Workplace Security: The Rules Have Changed

From deranged employees armed with weapons to the threat of mass terrorism, there’s no way to guard against every possibility, Di Frances says. "To believe that we can make the workplace completely safe is to deny reality. There will always be insufficient resources available to be committed for security purposes to make this dream possible."

In an article appearing on our sister website Safety.BLR.com®, Di Frances says that even if such protections were possible, they would be restrictive and difficult to live with.

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Does your security policy comply with all applicable laws? Do you even have one?  If not, don’t fret. We do, and it’s already written and ready to use, along with every other safety policy you’re likely to need, in BLR’s Essential Safety Policies. Examine it at no cost and with no obligation to purchase. Find out more.

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Ruffling Feathers

What does work, he says, is to integrate security into how businesses operate, rather than see it as an add-on service. For example, are security functions included in an organization’s strategic planning activities and addressed in policy and programs? Probably not, Di Frances says, unless the facility is a nuclear power plant. In most public companies, new corporate initiatives are reviewed by the legal department before they are publicly announced. "But who with the requisite knowledge and experience speaks at the executive level to your organization’s specific concerns of safety and security? In most organizations, no one," Di Frances says.

Too often, companies build new facilities, design new processes, and enter new marketplaces, considering security-related issues only as an afterthought. Di Frances says that needs to change, adding that "complacency feathers" need to be ruffled for good. Referring to the events of September 11, 2001, he says the lesson to be learned is not that acts of terror are possible, "but rather that they have emerged as part of the fabric of life worldwide." Executives must recognize that even more catastrophic events are possible, as are the long-term effects of economic disruption they cause.

It’s Not About Paranoia

For Di Frances, making a commitment to workplace security does not mean engaging in paranoia. He recommends creating an organizational awareness that starts with top leaders and extends to every aspect of an operation. That means establishing systems to identify and deter everything from maliciously planted computer programs to unstable employees. It can include specialized screening of job candidates and specialized supervisor training to heighten awareness and teach conflict resolution.

The bottom line: Risks are not likely to disappear; face the new reality and plan for it.

Security Checklist

Workplace security is a long-term proposition. How much are you doing? This checklist may help you assess your readiness, and what you need to do to become and remain prepared.

• Do you have written policies covering employee theft, workplace violence, drug trafficking, and other criminal activities that might occur in the workplace?
• Do you check references and conduct background checks when hiring new employees?
• Are employees told to report any strangers they see in the facility or on company property?          
• Are employees instructed never to lend their security badge, keys, access cards, etc. to anyone?     
• Do you use surveillance cameras to monitor high-risk areas of your facility, such as loading docks, warehouses, and outdoor storage areas?   
• Are keys and access codes or cards given only to company employees and only to employees who need them to gain access to their work area(s)?

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Get the safety policies you need without the work. They’re in BLR’s Essential Safety Policies program. Try it at no cost and no risk. Find out how.

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• Are keys, access cards, and ID badges recovered when employees leave the company?
• Are locks and codes changed after any incident of suspicious activity, or when an employee with access to critical areas of information is fired or leaves under strained circumstances?          
• Are computers protected by passwords known only to operators and other authorized personnel?  
• Are all visitors required to sign in and out at a central reception area and escorted to and from their destinations within the facility?   
• Are employees required to enter and leave the facility through assigned entrances and exits? ;
• Are staff members trained to identify suspicious packages?     
• Do staff members understand what to do if a suspicious package arrives?

Tomorrow we’ll look at the legal issues you must consider when drafting or revising your organization’s security policy.

 

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