting can leave us in a much more vulnerable position and with fewer possible successful outcomes. Whether you’re talking about yard security, inventory, or life in general, it’s important to remember that while we might consider something to be simple, there’s a good chance the simplicity that we ascribe is based on our own familiarity and not the reality of the situation. Raising our awareness of and addressing any potentially devilish details before they become an issue will help alleviate their problematic potential and help ensure more heavenly results.
*The Crime Prevention Program of Southern California (CPP) is a non-profit organization working with our members, law enforcement, the construction industry and area auto theft task forces to educate, empower and engage in a community fighting construction crime. For information on how you can join the CPP community, contact Melissa Somers, Executive Director @ 562-860-9006 or email: [email protected]. “Together, We Make a Difference”.
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