As holidays approach and work stops, ECAM urges construction companies to shift from "documenting theft at construction sites" to "preventing theft"
Real-time monitoring in mobile security has helped a construction firm in Phoenix reduce security costs at each construction site by over $3,000 per month, while also decreasing theft incidents.
Dallas, October 29 (Reuters/ PR Newswire ) – North America's leading video security service provider, ECAM, stated that as the construction industry enters the holiday shutdown season, they are urging construction companies to change their methods of protecting ongoing and idle construction sites. The combination of real-time video surveillance with detection driven by AI helps to prevent theft, vandalism, and unauthorized access to construction sites. As criminal activities become more organized and the cost of material substitution rises, this issue is leading to a chain of losses of equipment, materials, and project progress, while also increasing the insurance risk exposure.
Industry estimates from National Equipment Register ( NER ) and National Insurance Crime Bureau ( NICB ) show that in the United States alone, the annual losses related to construction and agricultural equipment amount to between 300 million and 1 billion US dollars, and more than 75% of the stolen machinery is never recovered. Since industry research also indicates that up to 85% of construction site thefts are not reported, the actual scale of the risk may be even greater.
ECAM Vice President of Eastern Sales Region Natalie Jackson stated: "The real cost of theft on construction sites is far more than just the stolen assets. A single intrusion can trigger an insurance claim, cause a work team to stop working, delay inspections, and push back project progress by several days or even weeks. In an industry where time is money, these chain effects often far exceed the value of the items that are taken. This is why proactive video security solutions are so important – their goal is to prevent incidents from happening in the first place, rather than just reviewing videos afterwards."
Most construction site cameras can still only be effective after the fact; recordings are often only viewed after the equipment has already been stolen. The method ECAM is designed to intervene while the event is still in progress. Its solar-powered mobile monitoring units do not require permanent power supply and can be redeployed as the project progresses from excavation and framing to the final stages. AI detection will issue alerts for activities around fences, storage areas, and equipment. Subsequently, the real-time monitoring specialists of ECAM will verify each alert, issue voice warnings to intruders, and escalate the notification to security personnel or the police if necessary.
This approach has already shown results. A construction company located in Phoenix operates up to 18 active construction sites simultaneously, deploying ECAM mobile units in its projects along with 24/7 real-time monitoring. The company has reduced security costs by over $3,000 per site per month, theft incidents have significantly decreased, and it has gained a coverage capability that can be flexibly expanded as construction progresses.
Three ways to protect construction sites before holidays close down
ECAM It is recommended that contractors take three measures before stopping work at the construction site:
- Properly place equipment: Move high-value machinery away from the edges of fences and out of the visible range of roads, then lock it and take away the keys.
- Inspect the construction site together with monitoring service providers: eliminate blind spots before the work stoppage, especially in the storage areas, fuel storage areas, and around secondary entrances and exits.
- Set upgrade response rules in advance: clearly define when and to whom to notify, so that alerts can be promptly acted upon within minutes, rather than waiting until Monday morning to discover the issue.
Jackson added, "Construction site security must be as adaptable as the project itself. A construction site that is completely open during the framing phase will look very different three months later when it enters the final stages. Therefore, any video security solution must keep up with these changes to remain effective. Real-time video surveillance combined with mobile monitoring units allows builders to cover the constantly changing site and intervene before any losses occur."
To contact the expert ECAM, please visit ecam.com / contact, or call 1-855-220- ECAM (United States) / 1-855-755-7233 (Canada).
About ECAM
ECAM is a leading provider of AI driver real-time monitoring technology solutions in North America, boasting the largest network of monitored mobile and fixed monitoring units deployed in the region. With the vision that "every camera should always be under surveillance," the company combines the world's most advanced AI driver real-time video monitoring technology with human expertise to provide precise and highly alert real-time protection. From research and development to product creation and platform innovation, ECAM fully owns and develops its entire operations and technology stack. The company has developed proprietary technologies specifically designed to address the most common challenges in the monitoring industry. This in-house development model ensures that customers can benefit from rapid innovation and cutting-edge solutions tailored to solve common problems. Headquartered in Dallas, ECAM is a global champion business unit under GardaWorld; GardaWorld is a venture-driven enterprise whose services cover security services, AI enabled security technologies, comprehensive risk management, and cash automation solutions. For more information, please visit ecam.com.
