Construction sites contain a wealth of valuable materials and costly equipment, making them prime targets for thieves seeking to make easy money. Every year, the construction industry loses billions of dollars due to theft and loss. Moreover, it is difficult for law enforcement to trace these items, making it significantly easier for criminals to take what they want with minimal risk of being caught.
Nevertheless, those in this line of work will know that safeguarding a construction site is not an easy task. Installing traditional alarms and unmonitored CCTV systems can be expensive, time-consuming, and ineffective. This is driving many site supervisors to find innovative ways of protecting their worksites with live video monitoring.
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Significance of live video monitoring systems at a construction site
In this blog post, we’ll discuss why investing in a live video monitoring system at your construction site will be beneficial to you as well as how certain features could help aid prevention efforts.
It is an intelligent investment
Live video monitoring is a wise investment for your construction site as it provides you with real-time visibility and control of your construction project. Through 24/7 live streaming, you can see exactly what’s happening on the ground, ensuring that any unforeseen events are addressed quickly, thereby reducing downtime and disruption to the project timeline.
Helps avoid Theft
Having live video monitoring on-site serves as a deterrent for potential theft or vandalism, helping to protect your investment and maintain the integrity of your construction site.
The use of advanced video analytics, speakers, and sirens is an effective way of thwarting such robbery attempts. If someone attempts to access a restricted area and steal an item of equipment, alarms will quickly detect a person and alert a remote monitoring agent.
Cost-effective Solution
A live video monitoring system can offer a cost-effective solution for construction sites. It not only serves as an extra layer of security, but it also ensures that any suspicious activity is immediately detected and addressed. As such, installing a live video monitoring system can reduce the need for additional personnel to monitor the site day and night.
This can save time, money, and effort as well as potentially reduce the risk of loss due to criminal activity. With all of these benefits, live video monitoring is an invaluable resource that can make a significant impact on your construction project.
Construction Site Security Checklist
- Create A Security Policy
- Hire Carefully
- Secure The Perimeter and Use Gates to Access
- Keep An Inventory of Valuable Assets
- Use Security Camera Monitoring Services
- Ensure You Have Adequate Lighting Throughout the Site
- Follow Strict Security Protocols
Avoid These Common Mistakes to Ensure Your Construction Site Security Video Monitoring is Effective
Once you recognize the importance of setting up live video monitoring at your construction site and determine to invest in one, it is equally paramount to be aware of a few mistakes that should be avoided when establishing video surveillance for project security.
Construction security video monitoring can be a highly effective way to protect your site, but if it’s not done right, it can be completely useless. Here are 5 common mistakes you should avoid when setting up construction security video monitoring on the project site.
Lack of Secure & Constant Power
One common mistake that can disrupt or even disable a construction site security video monitoring system is failing to provide a secure and constant power source. Without a reliable and secure power connection, the system will not be able to provide the coverage it is intended for. This can lead to downtime, rendering the system useless and potentially leaving your site vulnerable. It is important to ensure that the power connection is reliable, secure, and has no interruptions or outages so that you can be confident that your security video monitoring is always active and providing the protection you need for your construction site.
Not having enough cameras to cover
When installing construction security video monitoring, it is important to properly execute camera coverage in order to ensure the best possible outcome. Poorly executed camera coverage can lead to gaps in coverage that could leave the site vulnerable to theft or vandalism. To avoid this, it is important to plan out camera placement carefully and ensure there is no dead space where criminals could hide. It is also important to make sure that all cameras are visible from the main roads so that potential perpetrators understand they can be seen. Additionally, cameras should be positioned in such a way that they are not obstructed by trees or other structures.
Insufficient lighting
Statistics prove that vandalism and theft rates are lower in highly visible areas, making proper lighting a key component of an effective security system. When setting up construction security video monitoring on the project site, ensure that there is sufficient lighting, otherwise, it will lead to poor-quality video footage, making it difficult to identify any issues or criminal activity.
Also, it’s important to consider the placement of lights when setting up the live video monitoring, to ensure that all areas of the site can be clearly seen and do not cast shadows or create blind spots where activity could go undetected.
Ineffective Security Protocol Enforcement
To make sure that your video surveillance is effective, it is of the utmost importance to create a security plan and execute protocols correctly. Your site monitoring company should be aware of normal working hours for the premises; in addition, if there are occasions when work will occur outside these set times, they must have this information beforehand.
To ensure proper safety, it is essential to keep accurate entry and exit lo
gs. Failure to comply with these protocols can endanger your business; if unaccounted-for workers are present without the monitoring agency being notified, false alarms will be sent out. When this happens, the station on the watch will try reaching out to your emergency contact list – but if no one answers or they weren’t aware of any unannounced visitors at the premises in question, police officers may be dispatched right away.
False alarm police dispatches can be costly, ranging from $100 to $300. Furthermore, numerous false alarms over time and a lack of security measures may cause your site to suffer the “cry wolf” effect – whereby agents no longer take serious incidents at your location seriously. Avoid this potentially expensive outcome by implementing strong protocols that help reduce the chance of mistaken alerting or other erroneous events triggering an emergency response.
Final Thoughts
Construction sites face unique security threats that can be difficult to manage without adequate protection. Unsecured sites are particularly vulnerable to theft of materials and equipment, leaving you with costly losses. To safeguard your site against these risks, invest in an advanced live video monitoring system; not only will it secure your investments but also the safety of those on-site.
