#Theft Protection for Construction Machinery
Theft Protection for Construction Machinery
High damages, low conviction rates: The theft of construction machinery poses a serious risk for construction contractors. That's why we show you in this article what theft protection options are available and how you can insure yourself against theft damage.
What theft protection options are available for construction machinery?
When construction machinery is stolen from a construction site, it costs the contractor a lot of money: Not only is the value of the stolen machine lost, but also the acquisition of replacement machinery and possible delays on the construction site can result in high costs. However, there are a number of measures you can take to protect construction machinery from theft:
Secure parking of machinery
Often, thieves strike at night or on weekends when there is no activity on the construction site. It is advisable to park construction machinery tightly in a row after work: Smaller machines can be moved to the middle, large and heavy machines to the edge. This makes it more difficult for thieves to remove the smaller machines from the row.
Mechanical and electronic theft protection
Mechanical anti-theft locks on the steering wheel or accelerator have been around for some time. While they are comparatively inexpensive and easy to install, they don't help if machinery is transported away using a crane, for example. Electronic engine immobilizers are also used for theft protection: They prevent unauthorized persons from starting the engine and are unlocked by the signal of an RFID chip in the machinery key.
Digital theft protection
A modern and particularly secure method of theft monitoring is offered by digital theft protection. For this, construction machinery is equipped with a small transmitter that transmits the current location of the machine via a GPS or GSM signal. Such systems can function completely autonomously for many weeks via batteries and can be connected to the construction machinery's power supply for recharging. In contrast to passive theft protection, for example through engine immobilizers, these active security systems are infinitely customizable: Owners can be notified via SMS or email as soon as the machine is moved during certain time periods (e.g. at night) or as soon as it leaves a previously defined area on a map (so-called geo-fencing).
The systems can be combined with additional sensors, for example with a measuring unit in the tank that triggers an alarm in case of fuel theft, or with a vibration sensor that registers the loading of the machine with a crane. This allows a comprehensive package of security measures to be put together that is perfectly tailored to the situation on site and transmits all unusual occurrences quickly and easily to the computer or smartphone. Of course, the safest approach is to combine the different passive and active methods of theft protection.
Also interesting: Construction site monitoring by camera – Advantages and information
What does theft protection for construction machinery cost?
The costs depend on the scope of the theft protection system. Position tracking systems, for example, start at a few hundred euros, but can also cost over 1,000 euros. Should you invest this money in digital theft protection? Definitely! Because the costs for such modules are only a fraction of the possible damage that occurs when construction machinery is stolen. Additionally, your insurance provider may offer you better terms if your machinery is equipped with a modern GPS tracker – this way you can save additional money.
Can you insure yourself against the theft of rented construction machinery? Is theft insurance worthwhile?
Since the damage from stolen construction machinery is often very high, it is definitely worth insuring yourself in case of machinery theft and establishing a liability limitation with the rental provider for rented construction machinery. If no liability limitation is agreed upon, the renter is liable for theft during the rental period and must bear the corresponding costs. If you rent your construction machinery from klarx, for example, you can limit your liability in case of theft to a deductible of 25% of the list price (minimum 1,000 euros). In the event of loss or theft due to intentional misconduct or gross negligence by the renter, the full replacement value must be paid. You can find more information in our Terms and Conditions.
Read here: Insurance for builders
Free GPS theft protection at klarx
Construction machinery that you rent from the klarx logistics center in Munich Sendling is automatically equipped with a telematics system. This way you benefit from free theft protection that triggers an alarm as soon as the machine leaves a defined area (so-called geo-fencing). When the machine breaches the "virtual construction site fence", klarx immediately notifies the police and tracks the position of the machine.
But that's not all: The integrated telematics module offers you additional benefits beyond theft monitoring. In the free klarxMANAGER, you can access data on the machine's startup and shutdown times, utilization calculations, and consumption information – this allows you to prevent excessive fuel consumption or unnecessary downtime and optimize machinery deployment.
DIN Standards in Construction – Examples
There are over 3,000 standards in construction alone. For every occasion there are guidelines that builders, architects, planners and others should ideally follow and that help fulfill requirements for buildings, machinery, or safety.
DIN standards from the construction industry span many areas. The following selection shows a few case examples and applications:
DIN ISO 9245
This standard specifies the performance of earthmoving machinery in particular. Formulas for calculation, data sheets, terminology, applications, and units are part of this standard.
DIN EN 13001 Cranes - General Design
Load effects, safety evidence of wire ropes, and limit states of steel structures are summarized in DIN EN 13001. This product standard deals with crane construction and is particularly relevant when inspecting cranes.
DIN EN 15573
Earthmoving machinery - Requirements for use on roads
Dimensions, weights, speed, braking systems, and operator station – all this and much more is specified by the DIN EN 15573 standard for earthmoving machinery in relation to road use.
These two standards are the most important with regard to machinery maintenance. You can read more about this in this klarxCADEMY article: Maintenance.
DIN EN 474-1
DIN EN 474-1 refers to the field of view of earthmoving machinery, which must meet certain requirements so that operators are not exposed to hazards when operating earthmoving machinery.
DIN Standards and Legal Situation
When certain product details or quality standards are specified in a DIN standard, compliance with these requirements is initially voluntary and not mandatory. A DIN standard is not automatically a law. The situation is different when compliance with certain DIN standards is specified in a contract or when the legislator refers to a DIN standard in a regulation. In such cases, compliance with DIN standards is mandatory.
Additionally, DIN standards can simultaneously represent recognized rules of technology. Caution: While this is often the case, there can also be deviations. Recognized rules of technology can also be specified in other regulations than DIN standards, and not every DIN standard is automatically a recognized rule of technology. These recognized rules of technology play an important role in everyday practice. Although they are not entirely clearly defined in the German model building code, they are essentially standards that have proven suitable in practice and are broadly accepted in the construction industry. Most of these rules are published by the German Institute for Building Technology as so-called technical building regulations.
In contracts for the performance of construction services, it is usually the case that recognized rules of technology (and thus automatically many of the DIN standards) should be observed if it is not expressly otherwise stated in the contract. Recognized rules of technology are thus a kind of minimum standard: If it is not met, there is a deficiency. That's why DIN standards play an important role in construction – even if they don't automatically correspond to laws.
This page was automatically translated from German.