Do You Know Who Is In Your Building?

By their very nature, managing any type of premise, whether it is a manufacturing operation, warehouse, commercial, retail, healthcare or educational establishment can be especially tricky. Whilst the premise types may differ, one important factor to consider is the ability to know who is in your building at any given time.  

It is not just the who, but also the why and where. Keeping track of your employees, visitors or contractors is an integral part of managing both site security and health and safety.  

Keeping Track of People on Site

Access control systems play a significant role in controlling the entry and exit to and from a building or operation. Not only does it provide the visibility of who is on site, but it is an effective means of deterring unauthorised entry onto any premises.  

Whilst there are a multitude of technology options available to users of access control, turnstiles are by far one of the best options available for this purpose. With most business looking to provide additional security around the perimeter of their premises, turnstiles not only provide a visual deterrent, but are also robust and operationally flexible.  

One of the main reasons that turnstiles are so popular is their ability to control both the direction of travel but also limit the amount of people that enter on each presented credential. Not only is this a good way to deter buddying, but this way, businesses can be sure that they have an accurate count of who is on site at any one time. Should the business have a specified site capacity, this is an effective method of ensuring that the number of people on site is controlled.    

Adding a further layer of security, integration with access control means turnstiles can work in conjunction with cameras and other security equipment to ensure only authorised personnel are permitted entry. Specific details of those who have entered and exited the site can be displayed in real time to identify any potential security threats or health and safety issues.    

Safeguarding People on Site

Furthermore, there are many other health and safety related reasons why a business will need to know who is on site and where. The most critical being in the instance of an emergency. In this scenario, turnstiles are the perfect option. With the access control software able to automatically move to an open profile, turnstiles are then able to change their direction of travel to exit, so that all persons on site can move quickly to a safe place or muster point within the site perimeter.  

Whilst turnstiles are a perfect option for managing safe entry and exit from the site perimeter, there may be instances where a business may need to control who is able to access certain areas within the building. For example, when restricting access to particularly sensitive areas of the operation, such as IT server rooms, or a food manufacturing production line where auditable traceability may be required. In these scenarios’, readers and door controllers can be added on to the existing access control system to manage entry to restricted areas.Presentation of credentials by proximity card or fingerprint are the most common methods of authorisation and provide real time visibility of who is within these areas.  

Transform Your Business Operations  

If you want to find out more about how TouchStar’s access control systems can transform your operations, please contact TouchStar today.  

TouchStar provide the very best in robust, cutting-edge technology that can provide the real time visibility and control of your operations.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – LYNDEN JONES

Lynden joined Touchstar ATC (formally Feedback Data) in a sales role for Access Control in 2010.  Prior to joining the company, Lynden held both Production and Account Manager roles, gaining wide technical and commercial experience within the electronics market.  

In 2013 Lynden was promoted to Sales Director and in 2017 he took overall responsibility of the business as Managing Director. As well as running Touchstar ATC, Lynden still remains extremely active in the sales and key account management aspects of the business. When not involved in the business, Lynden is a keen performance car enthusiast.