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Privacy Law Resources |
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.
One of the implications of the use of video surveillance for production monitoring is that employees may be kept under constant surveillance during their working day. This use of video surveillance has previously caused industrial disputation in New South Wales.41 The report of a manufacturing company to the Inquiry reflected some of the sensitivities involved in the use of surveillance for production monitoring, and the need for employees to have confidence that video surveillance would not be used for monitoring individual work performance:
"The Company records its visual surveillance at strategic points within the manufacturing facility. This surveillance system was introduced in August 1993 in consultation with employees and relevant unions. At the time of introduction employees received education and were invited and attended the security control room to see how the visual surveillance would be used. This visual surveillance was introduced in order to protect the integrity of the Company's products in those areas where the risk of contamination and sabotage were probable. Video tape from this surveillance may only be viewed with the express approval of the General Manager."42