How to keep track of tools at work
Number the tools worth chasing, put each one on a person's name when it leaves, treat every van and site as a location, and check each van once a week. Most crews are set up in an afternoon.
What you need
- An afternoon in the yard with the vans emptied one at a time
- Engraving pen or durable labels (polyester or laminated) for each tool
- A phone with a camera for each crew lead
- The tool inventory template or an ItemTally workspace
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Decide which tools get tracked one by one
Track individually anything you'd chase if it went missing: power tools, lasers, access equipment, test meters, anything over about 100 in your currency. Hand tools and fixings are cheaper to count per van than to track one by one.
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Empty each van and write down what's there
One van at a time, onto a tarp. List every tracked tool with its make, model and serial. You'll find tools nobody knew were missing, duplicates nobody needed, and the ones that belong to another crew.
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Number and label every tracked tool
Engrave or stick a number on each tool, and on its battery and charger with a letter (T-0042A). Use polyester or laminated labels; paper doesn't survive a van. A QR code under the number means a phone can scan it.
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Make every van and site a location
Each van, site and the yard crib is a place with its own list. In ItemTally, set a folder's Kind to Vehicle or Site and it shows as one everywhere. "What's in Van 2?" becomes one tap.
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Put tools on people's names when they leave
A tool "in Van 2" has nobody responsible for it. When a tool goes to a job, hand it to a person with a due date: scan the label, pick the name, done. When someone changes crew or leaves, one page lists everything on their name.
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Make kits for what always goes together
The first-fix box, the testing kit, the site-day bag. A kit goes out to a person in one scan, every item gets its own logbook line, and returning the kit restocks only what went out with it.
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Check each van once a week
In the yard on Friday, scan the van's shelf label to start a count, then scan the tools you can see. Tracked tools you didn't scan show up as not seen, so the follow-up list writes itself. It takes a few minutes per van.
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Keep consumables per van with minimums
Blades, bits, fixings and tape: counted stock in each van, with a minimum per van. When a van drops below its minimum, it shows on Today and the van's load list says what to put back.
Why tools go missing
A van is a shelf that drives away. Tools leave for a job, move to a second site, ride back in someone else’s van, and three weeks later nobody remembers who had them. It’s rarely theft. It’s a system that only knows where tools should be, never who has them.
The fix is to record the one moment that matters: when a tool changes hands. Everything else (which van, which site, what’s overdue) follows from that.
Shared tools vs personal kit
Many crews give each person a personal kit (drill, driver, hand tools) and keep the expensive specialist tools shared. Put the personal kit on that person’s name permanently, with no due date, and check it once a quarter. Shared tools get due dates and the weekly check.
Services, PAT tests and calibration
Record the next service, PAT test or calibration date on each tool. In ItemTally those dates show on Today when they’re coming up or overdue, so the laser goes for calibration before the job that needs it.
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Start freeQuestions people ask
What's the best way to keep track of tools on a construction site?
Put every tracked tool on a named person while it's on site, with a due date at the end of the job. Sites as locations tell you where tools are; names tell you who to ask.
Do I need GPS or Bluetooth tags?
Tags show where a tool is right now, which helps recover stolen tools. They don't tell you who is responsible for it. Most crews get further with names, due dates and a weekly van check. ItemTally doesn't track location with GPS.
How do I stop tools going missing between jobs?
Due dates and a weekly check. A tool with a due date shows up as overdue; a tool without one just quietly stays wherever it ended up.
Does this work without signal on site?
Scanning works in the phone's browser today, which needs a connection. Offline scanning comes with the iPhone and Android apps, which are in testing and not released yet.
What should I do when someone leaves?
Open their page, go through everything on their name, and return each item as it's handed back. Print the custody sheet if you want a signed record.