Milestone XProtect open platform IP VMS protects Bam Nuttall’s Highway Services Unit in the UK

Milestone Certified Partner NW Systems installed a video monitoring system based on XProtect Express VMS

Milestone XProtect open platform IP video management software (VMS) has been deployed to protect Bam Nuttall’s Highway Services Unit in Winsford, Cheshire, in the UK. Milestone Certified Partner NW Systems Group was hired to install a comprehensive yet cost effective video monitoring system based on Milestone XProtect Express VMS.

NW Systems used high quality network cameras from three different manufacturers to provide surveillance of the external areas. Coverage focused on the large rear yard which provides storage for high value road signs, street lighting poles and motorway crash barriers. They also installed multi-megapixel wide angle cameras internally to cover a large factory making signs for Bam Nuttall’s road maintenance teams, primarily for health and safety monitoring.

Milestone XProtect Express video management software provides centralised management of images from all the network cameras. XProtect was integrated with Paxton Net2 access control to ensure security of office space through the night at this 24-hour site. The Milestone XProtect Smart Client interface gives front-end views on the laptops of authorised managers, and the Milestone Mobile client enables distribution of live and recorded video to their smartphones and tablets for remote monitoring around the clock.

Bam Nuttall Highway Services already used mobile cameras on its road sign trailers to monitor the activity of teams putting out and collecting road signs in areas where road works are ongoing.

Steve Gee, Highway Engineering Manager at Bam Nuttall Highway Services, explained: “Recently one of our trailer cams captured an incident where a car drove into the back of one of our trailers. The driver then backed away from the trailer, whereupon one of our team stood in between the trailer and the driver’s car to tell him to move onto the hard shoulder - an example of unsafe practice which puts this employee at risk. Team managers now play this video to staff as part of a training exercise on procedure in case of emergencies like this. It is our job as a responsible employer to highlight good and poor practice and use visual aids like this to improve training and minimise accidents at work. We have found that camera recordings are a great tool for affecting behavioural change.”

Frank Crouwel, Managing Director at NW Systems, added: “We’ve designed and developed a fully integrated and mobile video and access control security system for Bam Nuttall Highway Services so managers can view images from across the site and link door entry events with video to provide comprehensive 24-hour security of the offices. The video enables managers to keep an eye on road sign manufacturing operations to ensure Health & Safety procedures are being followed. It also enables security operatives to gain visibility of the internal areas from any mobile device – something that is very useful if intrusion detectors trigger alarms in the middle of the night.”