Roofing Company Keeps an Eagle Eye on Jobsite with Mobile Surveillance Solution

As a family-owned roofing company serving municipal, commercial and residential customers, Port Huron, Michigan-based Zimmer Roofing & Construction is leveraging 4G LTE technology to take project management to new heights. Utilizing mobile surveillance towers with high-definition cameras from St. Clair, Michigan-based Maximus Security, project supervisors at Zimmer Roofing can keep an eagle eye on construction sites straight from their smartphone, tablet or desktop.  

“With the ability to supervise jobs in real-time and review video footage from virtually any off-site location, we’re able to closely monitor and control three key factors that affect the construction industry: safety, security and profitability,” said Bryan Meyers, project supervisor for Zimmer Roofing.

Required to comply with strict Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines, roofing companies can incur substantial fines and penalties if safety procedures are not met. By simply logging in through an online portal, project supervisors can control cameras and verify whether workers are adhering to safety policies. Should the site supervisor notice a potential safety hazard, they can use the tower’s two-way communication capabilities to have a face-to-face conversation with employees and mitigate potential errors.

“The ability to remotely control cameras has helped our project supervisors maintain a safe working environment, which in turn allows us to eliminate OSHA fines, lower insurance costs and reduce the amount of worker compensation claims,” said Meyers.

Having a mobile surveillance tower on-site also deters trespassers from stealing valuable assets such as scrap materials, tools and machinery. Triggered by after-hours movement, the surveillance tower will send an alert via email, text or phone call, notifying the proper personnel of any unwarranted activity.

Zimmer Roofing has also been able to reduce countless other overhead expenses, including payroll.

Prior to using the mobile surveillance towers, Zimmer Roofing had no way of verifying whether employees’ time cards were accurate. Complete with a biometric time clock that requires employees to punch in using their fingerprint, the camera also takes a time-stamped picture of each employee who clocks in.

“By simply having the ability to keep track of employees’ time, we’ve been able to save thousands of dollars, especially on prevailing wage jobs where extra minutes can quickly translate into lost profits,” said Meyers.

Remote monitoring capabilities have also allowed project managers to oversee several job sites at once, thus reducing travel time and transportation costs.