Safety & Risk Management Council  
ason Anglin, Safety & Risk Management Council  5-2020

One of the basic principles of any safety program is to control risk exposure for our workforce and projects. By limiting operational risk we help reduce the potential for injury and incidents and decrease the level of severity when such events occur. A tool that is often underutilized for risk control is the simple phone camera. By taking pictures regularly, a company can photo document conditions and create reference material to help aid incident investigations or support claims when a dispute occurs.

In recent months, as projects began to slow or stop due to safety concerns from COVID-19, our project teams were instructed to take extensive photos of site conditions. Project teams were instructed to photo-document tools, equipment and site conditions.

As we’ve returned to projects, having good reference photos has enabled us to better assess changes in site conditions, such as excavations and ground conditions that pose a potential safety risk. By having reference photos we are able to identify potential safety and cost issues, discuss a resolution with clientele, and avoid risking a dispute.

Additionally, reference photos become very useful if a project site experiences criminal activity such as vandalism or theft. Photos have been used to help substantiate insurance claims after a significant theft. Photos have been used to determine loss amounts and help aid the police during criminal investigations.

Another great benefit of continually taking project photos is the ability to use them to positively promote safety and your organization.

The majority of photos taken on a job site should be taken to document the task and accomplishments our project teams succeed in doing on a daily basis. The photos we take today often become testimonials to the people who work with us.