Safety
Risk
Technology

Worksite Imagery Holds Key to Safety and Quality on Construction Sites

Onsite imagery will make jobsites safer and claims resolution more efficient.
By Tobias Cushing
February 16, 2022
Topics
Safety
Risk
Technology

Construction company owners, contractors and insurers partnering together to establish worksite imagery using "Internet of Things" will be a key part of the future of safety and quality on construction sites with the goal being to predict, prevent or mitigate losses. However, onsite imagery will not just be used to record events (although that will be the focus in the short term); over time, onsite imagery will leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technology to provide information to contractors and owners that enhance the construction worker’s focus on safety and mitigate potential hazards.

There are significant and continuously evolving opportunities with onsite imagery and AI, but in the next one to three years, the construction industry will likely be focused on some practical and specific goals that don’t necessarily rely on AI. In the short term, while AI is developing, the goals of most contractors, owners and some insurers for onsite imagery are:

  1. To change behavior on site and reinforce adherence to safety standards;
  2. To record near misses and onsite hazards to allow coaching and remedial measures;
  3. To resolve bodily injury claims more efficiently for workers compensation and commercial general liability; and
  4. Prevent property damage caused by fire or theft.

Over the next two years, AI will move from the short-term goals above (which are more reactive or backward looking) to more proactively preventing hazards and injuries. Real-time alerts driven by AI are helpful and advancing but not fully mature. This AI-enabled imagery will likely mature exponentially as the adoption of this technology becomes more widespread. But onsite safety professionals will be the backbone of onsite safety, setting culture with construction leadership and informing where imagery is used. This technology should not act as a replacement for robust, onsite safety professionals, but rather an additional tool to enhance safety protocols and awareness onsite.

Spectrum of OnSite Imagery

To understand how onsite imagery and Internet of Things will help owners and contractors, it is important to understand the spectrum of technologies available to the construction industry. Below is illustrative of the many capabilities available in the market and should be considered by contractors and owners for their jobsites. Construction executives should be discussing this spectrum of imagery technologies with their owners, field teams, in house counsel, risk managers, brokers and insurers.

Traditional Worksite Imagery
Video monitoring by security companies for theft, fire or vandalism along with fixed-point construction progress cameras have been used by the construction industry for decades. This includes onsite cameras with no monitoring, as well as those monitored by local security guards and a central control system, and onsite cameras monitored for movement, heat or certain pixel changes and construction progress cameras with no monitoring.

The Next Generation of Onsite Imagery
As artificial intelligence and computer vision continues to mature, these capabilities have the potential to provide meaningful impact on worksite safety. Here is a rundown of the future of onsite imagery and some insights on the ways in which it can be deployed:

  • 3D imagery from regularly scheduled site walk-throughs that can be used to identify hazards as well as track progress of the project over time;
  • Fixed cameras that use computer vision to identify risks such as unauthorized access, fire hazards or safety hazards;
  • Helmet and body cameras that can record and flag incidents and hazards;
  • Digital twining of the site that can be used to compare the actual build to the specifications;
  • Crane cameras;
  • Video, telematics, and GPS location trackers on vehicles and mobile equipment; and
  • Phone-based applications that allow insureds or insurance risk engineers to capture images or remotely analyze issues.

Specific Use Cases and Pilots

Fixed Point
Contractors have found significant benefit to traditional fixed-point cameras monitored by a security company to prevent trespassing, theft and arson. Additionally, the industry is seeing early success in fixed point cameras even when not monitored by security, but available for monitoring by safety professionals and running AI to tag hazards. These onsite cameras can also influence workers to improve their behavior and focus on safety especially when cameras are conspicuously placed and focused on active work areas.

While it can be difficult to keep cameras focused on active work areas daily given how dynamic worksites are, future opportunities for fixed point imagery packages will likely be paired with worker-based cameras and phone-based observation software. Contractors and owners are also working more and more with vendors to position cameras each day and collaborate with the onsite medic and safety professionals to make sure there is adequate coverage each day.

3D Walkthrough Imagery
Customers, insurance risk engineers, and underwriters are very satisfied with the results of walkthrough imagery to capture construction progress, confirm building specifications and view worksites when not able to travel. For insurance carriers, this is not a replacement for risk engineering visits, but rather an added value capability to enhance risk engineering services

Crane Cameras
Crane cameras have exceeded many industry professional’s expectations on helping with onsite safety and workplace efficiency. They provide a wide vantage point for detection of events as operators and workers are more aware of their behavior and vigilant with safety due to this technology. As a result, the use of crane cameras helps make work more efficient and help drive schedules as there is a focus on crane use being continual and efficient because when the crane is operating, progress is usually being made.

Considerations for Construction Executives

Contractors should be clear about their goals for using imagery onsite. For example, owners and construction managers many times are more focused on construction progress, quality, theft and completion to specifications. Contractors are usually more focused on worksite safety.

Contractors need to consider the culture of their owner clients, employees and subcontractors when considering which Internet of Things device to use and how to use it. Some construction companies have employees who have already been looking at larger scope worksite cameras, so using smaller cameras fixed on the work areas is a natural progression. Other contractors also have workers who would object to more focused cameras and are more comfortable with large angle cameras, while placing wearables only on the trades who are doing physically demanding work.

Contractors should also ask owners whether they are interested in leveraging Internet of Things as owner consent is a key consideration to using onsite cameras.

Onsite imagery is part of the future of the construction industry, and it will be exciting to see how imagery can make sites safer and claims resolution more efficient. Every contractor should be thinking about how to use Internet of Things imagery to help their business grow and succeed safely.

by Tobias Cushing
Tobias Cushing serves as the head of Construction for Middle & Large Commercial at The Hartford. He holds a B.S. in Biology from Houghton College, a Juris Doctor from Quinnipiac University School of Law, Master of Law (LL.M.) in Insurance Law from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He has worked in The Hartford’s claim group, law department and underwriting units since 2010.

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