Building security has recently become one of the most pressing issues for organizations across all industries. Schools, offices, and everything in between alike must prepare for security breaches of all kinds that may endanger the occupants of their buildings. At Building Maps, we illustrate security maps that display building and/or campus security information to ease the internal safety planning process. But there is much more to keeping your employees and guests safe than ordering security maps. Here are a few tips to consider when securing your building.
Secure the perimeter of your building.
Do a walk through of your sidewalks, parking lots, and lawns. Ensure that there is adequate lighting and take note of areas that may require additional lights. In addition, depending on the safety of your neighborhood and the type of people that occupy your building, consider fencing or gates to aid in entry monitoring of your property.
Clear Cut Policies on Security.
Your organization should have well-communicated thought-out policies. Building safety and locksmith experts 1st Action mention the following security policies as examples that may be worth considering for your organization’s buildings:
- “Clean Desk Policy” or the practice of having all important documents and valuable equipment stored away from the desk and secured before ending the work day reduces potential for theft.
- “Chain of possession”. Deliveries should be handed directly to the recipient and not just left unattended on the desk or outside his office
- To prevent names from being used by criminals to justify their presence in a restricted area, job titles should not posted on any directory that is publicly accessible.
- To readily distinguish unauthorized persons, employees should be required to wear their ID badges/access cards at all time while on premises.
Do a risk-assessment of your property
It’s important to understand that every building has different security risks than the next. Sure, every building needs an active shooter plan and should be proactive in preventing cyber-security attacks. But some risks are more important to address in certain neighborhoods, industries, or building-types. Build a security assessment committee within your organization to take on tasks such as identifying what these may be.
Plan. Protect. Save Lives.
Building Maps is the industry leader in fire evacuation and security mapping illustration and services. Send us your existing maps or blueprints, and we will create safe, clean, properly oriented evacuation maps for your buildings. Please contact us, visit our website, or request a quote for more info on our services.
