On the heels of the tenth anniversary of 9/11, it is important to reinforce the need to control access into organizations and to properly identify those persons who are seeking access. Controlling access into and within a building or campus not only thwarts a possible terrorist attack, but reduces the opportunity for the commission of a crime or occurrence of a violent act. It also promotes a feeling of security and safety for employees and other persons utilizing the organizational space.
When the 16-acre campus of the new World Trade Center and Memorial and Museum was being designed, architects were solely focused on building the strongest structure they could. But New York City officials targeted their attention to how to secure the perimeter of what is certain to become a significant attraction, expecting to host more than 250,000 travelers per day when it opens in 2014. Diebold, Inc. will design and implement the security system for the facility, where the World Trade Center Transportation Hub will re-establish the transportation infrastructure and facilities in existence before September 11, 2001, and transform Lower Manhattan into the third largest of the transportation center in the city.
According to “Joint Commission Perspectives,” a 2009 survey revealed that the most common types of Joint Commission standards citations given to hospitals were for Life Safety Code violations. In fact, Life Safety Code-related violations were the first, second, fourth and sixth most frequently cited, includinf failure to maintain an egress as well as failing to to protect people from smoke and fire (source: Joint Commission Perspectives). These findings are likely in part to be the result of The Joint Commissions’ increased focus in this area and the addition of Life Safety specialists to the inspection team.
The Association of Certified Fraud Examiner’s (ACFE) 2010 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abusecompiled 1,843 cases of occupational fraud worldwide between January 2008 and December 2009. The survey estimated that a typical organization lost 5 percent of its annual revenue to fraud with a median loss of $160,000; nearly one-quarter of the frauds involved losses of at least $1 million.
Pastor Darryn Scheske welcomes most everyone to his Heartland Church in Indianapolis, everyone except troublemakers. So working with a parishioner, the Church mixed tried and true with newer access technologies to make the campus safe and secure as well as caring.
This September will mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and some security pros fear that the worst could be yet to come. “Our view is that the goal of terrorists is to beat the devastation they caused on September 11, 2001, and one way to do that is to go after our children,” says Alan J. Robinson, director, Protection and Security Services/CSO, Atlantic Health, Morristown, NJ. “Topping the events of 9/11 is difficult to replicate; unfortunately, in order to exceed or even match the shock and awe of 9/11, terrorists must target a population so vulnerable it restores their reputation as a terrorist organization.”
Sony’s PlayStation Network is reported to have 70 million registered users worldwide. On May 2, 2011, Sony issued a statement that 12,700 credit cards and 24.6 million user accounts were compromised. The stolen data included names, addresses, dates of birth, passwords, security questions and answers and credit card information. This compromise is said to be one of the largest and most high-profile online data thefts to date.
The University of Arizona, like major research universities across the country, found that many of its grants and contracts were tied to higher levels of access security. Access to buildings with old-fashioned keys and locks or cards with magnetic strips swiped into pin pads didn’t provide the amount of security the University was looking for. So the school made the switch to smart cards.
In July 2010 I wrote about workplace violence within the healthcare industry in this column. The main focus was a document that was published by The Joint Commission titled, “Preventing violence in the health care setting.” I also discussed OSHA document 3148, “Guide for Preventing Workplace Violence for Healthcare Workers and Social Service Workers.” Both documents serve as a guide in the implementation of a workplace violence reduction program. In the column I stressed the need to install physical barriers in order to control access within specific areas of the facility. In addition, I emphasized the need to control visitors into the facility through the use of a visitor management system.
Add dirty hands, dust buildup, vandals, salt spray, electromagnetic interference and even explosions to the rain, sleet, snow and the gloom of night that can affect operation of access control systems, and especially readers in harsh conditions. And there is the stress on readers that must handle intensive traffic or electrical situations that can knock out gear for a period of time.