Construction jobsite theft costs the industry up to $1 billion each year and US businesses spend more than $170 billion dollars annually on work-related injuries.

Adding cloud-managed construction cameras to remotely view and record jobsite activity could be the key to reducing theft and ensuring safety compliance.  Onsite cameras are a two-birds-one-stone solution. In addition to deterring theft, security cameras can also help prevent workplace injuries and improve overall safety conditions.

It’s no secret that construction sites often present hazardous working conditions. While the industry accounts for only 4% of employment in the U.S., it accounts for a staggering 21% of all fatal work injuries. Meanwhile, nonfatal injuries in the construction sector top over 70,000. Perhaps most shocking, nearly every construction worker will suffer at least one work-related industry.

Over a 45-year career, 75% of construction workers would suffer a disabling injury, and one in 200 would suffer a fatal injury.

Onsite injuries are no laughing matter, and protecting your employees should be of paramount importance. Anything that can be done to improve working conditions on the jobsite should be priority one.

But, aside from the obvious fact that you don’t want your team members seriously injured, these types of events can also be costly to a project. Not only do they cause a loss in productivity, there are the issues of worker’s compensation or even possibly expensive lawsuits to consider.

Cloud-managed, real-time cameras provide simple ways to combat workplace dangers. Employees are likely to take greater precautions under surveillance, live monitoring would allow you to communicate with them in real time if you noticed a safety issue and visual documentation provides evidence should an infraction occur. You are also more likely to become aware of workplace hazards that have the potential to cause catastrophic injury, and correct those problems before such incidents occur.

On that note, early detection and correction of these hazards will help you protect your jobsite in general—for instance, if a site catches fire, surveillance cameras would allow the fire to be caught early before major damage was done.

As mentioned above, theft is a major issue for construction sites in the United States.

Loaders are the most common piece of equipment stolen at 36%, according to a study conducted by the LoJack Corporation. And the estimated replacement costs for equipment in 2016 for recovered equipment was nearly $11 million. Bear in mind—that’s for equipment that was recovered by the LoJack system. Less than 25% of stolen construction equipment is ever recovered, adding significantly to that total cost.

Of course, most companies have insurance in place that covers at least part of the value of stolen equipment. But replacement cost for these items only represents a portion of the total cost. Other costs include:

• Downtime and loss in productivity, resulting in costly delays and potential client penalty fees if deadlines are missed

• Renting substitute equipment until your insurance policy kicks in to cover the cost of replacing it

• Time lost on police reports and insurance claims—after all, time is money

• Higher insurance rates down the road

Lost equipment is equipment that isn’t working for you.

All of this could be avoided by utilizing a few key tools. First, by placing GPS systems on all your major pieces of machinery, you could much more easily track down stolen equipment. Installing jobsite security and surveillance cameras with motion activation and thermal sensors give you non-stop visual access to your projects and keep you informed of afterhours activity through instant alerts and recording. Moreover, the sheer presence of site cameras acts to deter theft.

Sensera Systems provides clients with the ability to utilize real-time data through its SiteCloud platform and site security cameras. SiteCloud provides a rich set of features to view and manage archived images and video and allows project manages to have secure storage and backup of project data, video streaming, time-lapse videos, in addition to providing real-time security alerts. SiteCloud allows for multiple users so that information can easily be shared with stakeholders of their projects. Plus, SiteCloud integrates with Autodesk BIM 360, Procore, and PlanGrid, as well as with an array of other construction focused programs. Benefits of implementing real-time data management through Sensera Systems include:

• Photo documentation – review images and videos of incidents on your jobsite in SiteCloud from anywhere on any device

• Share information easily across team members

• Integrated tools- connects with a variety of Project Management software

• Remote visual monitoring – less back and forth from the office to the jobsite

• Personnel workflows – increase employee productivity and efficiency

• Safety compliance – make sure your jobsite maintains OSHA standards

• Security – monitor asset and ensure site security with real-time alerts

Learn more about Sensera Systems' SiteCloud and jobsite cameras