Access Control

IF YOU WERE TO TAKE A POINT IN TIME during the day to assess exactly who was in your premises, would you know how many? How many staff? How many visitors? Where are the visitors? What are they doing? Are they supervised? Is their visit legitimate?

Not only as a fire precaution, but for your own peace of mind, you should control the comings and goings of people to your premises. As well as the potential of industrial espionage, they could be stealing equipment or stock, or possibly checking out the weak points of the building, only to return when everyone has gone home for the night.

ACHIEVING GOOD ACCESS CONTROL

The Grounds

• Car parks should include barrier/gate access control to restrict unwanted vehicles, while bollards can stop unauthorised parking

• Manned barriers or gates can provide extra control for a busy parking facility, but be sure to advise the guard who is expected during the day

• Unmanned barriers/gates can be controlled by intercom system on entry and automatic or token control on exit

The Building

• Consider how easy it would be to gain unauthorised or undetected access or leave the building undetected - the layout of your building and access control is vital to its security

• Prepare a plan of the building, identify blind spots and hot spots and correct them - visibility is a golden rule of security!

• Clear signage and rope barriers will help prevent visitors wandering into areas which are out of bounds

• In buildings with particularly sensitive areas or secretive information, access controlled security doors can be beneficial. Only authorized personnel with the right security clearance can obtain access through the use of programmable swipe cards

Access

• Controlling of entry and exit routes can be achieved by barriers, flap gates or turnstile systems. These can be controlled so not to open until the visitors book has been signed and authorisation approved

• Staff can gain access through a swipe card system, which can log who has entered/exited the building and at what time

• Separate entry/exits are preferable. If possible, there should be only one exit which should be monitored, however, remember you will have to satisfy current health and safety and fire regulations

• Visitors should be expected by reception, completing the visitors book on arrival and signing out prior to departure, ensuring you know they have left the building

• Avoid lifts and exits which give direct access to the street

• The exit should be covered by an electronic article surveillance system and staffed at all times

• Clear signage and rope barriers will help prevent members of the public wandering into areas which are out of bounds.

Not all access control measures need to be as costly as electronic systems. Sometimes the simplest of measures can be effective. The critical thing is ensuring that you identify the vulnerabilities and know what control measures and levels you actually want to achieve.

Perhaps one of the most important keys to security through access control is company procedure. Providing staff know policy and processes and why they are set in place, access control then becomes a buy-in by everyone. This will mean that staff are more vigilant and aware themselves, providing a more secure and pleasant working environment.

For further information or advice on access control offered by J Durrance & Co, contact the Sales Team on 0800 018 5387 or email