The VSS mandate, met on cameras that also prevent incidents
Since 1 June 2024, the Ministry of Manpower requires a Video Surveillance System on Singapore construction worksites with a contract value of SGD 5 million and above. Most sites meet it with cameras that only record. The same cameras, connected to Invigilo, watch for the risks the mandate exists to reduce.
What MOM requires of your worksite
The VSS requirement applies to construction worksites with a contract value of SGD 5 million and above. MOM specifies where cameras must look, minimum recording quality, timestamping, and how long records must be kept available, and MOM officers can ask to inspect the footage.
The stated purpose goes beyond recording: surveillance, identification of workplace safety and health risks, facilitation of incident investigation and corrective actions, and deterrence of unsafe behaviour. A camera that only records satisfies the letter of the requirement. It does not identify a risk until someone scrubs through footage after the incident.
The authoritative source is MOM's own page; check it for the current specifications before procurement.
Recording satisfies the rule. Detection serves its purpose.
A VSS that only records is a rear-view mirror: it tells you what went wrong after someone is hurt. The mandate's own stated aims, risk identification, corrective action and deterrence, are exactly what AI detection does with the same cameras, in real time.
SafeKey, the AI video analytics module of Invigilo SafeSuite, connects to any camera with an RTSP stream, which includes standard VSS installations. It watches the high-risk zones your VSS already covers and flags the behaviours that lead to incidents: missing PPE, work at height without a harness, entry into exclusion zones, vehicle and person conflicts. Alerts reach the responsible supervisor in under a second on WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Telegram or email, with the clip attached.
Every detection becomes a timestamped record. When an incident does happen, the investigation starts from footage of the event, not from recollection, which is the facilitation of investigation the mandate asks for.
One camera network, two jobs
Your VSS investment does the recording the mandate requires. Invigilo makes the same network prevent what it would otherwise only document.
Runs on the VSS cameras
Any camera with an RTSP stream connects. No new cameras or cabling for a standard deployment, and the VSS keeps recording exactly as before.
Live within 24 hours
A standard site is operational within 24 hours of camera access, with detection rules set against your risk assessment.
PDPA by design
No facial recognition. The system flags conditions, not identities, and deployments run edge, on-premise or hybrid so footage stays under your control.
Government support may apply
MOM's WSH technology funding page lists video analytics solutions among supported technologies. Check eligibility for your project with your grant advisor.
Invigilo already runs on Singapore construction projects, including work for main contractors on HDB, LTA and JTC projects. On an HDB estate project, monitored risks fell 60% with observation running through the CCTV already on site.
The questions site teams ask
Does the mandate apply to my site?
It applies to construction worksites with a contract value of SGD 5 million and above, effective since 1 June 2024. Confirm your project's status against MOM's official page, which is the authoritative source.
Can our existing VSS cameras run AI detection?
Almost always yes. If the camera produces an RTSP stream, which standard VSS installations do, it can feed SafeKey. The recording function is untouched.
Is AI detection required by the mandate?
No. The mandate requires the surveillance system itself. AI detection is how the same cameras deliver the mandate's stated aims, risk identification, corrective action and deterrence, before an incident instead of after it.
What about worker privacy?
MOM requires VSS implementation to respect PDPA obligations. Invigilo uses no facial recognition, flags conditions rather than identities, and supports edge and on-premise deployment so footage stays on site.
Make the mandated cameras earn their keep
A proof of concept on the VSS cameras already covering your highest-risk zones, live within 24 hours of camera access.