Struck-by incidents are a recurring risk on construction sites, causing serious injuries and substantial costs. The impact extends beyond the budget, leading to project delays and crew downtime.

The good news: most struck-by accidents can be mitigated with the right mix of rigorous protocols and new technology. Today’s video intelligence platforms help safety teams catch unsafe behaviors and spot hazards in real time—before they become incidents. In this guide, we’ll break down the real costs, root causes, and a practical framework for shifting from a reactive to an anticipatory safety model, using video AI.

Why struck-by incidents are a key risk for construction teams

Struck-by accidents impact productivity, safety culture, and project delivery. Here’s why these events affect construction operations so profoundly:

• High frequency and severity: Incidents involving trucks, cranes, and heavy equipment are a primary cause of struck-by fatalities on site.

• Costly claims: A single pedestrian struck-by incident can lead to considerable medical and insurance costs.

• Work zone risks: Many highway contractors report experiencing work zone crashes, which pose an ongoing hazard to crews.

• Indirect costs: Beyond medical bills, project delays and legal settlements can escalate, adding substantial costs to any incident.

• Regulatory pressure: OSHA penalties for struck-by violations can be substantial, adding financial pressure on top of safety concerns.

  Struck-by risk is dynamic, changing with every shift, crew, and weather pattern. This is why construction leaders need a system that surfaces hazards as they emerge, not just after an incident occurs.

The top 4 causes of struck-by incidents in construction—and how to stop them

Understanding why struck-by accidents happen is the first step to addressing them. Here are the four leading causes, with actionable mitigation advice and how AI-powered video can amplify team efforts.

1. Vehicle and equipment movement

The Hazard:
On a busy jobsite, a spotter steps into the blind spot of a reversing wheel loader. The operator, distracted by radio chatter and poor visibility, doesn’t see the spotter until it’s too late.

Traditional Mitigation:

1. Strictly enforced equipment routes and exclusion zones.

2. Hand signals, high-visibility vests, and spotters for vehicle movement.

3. Regular “toolbox talks” about blind spots and reversing procedures.

How AI Amplifies Mitigation:
AI-powered video analytics can monitor in real time for unauthorized entry into vehicle “no-go zones” and surface high-risk events, such as a forklift entering a pedestrian-only zone. By detecting when vehicles enter restricted areas, the system alerts supervisors swiftly—giving teams the chance to intervene before a mistake becomes an incident.

2. Unsecured or poorly maintained equipment

The Hazard:
A forklift operator carries a load of beams across uneven ground. A sudden jolt causes one beam to slip—a ground worker narrowly avoids being struck. Inadequate equipment checks and rushed maintenance are frequent contributors to these events.

Traditional Mitigation:

1. Pre-shift inspections and equipment maintenance logs.

2. Load securing protocols and use of safety guards.

3. Supervisor sign-off before moving oversized loads.

How AI Amplifies Mitigation:
AI video can spot dangerous situations, such as when equipment enters restricted or high-traffic pedestrian zones. Over time, this video evidence builds a data-driven case for targeted retraining or procedural changes—closing the loop between an event, its investigation, and mitigation.

3. Inadequate use of personal protective equipment (PPE)

The Hazard:
A subcontractor, rushing to meet a deadline, leaves his hard hat in the truck. Minutes later, he’s struck by a swinging pipe.

Traditional Mitigation:

1. Mandatory PPE policies and site signage.

2. Supervisor walkthroughs and spot checks.

3. Safety briefings and “PPE check” reminders at shift start.

How AI Amplifies Mitigation:
AI-powered cameras can detect “missing personal protective equipment” as it happens, alerting supervisors when someone enters the jobsite without the required gear. This keeps compliance high and helps ensure every worker—especially short-term contractors—meets site safety standards.

4. Unauthorized access and poorly defined work zones

The Hazard:
A delivery driver, unfamiliar with the site, takes a shortcut through an active demolition zone—unaware that overhead work is in progress. Poorly marked boundaries and lack of access control are a major hazard.

Traditional Mitigation:

1. Fencing, signage, and locked gates around high-hazard zones.

2. Badge or check-in systems for all site visitors.

3. Regular audits and “zone walks” to spot broken barriers.

How AI Amplifies Mitigation:
Video intelligence can automatically identify when unauthorized personnel enter designated “no-go zones,” alerting safety leads without delay. This helps teams respond rapidly and enables root-cause analysis of repeated access violations—leading to better signage, training, or access controls.

Integrating a video AI camera system: from NVR to operational data in construction

Upgrading your safety technology does not mean starting from scratch. Today’s video AI platforms are designed to connect your existing on-premise cameras—old or new—to a secure, cloud-native dashboard. Here’s how a capable system stacks up:

Unlike a standard NVR system, the video AI layer analyzes feeds to identify key safety events—like vehicles in no-go zones, missing PPE, or crowding—so your team can act before issues escalate. This eliminates the need to manually review hours of footage. Since these platforms work with most existing POE cameras, you can avoid expensive “rip-and-replace” projects. Simply plug in, connect, and start gathering data for safety enhancements.

Actionable tips for construction teams

1. Align technology with your safety program: Choose solutions that support your protocols for OSHA and ANSI compliance, such as enforcing exclusion zones and PPE checks.

2. Evaluate compatibility: Verify the platform works with your current cameras and IT infrastructure, and look for open APIs and unlimited user seats to support collaboration.

3. Focus on real-world use cases: Prioritize features that directly address your biggest exposures, such as vehicle movement, PPE compliance, and restricted zone access.

4. Plan for scalability: Cloud storage allows you to add cameras or users as your projects grow, without requiring extra hardware or creating maintenance complexities.

5. Empower your team: Give safety, operations, and IT staff easy access to data, so everyone can play a role in enhancing safety.

Enhance construction safety with video AI

Combining proven safety protocols with video AI helps reduce risk, speed up investigations, and keep every worker safe.

Want to see Spot AI in action? Request a demo to explore how video AI can help your team address struck-by hazards and streamline site safety.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common causes of struck-by incidents on construction sites?

The leading causes are moving vehicles and heavy equipment, unsecured or poorly maintained equipment, inadequate use of PPE, and unauthorized access to restricted zones.

How can construction sites reduce hazards from vehicle and equipment-related occurrences?

Define and enforce clear vehicle and pedestrian routes, use spotters, and use video analytics to automatically detect when vehicles or pedestrians enter no-go zones, helping teams intervene before an incident occurs.

How does new safety technology integrate with existing camera systems?

New video AI platforms connect to your on-premise cameras—old or new—via plug-and-play hardware. This connects your feeds to a cloud-native dashboard for monitoring and incident detection, without the need for a full equipment replacement.

What compliance standards should construction organizations follow to address struck-by events?

OSHA standards (such as 1926.250 for material storage and 1926.1424 for equipment operation) require securing materials, PPE use, and hazard training. Many teams go further by implementing exclusion zones, regular audits, and automated monitoring systems.

How can video AI help with incident investigations?

Video AI systems flag and catalog incidents, such as unauthorized zone entry or missing PPE, making it easy to review, investigate, and resolve incidents. This speeds up reporting and helps demonstrate compliance during audits.

How can safety technology help reduce stress on safety teams?

By acting as a digital assistant, the system automates hazard detection and compliance monitoring. This frees safety professionals from hours of manual video review, allowing them to focus on high-value work like training, coaching, and forward-looking safety planning.

What makes a video analytics system 'best' for construction safety?

The best systems are functional and forward-thinking. They should work with your existing cameras to avoid high replacement costs, provide timely AI alerts for specific risks like no-go zone entry or missing PPE, and offer a cloud-native platform with unlimited user seats to make collaboration easy across all teams.

About the author

Joshua Foster is an IT Systems Engineer at Spot AI, where he focuses on designing and securing scalable enterprise networks, managing cloud-integrated infrastructure, and automating system workflows to enhance operational efficiency. He is passionate about cross-functional collaboration and takes pride in delivering robust technical solutions that empower both the Spot AI team and its customers.