When it comes to site access control, there seems to be a lot of options available and to some, it may be confusing as some may not know anything about these new access solutions, so sometimes the best options are overlooked simply because they might be lesser-known.
The access control turnstile is a security system that is frequently overlooked. Yet, with numerous benefits, including:
Restricting unauthorised access
Monitoring contractor time on site
Providing facial recognition capabilities
Reducing contact to facilitate access to construction sites
You should ask yourself; can I afford not to consider one? Read on to find out more about turnstiles and how they can benefit your construction site…
WHAT ARE ACCESS CONTROL TURNSTILES AND WHY ARE THEY USED?
Security turnstiles are used to restrict and monitor pedestrian traffic with entry and exit points into and out of building sites. These sturdy steel turnstile pods, with integral turnstile gates which rotate, are also designed to resist the harsh atmosphere of building sites.
Each day, a typical construction site will welcome anything from ten to a few hundred workers at any one time, with this number fluctuating during a project.
As a result, it’s practically difficult to keep track of everyone, which is why construction sites are prone to unauthorised access, contractor ID fraud, false requests for hours worked and material theft.
SITE ACCESS CONTROL: SAVING TIME
Successful construction managers are saving time, reducing costs and improving health and safety by using access control. construction site access control is proven to actively assist day to day site management.
Site managers can save time by using, pre-enrolment software – reducing site admin time, as new staff can pre-enrol on an app in their own time.
Staff can also pre introduce themselves with the app, removing the need for repetitive tasks. This is done by allowing staff to simply upload information into an interactive portal so that new contractors can complete the induction online, which is emailed directly to a nominated inbox, as a signed PDF. Further savings can be made as costly gate staff aren’t necessary and only authorised users will be granted access.
The software enables the management of contractors’ site hours, and when using the powerful time and attendance software, site managers can check workers’ actual hours against their claimed or invoiced hours. We will explore this further in the blog.
HEALTH AND SAFETY IS IMPROVED
The software will manage contractor’s certification, by enabling reminders to be set to check staff certificates and qualifications in the database software, ensuring site exclusion on expiry.
Most importantly, it is possible to automate fire evacuation and automatically create a fire muster report from the database whilst ensuring the fire exit automatically permits egress.
THEFT ON CONSTRUCTION SITES IS NOT JUST AN EXTERNAL ISSUE
Those of us who have spent time on construction sites know that theft isn’t limited to closed periods when thieves try to gain get access to a site, by breaking in.
Many construction thefts are conducted by employees and subcontractors. To put it another way, you can secure the building site for closed periods with CCTV or maybe security guards, but that may not prevent theft from occurring during the day.
Theft by employees and subcontractors can be prevented with full height turnstiles by restricting egress, enabling gates to be kept closed and forcing everybody to access the site via the access control turnstile.
Employees and subcontractors may also be deterred by the presence of turnstiles on construction sites, knowing that they cannot take large bulky out items through the turnstile, especially if integrated with a CCTV system.
Turnstiles for access control are no exception to the trend of technological advancement Site managers who may have previously thought of them as “added luxury” are now realising that they are a requirement.
It’s important to know who’s coming in and out of your building, especially when you have expensive equipment and materials on the site.
Turnstiles are a highly efficient security measure, as they only allow access for authorised staff or visitors and they also act as a visual deterrent for anyone attempting to gain unauthorised access to your construction site.
TURNSTILE SECURITY: PROXIMITY ACCESS
Proximity card access control although an older technology, have seen a resurgence in popularity due to the pandemic and the need for contact-free access control. This method requires the issuing of a proximity card or token to an authorised contractor, who will on entry be required to hold the card or token in the proximity of the reader to gain access, a simple way to reduce entry contact.
BIOMETRIC ACCESS
Biometric access control although still a very popular medium for granting access to authorized users, because of the contact required when the individual user’s fingerprint is read and the potential for the reader to hold a lot of germs, has seen its popularity reduce, in favor of facial recognition and proximity access which work better when trying to manage the virus.
