video surveillance
... opportunity to make employees more accountable and to reduce or remove the need for human supervision. The threat of sanctions against the employee and the incentive of bonuses for good conduct are intended to motivate employees to work more effectively. In addition, Video surveillance may be used to monitor productivity in both manufacturing and service industries. In manufacturing processes, video surveillance may monitor the speed and quality of an employee's work performance. In service industries employers may find video surveillance useful to ensure that specific standards for dealing with customers are maintained, in order to ensure consistent quality in the contact between the staff and members of the public. Furthermore, in the absence of any regulation, even when cameras are initially installed for security purposes, employees have no reason to feel confident that the video tape recordings will not be reviewed and their working practices assessed on the basis of these recordings. 4.1.3 Employee Health and Safety Video surveillance is used as a protective device against a number of threats to the health and safety of employees. These dangers include threats to the safety of individuals from external sources and from aspects of workplace operations. In some workplaces, employees face serious external threats to their safety, in particular from armed robberies. Video cameras are seen as an effective protective device because of their deterrent effect and have been used widely in financial institutions. However, the most effective protection against immediate threats such as armed robberies is live surveillance by security personnel. Some security consultants that unless someone is watching the monitor and can raise an alarm if a robbery takes place, the safety of employees is not necessarily enhanced simply by the presence of cameras, as potential criminals may disguise their identity. It should also be borne in mind that the deterrent effect of cameras is limited if thieves mask their appearance. 4.1.4 Ensure Compliance with Laws and Regulations Employers face a wide variety of regulatory responsibilities in relation to the working conditions of employees. Video surveillance may assist in ensuring that employees observe the appropriate regulations, as well as providing employers with some protection from prosecution for alleged breaches of regulatory requirements. For example in some industries such as casino it is sufficient to use this method to prevent any probable burglary. 4.1.5 Production Monitoring Video surveillance may serve several purposes in monitoring the production process. Surveillance may detect bottlenecks in production or problems such as a machine malfunction. It also offers some protection to firms whose products are at risk of sabotage or contamination, generally from disgruntled employees, ex-employees and extortionists. This use of video surveillance will usually involve recordings which are reviewed only if an incident has occurred. 4.1.6 Project time management In some cases such as leading big projects the use of video surveillance could be useful. By this method most of aspects of project could be concerned and in some situations video cameras may create a historical record. For example, The Olympic Construction Authority in NSW Public Works installed video cameras on the Homebush Bay building site to make intermittent recordings of construction. The purpose of these recordings is to compile a time-lapse historical record of the gradual completion of the Olympic construction project. It is worth noting that in this situation the employer sought and obtained approval from the union for the operation of cameras with the assurance that they would not be used for the purpose of monitoring individual employees. 4.3 Face recognition By using advance cameras and computer technology and matching, now it is possible to identify peoples' faces. In this technology, they implement database that has information and pictures of people and checking by the pictures that taken with these cameras which, installed in the important places like airport, they can covert identification and classification of people in public. For example, The Reykjavik airport in Iceland was among the first airports to use the technology. Face recognition technology is still not reliable because it could not recognize criminals that did changes in lighting, weight, hair, sunglasses, subject cooperation, and other factors. As the power and capabilities of surveillance technology increases while the cost and size of systems decreases, there will be further incentives to use the technology. 4.3 The camera’s location · automatic teller machines · casinos, banks, large retail stores, video stores, chemists, and etc · shopping centers and malls · petrol stations · building and site access · the foyers and lobbies of offices · elevators · building perimeters · car parks · in public places where anti-social conduct has been experienced · intersections for monitoring compliance with traffic regulations ("red light cameras") · speed cameras · major traffic areas for peak hour traffic flow management and to measure traffic flow control · public transport 5. Why the demand for video surveillance is increasing? Surveillance cameras are increasingly being used to monitor public and private spaces throughout the world rapidly. While it is difficult to determine the current extent of video surveillance in the workplace, it is clear that video cameras have become a standard feature of security systems for medium to large organizations. 5.1 Cost decreasing: The cost of video surveillance has fallen to the point where it is now affordable to all but the smallest businesses. 5.2 Features: The range of features offered in video surveillance equipment has widened just as costs have fallen dramatically. Cameras have powerful remote facilities to pan, tilt, zoom and night vision or infrared capability. The quality of color reproduction has improved while its cost has fallen to the point where color units are often only 20% more expensive than monochrome units. 5.3 Costumer service: The increasingly competitive business environment has made companies look for every possible avenue to reduce costs and improve customer service. Surveillance cameras may be used in a variety of settings to improve business practices and the quality of customer service. 5.4 Efficiency: Video surveillance has become a more attractive option as other security measures have not performed to expectations or have been unable to deal with new threats to employers' property. In brief, there is a natural and almost organic growth to video surveillance. Once a surveillance unit has been established, the cost of expanding the system is relatively small. If an employer has invested in a large video surveillance system which includes a monitoring station, the cost of adding further cameras and locations is low. 6. Privacy issue in the video surveillance The International Labour Organisation (ILO) summarised the major concerns of employees that related to surveillance technologies in the following provisions: · “Their use is a violation of basic human rights and dignity, and is often carried out without adequate consideration for such interests. · 2Computer data banks and telephone and video monitoring make prying into the private lives of workers easier and more difficult to detect than ever before. · Monitoring and surveillance give employees the feeling that they are not to be trusted and thus foster a divisive mentality which is destructive to both workers and employers. · Such practices can be used to discriminate or retaliate against workers, which may be difficult for workers to discover. · Monitoring and surveillance involve both issues of exercising control over workers and control over data relating to specific workers." On the other hand, employers assert their right to use methods of surveillance in the workplace, which they believe provides adequate protection for both assets and employees. Employers also frequently state that they simply see video surveillance as an effective means of improving security and in some instances, serving specific functions such as improving quality control. 6.1 Data Protection Principles A fundamental human right cannot be disregarded simply because it may conflict with the maintenance of the employer's business interests. In order to conduct video surveillance in a responsible manner, it is necessary to have a suitable framework to ensure that there is no unreasonable intrusion on privacy rights. Principles of data protection provide a useful starting point for the development of this framework. By the findings from the difficulties and issues of privacy in case of video surveillance the Privacy Committee's Data Protection Principles (DPPs) provided some principles by the aim of protecting the personal privacy of information. 6.1.1 Manner and Purpose of Collection of Information This principle requires that the collection of information through the use of video surveillance be lawful and fair. Whether the conduct of video surveillance is considered fair depends on such factors as the specific justification for the conduct or surveillance, the degree of consultation with the individual, and the extent to which the individual is under surveillance during their working hours. 6.1.2 Storage and Security of Personal Information This principle requires that organizations ensure that only the necessary personal information is stored, that it is only kept for as long as is needed, and that personal information is protected by adequate security safeguards from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure. 6.1.3 Access to Records Containing Personal Information This principle requires that an organization give access to personal information held. For example, if an employer keeps a video tape recording on an individual, such as for the purpose of disciplinary action, the individual concerned should be able to view the tape. 6.1.2 Limits on Use of Personal Information This principle requires that organizations should not use personal information for purposes other than for which it was collected, except with the consent of the person, to prevent a serious threat to the person, or as required by law. If video surveillance is introduced for security purposes, the recordings should not then be used for other purposes such as assessment of an employe...