Cover yourself with effective handover procedures
One of the most neglected elements of cctv installations is the handover procedure.
The initial handover procedure serves two main purposes;
- Initial system maintenance inspection,
- Documenting the as-built charachteristics of the system.
When proper handover is not done;
- There is no way to determine the extent of changes in the system that lead to performance degradation,
Does the end user really have no obligations when it comes to optimum performance of CCTV
A few further points on this matter are that a CCTV system cannot be expected to operate flawlessly with only a 6 monthly or annual maintenance service.
I see so many maintenance agreements and contracts which make no mention of “user maintenance”.
The user has the most critical role in maintaining the efficiency of a cctv system.
Suggested “End User” contract clauses.
BSIA has listed some sample User Maintenance points:
6. User maintenance
User maintenance is the
responsibility of the System Manager and the System Operator.
6.1 System manager
The System Manager should ensure all fault reporting on the CCTV system is undertaken in a methodical and timely manner.
The following should be considered:
a) Ensure all operators are trained on a regular basis in the actions to take in the event of a system fault.
b) Ensure faults are reported as soon as possible after they are discovered, and that details are entered in the fault reporting book.
c) Inspect the fault reporting book weekly to ensure all faults are dealt with efficiently and effectively.
d) Decide if the fault can be corrected in-house or whether the service engineer is required.
e) Liaise with the CCTV company when a service engineer is required.
f) Ensure the service engineer has access to site and equipment at an agreed time and date.
g) After repair has been carried out, sign and keep a copy of the service call report for the CCTV system file.
h) Sign off the work from the fault reporting book.
6.2 System operator
6.2.2 Checks carried out during each shift
The System Operator should normally be the first to notice a fault with the CCTV system. To ensure the CCTV ystem operates effectively the operator should:
a) Check the fault logbook at the start of a shift to see if there are any outstanding faults on the system.
b) Check the operation of the system at the start of a shift and report any faults to the System Manager. In addition, details of the fault should be entered in the fault reporting book.
c) If the fault is not cleared during the operator’s shift, the next shift should be informed of the fault and what orrective measures, if any, have been actioned.
6.2.2 Additional checks carried out by the System Operator
a) Clean the monitor screens daily.
b) Clean the control surfaces daily.
c) Change the tapes after an agreed number of recordings.
d) Carry out tape head cleaning as advised by the CCTV installing company.
e) Clean computer air vents monthly.
f) Carry out any other functions designated by the CCTV installing company.
Because most CCTV installers fail to define the users role in the proper functioning of the CCTV system, it commonly occurrs that a fault is only discovered 6 or 7 months down the line – usually when the system fails to evaluate an incident that has ocurred.
The user who apparently has no obligation to ensure the proper functioning of the system, is quick to pin all blame on the contractor.
Imagine a driver who never checks oil, water, tyre pressures in between services. These are in fact obligatory user maintenance functions that if neglected, can result in severe damage.
We at TESC strongly advise all our customers, to ensure that “User Maintenance” obligations are written into the maintenance contract, along with Preventative maintenance and Service Calls. The contract also needs to ensure that
all managers and operators are capable of carrying out the specific functions defined by the contract, and that a systematic recording process is implimented to provide a paper trail of such performances.
South African National Standards recommend such a clause, be included in the contract e) obligations of the client (end-user) – this clause will detail the client’s obligations in terms of the agreement and will cover such items as reasonable access to the premises, the provision of electricity necessary to carry out the work, and the issuing of instructions to the service provider;
It doesn’t stop at installation, Configuration and hand over recording is critical.
It is critical – that the handover procedure, records the proper function of all required features – particularly those that are subject to environmental conditions. This handover test and record creates a benchmark which is useful in detecting whether system degradation is related to hardware issues.
On the issue of motion detection – a form of video analytic, There are many different approaches to setting and checking camera perspective. A wrongly set perspective is one of the most frequent causes of mixed detections and false alerts.
Incorrect camera perspective could create many problems with accurate detection, some examples are;
- Problems caused by shadows or foliage,
- Passers-by seen through glass frontage ,
- Areas of high contrast in light – require cameras with wide dynamic range or good back light compensation,
- Target remains in the cone-of-containment for a very short period of time.
It is critical that motion detection is tested for each channel, to ensure that the detection and false alert rates are acceptable. This test and documentation is a critical issue that should be concluded with the end user at the handover of a system.
The detection must be tested according to the reasonably expected conditions and events that might ocurr in the camera view, making provision for both day and night, as well as other unique periods. We recommend that the settings at which
the best results are achieved be documented with the system handover.
South African National Standards recommend such a clause, be included in the contract e) obligations of the client (end-user) – this clause will detail the client’s obligations in terms of the agreement and will cover such items as reasonable access to the premises, the provision of electricity necessary to carry out the work, and the issuing of instructions to the service provider;
It is strongly recommended that motion detection, alerting, settings and recording is tested and documented at handover.
Video motion detection
Check and document that this function is operating in terms of the operational requirement. This can be chieved by carrying out some or all of the following tests, depending on the objective of the s ystem. This shall often depend on the security sensitivity of the area being protected.
• Walking at a normal pace – this would test the system in the case where the intruder is unaware of the detection system.
• Running – this tests the response of the timing algorithms.
• Head rolling – this is a very fast small area target.
• Paused walk – this tests the pre-alarm and detection algorithms.
• Slow walk – this enables the set-up to be refined.
• Crawling – this would represent a small target on hands and knees.
• Body dragging – this represents the smallest target area and the slowest speed.
Conclusion
The end user of a cctv system has a critical role to play in the efficient functioning of the cctv system, and installers need to bind the end user to these obligations. It is critical that an as-built benchmark is developed at handover of a system. This benchmark is a useful indicator to the cause or extent of any system degradation.
Author: Brandon Joubert April 2012 : BI Video Security (Pty) LTD
TVT has agreed to sell us replacement boards for those cases where the 
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