INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL
Improving Security
Real estate contractor secures sites after hours to mitigate liability risks
- By Steven Smith
- Apr 09, 2020
Well Craft Construction
Co. is a highly reputable
general contractor that
builds commercial real
estate, multifamily buildings and hotels
in and around the Philadelphia, PA area.
They are the go-to contractor for Pearl
Properties, Philadelphia's premier full-service
real estate investment and development
firm. Located in Bucks County, PA,
Well Craft serves as the general contractor
for many large-scale construction projects.
Securing their job sites after hours and
mitigating liability risks comes with the
territory.
Meeting the Challenges
Vandalism, graffiti and theft are always
major concerns for project managers at
a job site, and security guards sometimes
are not enough to deter that. Stolen materials,
such as copper wiring, turn into
stolen time and productivity for a project
in progress. The deadlines get harder to
hit, and the need for overtime often figures
into the equation, meaning higher costs.
In addition, because projects in the construction
phase often have equipment and
cranes on site after hours, they can be an
attractive target for pranksters.
Well Craft has experienced incidents
where teenagers have come on to their
properties and climbed up the cranes. While
the kids may see it as harmless horseplay,
the liability issues are huge. Well Craft saw
a clear need to put more stringent security
measures in place to reduce property damage,
theft and overall liability.
Kastle Systems' mobile sentry and remote
video guarding solutions were the
option of choice for Well Craft Construction.
They are smart video surveillance
and monitoring solutions that can replace
a security guard at a site after hours. Kastle
can monitor video alarms generated by
the smart camera and respond to any intrusion
incidents instantly from its monitoring
center.
The camera creates an alert using video
analytics that can detect the presence of a
person or vehicle. It records a video clip
and sends it to the operator at Kastle's
central station who can verify the alarm to
be real or false. An audio channel is activated
allowing the operator to communicate
with the intruder to deter them off the
site. The operator then follows protocol to
call site management and then the police.
Implementation
and Results
Kastle positioned six cameras at the construction
site, creating a virtual perimeter
around it. By having a cloud-based system,
video is stored in the cloud allowing
the end user to review it at any time up to
two years, if needed. The video is downloadable
and can be used as evidence in
criminal cases.
The guarding solution deploys video
analytics-based "smart" HD cameras that
deliver high quality video. This integrated
video network increases efficiencies, eliminating
the need to hire guards. A single
monthly service and maintenance fee
means there are no material costs.
The solution includes unlimited, scalable
cloud-hosted video storage, email notification
of video alarm events and access
from a smartphone or any web-enabled
device.
"Kastle Systems services were the perfect
solution for loss prevention and deterring
trespassers," said Dan Van Vuskirk,
project manager. "Their offerings were also
instrumental in monitoring the progress of
the job and ensuring on-site safety."
This article originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of Security Today.
About the Author
Steven Smith is the business development manager at Kastle Systems.