“Measure twice, cut once” is a proverb the construction industry has lived by for years as it meets the standards of construction safety and compliance for all levels of government, from county to federal. For federal OSHA alone, there are 29 regulations for construction standards (from A to CC), each with their own subparts and sub-subparts. It’s a lot to keep track of, but each line is there for the safety of construction jobsites and workers.
The consequences of noncompliance are costly. At the beginning of this year, a Maryland worker was killed at a construction site in Virginia after being struck by a piece of rebar. Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH), a state program approved by OSHA, is reported to be investigating the incident alongside the local police department. According to OSHA, fatal accidents such as this accounted for 58.6% of all construction related deaths in 2018, totaling up to almost 600 lives lost.
To make sure fatal accidents never happen, and to avoid the hefty noncompliance fines from OSHA, it’s important that construction sites use every tool at their disposal to prevent future site incidents and protect companies and employees in the event of an incident. The first and best step a jobsite can take is to install cameras.
Prevention through Accountability
Cameras can provide a number of services and abilities to heighten awareness on a jobsite. Gone are the days of grainy video footage and blind spots. Now, cameras can provide high resolution, 360-degree panoramic views of an entire construction site 24/7. This documentation can be viewed in real-time by offsite managers, contractors, clients and stakeholders, preventing the need to travel to the jobsite to supervise or check up on the work being done. Multiple eyes are on the scene receiving updates, viewing and reviewing, and giving the jobsite preventative oversight to catch mistakes in their infancy or avoid them altogether.
With camera-provided continuous documentation, the workers onsite are held accountable to more than just the people physically there at any given time. Though no one likes the idea of Big Brother watching over their shoulder, the fact remains that scrutiny can lead to better efficiency and accountability of workers on jobsites. Noninvasive monitoring through cameras holds the onsite workers to higher standards of excellence in compliance.
Protection through Transparency
In a perfect world, there would be no jobsite accidents. Unfortunately, we don’t live in such a world. When accidents do occur, construction companies are at risk of citations and fines, or worse. In Q3 of 2019, OSHA dished out multiple 6-figure fines, one exceeding a quarter of a million dollars. These fines cost companies financially but, more importantly, they damage a firm’s reputation, as well. The only way to regain public trust (and negotiate down those fines) is by contesting the citation with evidence.
Cameras on the jobsite can provide total transparency and indisputable evidence. Project managers can provide visual records to the authorities who can search them by time stamps to spot the incident in question and gather surrounding details that might have played a factor. Cameras can be configured to notify stakeholders in the event of an incident, so that OSHA paperwork can be filed in a timely manner. In the event of an audit or an investigation, camera logs make sure every ‘i’ is dotted and every ‘t’ is crossed, taking the guess-work and questions out of the equation, and enabling the company, its workers and regulators to ensure justice for all parties.
Keep Your Jobsite Safe with TrueLook
TrueLook offers construction sites numerous camera solutions—from simple and straightforward fixed-position cameras to high-tech drone photography—to make sure the entire jobsite is within view to guard against accidents. No matter the location or time of day, they’ll help ensure your jobsite is documented, safe and fully compliant.
