Vertex Construction: Computer Vision for Site Safety and Defect Detection

The challenge

Vertex Construction runs up to twelve concurrent commercial building projects. Safety compliance was managed through manual walk-throughs — site supervisors conducting scheduled inspections, filling out paper-based checklists, and filing incident reports after the fact. PPE violations were only caught when a supervisor happened to be present. Structural defects like cracking, misaligned formwork, and surface imperfections were identified during staged quality gates, often weeks after the work was completed.

The consequences were real. Rework from late-detected defects was costing Vertex roughly two weeks per project. Near-miss safety incidents were underreported because they relied on voluntary disclosure. Insurance premiums were rising, and the safety team knew that reactive monitoring was not sustainable as the company scaled. They needed continuous, automated oversight that could supplement — not replace — their experienced supervisors.

What we built

A computer vision monitoring platform that analyses live camera feeds across active construction sites to detect safety violations and structural defects in real time:

• PPE compliance detection — the system identifies workers not wearing required hard hats, high-visibility vests, or safety harnesses in designated zones, issuing instant alerts to site supervisors with timestamped image evidence
• Exclusion zone monitoring — virtual perimeters around hazardous areas (crane swing radius, excavation edges, live electrical zones) trigger alerts when unauthorised personnel enter, reducing the risk of serious incidents
• Structural defect detection — cameras trained on completed work surfaces identify cracking patterns, surface irregularities, and formwork alignment issues, flagging potential defects for engineering review before they're buried under subsequent construction stages
• Incident trend dashboard — aggregated data across all sites surfaces patterns in violation types, times, and locations, enabling the safety team to target training and process changes where they'll have the most impact

Technology

Edge-deployed computer vision models processing live camera feeds from existing site CCTV infrastructure. Object detection and pose estimation for PPE compliance, exclusion zone monitoring, and defect classification. All processing happens on-site with no video data leaving Vertex's network. Centralised dashboard aggregates alerts and trends across all active projects.