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BROUGHTON HIGH SECURITY LAUNCHES
SECURITY RATED TURNSTILE
Broughton Control’s rapidly expanding High Security Division has launched a new high security turnstile, the Defender 970, aimed at customers requiring unsupervised control of pedestrian access within a site perimeter.
The Defender 970 High Security Turnstile is the latest addition to a range of products from Broughton High Security aimed at front line security locations including ports, airports, prisons, police stations and government buildings as well as high risk commercial and industrial facilities such as banks and oil refineries.
SAFE AND SECURE
Laurence Goode, managing director of Broughton Controls, looks at how to avoid some of the headaches associated with entrance control.
Entrance control systems are the first point of contact with your business for visitors and employees. Any malfunction in these systems will at the very least create mild annoyance but in many cases could also have an economic impact. Then of course there are the safety implications of equipment that may malfunction and as the operator of that equipment it is your company that could be held liable for any injury or damage caused.
So how do you ensure that your entrance control systems provide an efficient welcome and maintain site security whilst at the same time eliminate the risks of breakdown and safety hazards?
THOROUGH PLANNING
In truth there is no one catch-all solution to achieving entrance control nirvana, although choosing the right partner is an excellent start and will produce rewards over time. There is a myriad of products on the market at present for managing the movement of vehicles and pedestrians and trying to establish which product will best suit your own particular set of requirements sees many customers fall at the first hurdle.
Increasingly we see instances where totally unsuitable products are being used or basic mistakes have been made in planning and installation. It is sadly not uncommon to come across entrance gates or barriers so badly sited that vehicles block the highway whilst waiting to enter a site. In some cases simple considerations such as vehicle turning circles have not even been taken into account and there are other more dangerous situations where a lack of planning has led to conflicts between vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
An effective entrance control solution needs careful planning, starting with a fundamental understanding of what is required. This means covering all the issues of traffic flow, rates of flow, segregation of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, safety, control systems, supervision and even the skill levels required for the operation and supervision of the equipment. It is also important to consider how critical the system is to the particular site with a view to failure procedures, maintenance and emergency repair support.
CAREFUL SELECTION
There is probably no more than a handful of companies In the UK at the moment capable of offering this level of planning and consultation with regard to entrance control solutions. These companies manufacture their own ranges of barrier, blocker, gate and turnstile solutions and some may also supplement their own products with carefully selected, bought-in products. The benefits of using a supplier that designs and manufactures are that they are able to provide a better understanding of the application and limitations of products. It makes sense to use their years of development and feedback to ensure that you get the right product for your particular job.
The total service approach is beneficial throughout your project. If your supplier is able to design or re-design products to suit your specific needs, understands any problems that may be encountered on site during installation and appreciates the wear and tear that the installed system will have to endure, then they will be able to provide the correct equipment in the first place. Admittedly, this approach will most probably not be the cheapest quote that lands on your desk but it will help ensure that you do not keep paying for mistakes at a later date for an ill conceived system that may require constant maintenance, cost a great deal in delays and inconvenience and potentially even fail completely.
FIT AND FORGET
Installation of the right solution is not the end of the story however. Businesses grow, site use changes and traffic flow can alter drastically both in volume and composition. As a result, an entrance control system installed as a perfect solution at one point in time can become a liability if it isn’t updated to keep pace with changes in use.
Changes in legislation also require careful attention. The recent British standard BS EN 12453 highlights the need for any company with automatic gates or barriers on their sites to ensure certain levels of safety are achieved in relation to the operation of these pieces of equipment. The onus in this instance has been placed firmly on the shoulders of the equipment operator, effectively saying that all companies with such equipment on their premises have a duty of care to ensure it is up to code. Worryingly, the experience of our own service engineers shows that few companies are aware of the existence of such regulations and over 80% of the sites visited in the last 6 months fell short of the current codes.
Perhaps these statistics shouldn’t come as such a surprise. When many suppliers of entrance control equipment are failing to supply and install to these standards, how can a busy site manager, for whom entrance control is only a tiny part of his brief, be expected to keep track of such changes?
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
It is a similar situation with breakdown and repairs. Many systems are installed and then forgotten – until the day they breakdown. In some instances this could be a minor inconvenience but for the majority of sites - where entrance control systems are critically important to revenue, safety or security – a breakdown can have a huge, negative impact. Surprisingly, despite the risk and potential consequences, few sites make provision for scheduled maintenance of entrance control equipment. However, just like your car or any other piece of mechanical equipment, maintenance is essential to prolong effective life and reduce the potential for breakdowns.
A minimum level of an annual maintenance check allows the service engineer not only to ensure that problems can be rectified before they get the chance to cause a total breakdown or more expensive repair, but also to advise on any equipment updates that may be necessary to meet new legislation and check that the equipment is still suitable for the job that it is being asked to do.
Wherever people and vehicles interact with property there will always be a need for some form of physical control. The technology of entrance control has made huge advances in recent years and today’s products permit an almost infinite variety of solutions. The best advice however is to pick your solution provider with care, ensure you get the right solution for your particular set of circumstances and then protect your investment through preventative maintenance. Three simple steps that will take care of your entrance control headaches and free you to concentrate on the rest of your work.