Recently, our team helped stop a serious safety risk while monitoring and inspecting a railroad construction project. The unique part is we weren’t physically there. So, how did we do it?

Enter our 40-foot telescoping 4K mobile construction cameras. Our Rail Construction Administration and Management team operates a fleet of mobile cameras that can monitor rail construction sites throughout the country in real-time.

"We are one of the first adopters of this technology in the rail industry."

Although we regularly perform on-site construction management for rail clients, we’ve found the flexibility and efficiency of remote construction observation beneficial too. These cameras – each mounted on a mobile trailer and easy to transport between work sites – offer us, and our clients, real-time visibility and video recording keeping.

Investing in remote monitoring technology

We are one of the first adopters of this technology in the rail industry. Because remote monitoring has proven to be so valuable to our rail clients, we have invested in a fleet of mobile construction cameras over the past two years.

Olsson’s mobile construction cameras, sourced from EarthCam, do much more than traditional security cameras. They can:

• Deploy artificial intelligence (AI) to create safety and security alerts  
• Integrate into our project management software   
• Use a 360-degree robotic camera with advanced zoom capabilities   
• Run on self-generated solar power

Our in-house mobile cameras allow us to offer clients a hybrid approach that consists of 24/7 remote monitoring coupled with occasional site visits.

Mitigating safety risks

"Remote observation is incredibly useful to mitigate risk and help people get home safely."

Why is this type of technology necessary? It helps us mitigate risk and safeguard the railroad, staff, and community. Allow me to share an example:

Our team has been coordinating and monitoring the construction of a rail crossing/grade separation project. We used a mobile camera to remotely monitor the site and noticed a safety risk: a construction worker was working 15 feet aboveground with no fall protection in place.  We promptly alerted the client and contractor.

Work halted until a plan could be put in place to account for worker safety.  

It was a great catch by our team – and made possible by using remote monitoring. Without an on-site mobile camera, the incident could’ve continued and led to serious consequences. I’m excited to see how we can continue to maximize technology to increase safety at projects.  

Meeting our clients’ needs

This is a client-driven service. We helped pitch using mobile cameras to one rail client who hadn’t previously used this type of technology. Now, it’s used at the client’s project sites throughout the country.

Remote observation has been a game-changer, particularly for our rail client’s active public agency projects. We’ve found remote observation incredibly useful to mitigate risk and help people get home safely. Still, we and our clients agree, the human element is essential, and on-site visits are still important.

Another positive outcome of this technology is increased collaboration. With client permission, we can share the real-time viewing with other team members. For example, by using mobile cameras, our scientists have monitored vegetation growth at a railroad project site. This data informs optimal timing for site-visit travel. And it increases efficiency, saving money for our clients.

There are several AI functions we are exploring. Users of our mobile cameras can prompt the technology to send an alert if it sees trespassers on the site, schedule photos, flag safety risks, and more.

I foresee more clients becoming interested in remote monitoring, even clients outside the rail industry. It is cost-effective, increases efficiency, and safeguards people and projects by mitigating risk. That’s a big win.   

**

John Cummings, our Rail Construction Administration and Management senior team leader, oversees mobile construction camera technology for Olsson. Contact him to discuss our capabilities and services.

‍