Specific industries may have individual regulations (for example in the use of chemicals) but there are standards, requirements, and good practice that apply to all manufacturers surrounding access control and physical security, site monitoring, and audit trails. In this blog we address some of the key points.
Time and attendance systems for manufacturing businesses
Knowing who's on site and when is an important part of maintaining manufacturing security and safety — but also of ensuring you are keeping track of company finances.
With a smartcard or biometric time and attendance system, employees can clock in and out quickly and easily, and their attendance details are automatically logged in the central system, readily available for HR and payroll teams to access and use for reports, analysis and wage calculation.
It also allows administrators to see who is on site in the case of an emergency. An accurate record via an automatically printed roll call register will allow the designated fire marshal to easily see which staff are accounted for.
More about this can be found on our blog about Workforce Management for Manufacturing & Warehousing.
A time and attendance system alone is a useful tool for manufacturing sites, but combined with access control it is a powerful method of enhancing site security and monitoring.
Access control for manufacturing sites
Ensuring only authorised staff, visitors and contractors can access the manufacturing site will help to limit the risk of theft or damage from outside the company.
Implementing an access control system to regulate individual admission through specific doors allows you to closely control the security of each part of the site, right down to specific rooms if desired. For example, only particular staff might need access to storage rooms holding potentially dangerous materials, or to IT facilities storing company information. A robust access control system should provide the option of creating individual or grouped access permissions for your site.
Installing access control on the external perimeter can also provide a more convenient and secure way to manage site access and can be extended to people from outside the organisation.
Regular delivery drivers or other visitors can be provided their own access credentials that allow them only access to the areas they need. For example, frequent visitors for external maintenance needs (eg, to service a piece of machinery) can be given access only to those areas of the business where they are required; or a delivery driver may only need access through the delivery entrance to a particular warehouse space, drop-off or pick-up area, or specific staff offices. They can each have their own access credentials, managed through one internal system, and easily and quickly amended or revoked as necessary.
The access control system can be linked to the alarm system so that if an access point is forced open, or left open for too long, the burglar alarm can be activated. It can also send automated alerts to system administrators via text or email.
In the event of an emergency, such as a fire, the access control system can unlock external access to allow for easier and safer evacuation of the site.
As with time and attendance systems, access control solutions can log activity into the central system and contribute to another vital part of the manufacturing process: an audit trail.
Using integrated systems to manage audit trails for accountability
Keeping track of materials and recording processes is a key requirement for the manufacture of goods, for safety, accountability and increasing demand for sustainable production. With site security, however, an audit trail is necessary in the event of a product fault or criminal activity. Knowing the exact times and dates a particular door controller was triggered, and by whom, provides a clear record of site access.
In addition, records of access can help security teams spot any suspicious activity, such as an employee accessing the site at unusual times, trying to gain entry to an area for which they aren't authorised, or for doors being left open for extended periods of time.
The audit trail can be enhanced by integration with a comprehensive CCTV system.
CCTV
Tracking movement around your site (both from staff and guests, as well as any unwanted visitors) is made easier with the use of CCTV. It is likely that a manufacturing business will have some form of CCTV in use, but ensuring it is set up for best results — and integrating it with other security systems — can provide additional security and reassurance.
A CCTV system that requires constant on-site monitoring may be a cost that your business cannot afford; a more cost-effective solution could be a 24/7 remote monitoring system. If unauthorised movement is detected on site a signal is automatically sent to a monitoring station and immediate action can be taken in response to any suspicious activity.
What's more, using a CCTV system linked to an access control system can allow suspicious activity to be found easily through access timecodes; for example, if a door is suspected of being used in a burglary, any related activity could easily be tracked and viewed.
An integrated system will provide the greatest security
Individual security aspects can each provide a useful means of keeping your manufacturing business protected from harm both inside and out. However, the most effective way to ensure your business' security is with a system that integrates everything, providing a single point of management and ensuring the different elements work efficiently together.
Tensor's world-leading integrated security solutions — including CCTV, Access Control, Time and Attendance, and Visitor Monitoring — are designed to not only work effortlessly with each other, but also provide individual modular features that can be added if and when your business needs them.
Discuss your own requirements with us to see how we can protect your business.