Construction is one of the oldest and largest industries globally. It has more than 100 million jobs worldwide with an annual budget of $10 trillion. Despite its size, the industry is marred by low efficiency and productivity as compared with other sectors. Many construction companies realize the importance of automated and real-time monitoring to deter crime and significantly improve efficiencies.
The job sites are manned by many site workers and manually operated machinery that is scattered across the place. Effective Construction Project Management (CPM) depends largely on providing ― Safe workplace for the employees and reducing on-site criminal activities like theft and vandalism.
Video Surveillance systems that can be monitored and controlled remotely play a crucial role in helping the constructors in keeping a close eye on the site. Real-time notifications and alerts allow security officers to take prompt action and avert crime. IP PTZ cameras are the preferred CCTV camera for construction sites.
As a project manager, it is important to ask questions like what is the risk exposure at your site? How many instances of loss or theft happen on your premises? And is your site prone to accidents?
This post will discuss in detail PTZ CCTV cameras, their benefits, and what points to consider while choosing PTZ security cameras to secure your premises.
What is a PTZ Camera System?
Pan Tilt Zoom (PTZ) cameras as the name suggests are designed to pivot from left to right, tilt up and down, and zoom in and out of a scene. They are recommended when one needs to monitor large open areas. They are easy to operate, and a single operator can handle multiple cameras with a remote camera controller. Depending on the camera and software capabilities, they can be set to automatically follow a motion-prompted activity or a pre-defined patrol.
What Are the Security Challenges Faced by Constructors?
Installing security cameras for construction sites is essential for project managers as it provides critical information required for project management and control. Real-time situational awareness allows the constructors and security staff to take corrective action when suspicious activity occurs. Some of the challenges faced by the construction industry are listed below.
Low Efficiency at Workplace
While low efficiency could be ascribed to many reasons one of the primaries could be poor resource allocation. For instance, there could be too many workers waiting to finish concreting projects, which means the number of concreting equipment should be increased or the number of workers should be decreased. A panoramic video of the site will give the project managers insights about proper resource allocation and the lags if any.
Non- Compliance with Health and Safety Regulation
Construction sites are prone to accidents which could lead to disability or loss of life. There are safety regulations that need to be followed by employees at construction sites to avert accidents. However, employees tend to ignore the safety regulations, which could lead to injuries and cost the company losses in terms of compensation, medical expenses, and loss of man hours.
Theft of Assets by Internal Employees or Miscreants
Theft is the biggest threat to construction companies adequately securing large construction sites is a herculean task but if not done it could be an open invitation to thieves who could lay their hands on unprotected machinery, tools, equipment, and material. A high inflow of vendors and employees at the site contributes significantly to theft at the construction sites.
Deliberate destruction of Assets
All the heavy equipment at the construction site is a prime target for vandals who could cause significant loss to the property and deface it in ways more than one.
Benefits of High Resolution PTZ Cameras
Video Surveillance solutions play an important role in managing the construction site and controlling the activities happening on the site. Construction site security cameras should be able to cover large areas from remote locations. PTZ cameras combined with bullet cameras eliminate blind spots and better coverage of the region. Discussed below are the benefits of PTZ cameras.
Capture a Large Field of View Using Pan, Tilt, and Zoom Feature
PTZ IP camera can pan up to 360 degrees and tilt 90 degrees giving better control over the field of view the person wishes to see. The PTZ cameras can be combined with other stationary cameras to enhance the monitoring capability further.
Capture Moving Objects Using Motion-based Auto Tracking
The auto-tracking feature detects moving objects and adjusts the field of view to track their movement. This feature is useful in tracking movement happening during periods when there is no activity at the site.
Can be Programmed for a Time-based Auto-scan
Various parameters can be set like the lens focal length of the camera, angle of inclination, and so on to capture different fields of view over a surveillance zone with just a click. Time-based Auto-scan allows sequential patrolling of the site, thereby reducing the cost of manned security.
Camera control from a remote location
PTZ cameras can be controlled from a remote location. When suspicious activity occurs, the person sitting at a remote location can change the field of view and track the activity without going to the site. Additionally, some cameras have audio support, allowing the person to communicate with the person on the other side.
Capable of Zooming to see far-off objects
Optical and Digital Zoom features of the cameras allow the security officer to see objects at a distance with amazing clarity. This is particularly useful in monitoring large projects like construction sites.
Points to Consider While Choosing the PTZ Cameras for Construction Sites
Construction sites are known for their harsh conditions, and it is important to consider a few points before choosing the right PTZ cameras for construction sites some of the points are listed here
Rugged and Weatherproof: Ideal cameras for construction sites should be able to withstand harsh weather conditions like extreme heat, cold, humidity, and dust.
Provision for a Power Outage: Uninterrupted power supply could be a challenge on construction sites the PTZ cameras should be able to assure non-stop coverage even when there is load shedding.
Network Interface: The CCTV cameras at construction sites should have a network interface for remote viewing.
Local Storage: While the cameras need to have a network interface, they also need to have local storage to capture footage in case of network failure.
To Sum Up
IP PTZ cameras are preferred CCTV cameras for construction sites as they can easily be monitored from remote locations. Their lenses can pan, tilt and zoom providing a large field of view that is crucial when a large area like a construction site needs to be covered. Other features like auto-tracking and real-time alarms and notifications aid in better surveillance and reduces the need for manned security on the premises.
Matrix Comsec PTZ cameras come in 2MP and 5MP resolution and very high optical zoom that helps you get a clearer view of distant objects. Loaded with a host of features they are an ideal choice for construction sites.