huangyhg

taking pictures at job sites
it was mandatory we take pictures at my last job, the more the better. now where i am, the attitude is more like pictures can come back as evidence against you. i wanted to get a few opinions from the people here.
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always the more the better. digital cameras with large storage cards and high-resolution pictures are best. i also insert my firm name and date on the picture. (my camera does this automaticially)
if you current firm is worried about pictures coming back to be used against them, then they must be doing something wrong and know that they are doing something wrong.
i would seriously reconsider working for a firm that does not want to have a record of its activities.
rick kitson mba p.eng
construction project management
from conception to completion
haynewp:
i have been lugging my slr's and/or a digital camera to all of my jobsites all over the world for the last 10 years, shop or field.
many of my clients prohibit cameras of any type in their facilities, but have allowed me to use mine once they know the intent. proprietary tooling, machinery or methods of fabrication or erection are not documented without permission if at all. i also let the contractor know ahead of time that i will be using a camera if i do intend to take photos.
many of the engineers i work for really appreciate the photos, and often photo's accompany my reports. if there is a problem, a snap-shot is worth a thousand words. before i began to use my cameras as tools, often unaccepatble workmanship or technique was subjective ("he said - she said"). it is not at all uncommon for any individual or entity to deny wrong-doing at a jobsite. i don't have that problem anymore. it's hard to argue with a photo. this is why many do not want cameras being used at a jobsite.
cameras are also good tools for recording proper workmanship, technique or materials. many of my clients like having their work documented and used as good examples.
i should have been more clear. the company does not discourage them, in their words if they help to document the project then they are fine, but usually are not taken.
this advice i received not to take pictures comes from more experienced engineers that i work with. it kind of surprised me. i believe their intent is more in line that if you miss a construction error which shows clearly in the picture and something happens... it's your ass
at my previous job, it was mandatory and all the engineers agreed that pictures were of upmost importance.
i take as many pics as i can when i am on the job site. of course, i get gried from the contractors a lot because they think i am spying on them or something. when they give me grief for taking their picture, i just ask if it is a religious objection to having their photo taken. of course, when they say no, i tell them to mind their own business and get back to work. if they are doin it right, they got nothin to worry bout. plain and simple. i have a hangar i designed underway right now, it is about 80% complete and i have almost 700 mb worth of photos taken at med-to-high resolution digital cameras, totals over 2000 now i think. i have used the pics in several cases so far to force the contractor to remove and redo, or repair, several items. also great record for the owner.
if you are worried about it, make sure the owner/client gives you the ok to take pics. once you have that, i basically ignore any concerns that any of the contractors have about me taking pics of their work. they are paid to do a job right, and we as the engineers are paid to make sure it gets done right.
however, i also do a lot of work on military facilities, and particularly in some classified areas of the facilities. this gets very tricky for picture taking. i like to try to get it in my contract in advance for permission to take pictures on site, even if they have to go thru a screening. if not, make sure that the military (or other high security organisation) will grant you access to one of their personal with photography rights if you want to get pics of work being completed.
i also concurn with rdk above. if your company doesnt want pictures, seriously consider their motives. i wouldn't want to be arround that mentality.
this remonds me of a company i worked at where we had an official verbal instruction from management never to write any memo or e-mail which contained any reference to "safety". luckily, nasa does not appear to be doing this (yet),
i love tot take pictures. they make a nice story when project is done. i would not worry about them used as evidence and if they do so what?
i am on a big project now and the client is in england. they will have several cams at the site. the entire project team can view, from any where, the progress of the project. i think this is a wonderful thing.
being the forward thinker that i am, lol, i think they will be used by engineers to perform certain inspection without leaving their offices. this may be taking place already. i would appreciate that since i live in florida especially in the summer.
this is my cents worth.
good luck
an error, is an error, is an error, regardless of who made it.
photos can be used as learning tools. i agree with rdk's second paragraph without saying (typing) it myself.
a picture is worth a thousand words.
plus they really help when trying to explain something to someone else.
i use photograph all the time on the jobsite. at one time, i even had a large format camera and darkroom setup.
at site that do not allow camera, i have used a digital camera and had a copy offical review the photographs prior to leaving the jobsite. you might want to stste in your contract that all photographs and negatives are the property of the client arewill be returned to them at the end of the project.
look at the photo carefully, looking at the background. crop the photo to remove anything you do not want shown. i know of a case where a newsphotographer took some picture at a site and in the background showed a serious osha safety violation. the area director of osha noticed it while reading the evening paper, they had a visit the next day.
if they is a the possibility of litigation take photographs with a film camera. with digital photographs you can not prove a chain of custody, digital photographss could have been altered.
we've been bringing a digital camera with us for almost a decade, now, and an unexpected benefit of having digital photos of a project is the "reminder" a picture can give you when you pick up again on a project that left off years ago.
most of our customers (aircraft operators) don't care at all if i take pictures, having the same "open" philosophy that's been described above. there are some that do seem to mind, but accept it as part of my "job".
i now have many photos of damaged aircraft and helicopters, but if somebody asked me for copies, i would say, "no", because the photo is taken for my project (either a design or repair) and it's proprietary to my company.
stf

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