HSE 2025 Data: How HFR Camera Systems Positively Impact Site Safety

A Persistent Problem

New HSE figures confirm 124 workers died in the UK in 2024/25, down from 138 the previous year. Construction recorded 35 of those deaths, the largest number of any sector and roughly 28% of the total (April 2024 to March 2025).

Falls from height remain the leading cause with 35 deaths, followed by being struck by a moving object, collapses and overturns, being struck by moving vehicles, and contact with moving machinery.

Construction accounts for more than a quarter of workplace deaths. This headline frames a reality that many directors, site managers and HSQE leaders recognise on the ground. Busy sites and changing layouts create exposure to risk that demands consistent planning, supervision, and learning.

The Innovative Solution

Construction site machinery is a substantial contributor to this risk, especially around reversing, slewing, and loading. This is where technology helps greatly - mounted HFR cameras, telematics and alerting can provide full visibility for operators, give timely prompts, and give site managers evidence to review. This works best when the footage and data are added to educational resources for continued employee learning, rather than being stored and forgotten.

At VUE, our Human Form Recognition camera systems (HFR) are designed to support construction site safety by helping operators detect people in risk zones around plant machinery and by giving site managers unmistakable evidence when an incident occurs.

VUE’s HFR camera systems use AI technology to monitor amber and red zones on both sides and at the rear of a machine, with full camera coverage and visibility around the machine and a defined detection zone. Operators receive clear in-cab video, alerts when a person is detected in the tailored zones and audible alerts that are produced by an external speaker fitted to machinery to warn pedestrians in close proximity.

Leading Improvements through Data

From a manager’s perspective, the value of these Human Form Recognition camera systems is in the learning loop. If an alert is triggered or a panic button is pressed, the event footage becomes instantly available in VUEhub, allowing site managers to review what occurred the same day, export a simple report and prioritise actions.

The reporting can be colour coded by severity, which allows for pattern identification across a phase of works. Integrated telematics can also add driver identification, near miss trend data and idling time, which helps site managers tackle both safety and productivity.

Operators tell us the in-cab view helps them maintain awareness when manoeuvring in tight spots and loading areas where blind spots and distractions are overly common. The immediate audible alert gives them a moment to pause and reassess before a situation escalates.

Site managers say that having reliable footage and alert data changes the tone of daily briefings. Instead of debating what someone thought they saw, the conversation can focus on implementing strategies to fix the issue.

What's Possible for Site Safety

Consider a typical example. A telehandler is reversing while a pedestrian route runs close to the laydown area. The operator receives an alert that allows them to immediately stop. The site manager then reviews the event footage in VUEhub and notices the crossing sits inside the telehandlers turning arc and blind spot when the forks are raised.

The team then implement changes from this footage, such as moving the crossing, adding a run of barriers, and updating the start-of-shift briefing. The next morning, the same operation completes without an alert. The job now runs with less friction and less risk because the evidence prompted effective changes to site safety.

Get a free demo of VUE’s HFR Camera System – call our team on 0161 877 2257 or complete our online form today.