Business owners with workplaces or commercial premises have a duty to provide a safe environment for workers and visitors alike. This includes protecting people within the grounds while keeping the premises safe from breaches of security. Below, we discuss five essential safety measures for the external protection of your premises.
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1. Strengthen Entry Points
Once a risk assessment has been completed, it is key to begin by strengthening each potential entry point to the premises and building(s) itself. The larger the premises, the more entry points that will need securing. This will also be dependent on the budget a business has allowed for such security measures. Businesses should invest in solid windows and doors with a multi-locking system as standard, with alarms on the main points of entry.
2. Ensure the Outer Perimeter Is Secure
Well-guarded premises may help to deter burglars. Fencing, motion-detecting sensor lighting, and car park security such as barriers are all measures appropriate for business premises that have significant company and visitor grounds. An entry gate with CCTV is often great for busy premises such as leisure facilities and hotels, where a record of vehicles and people entering the location can be kept.
3. Install Security Mirrors
Safety mirrors can not only help staff and visitors park and drive safely within business grounds but also help security guards have greater visibility around corners and at night. Safety mirrors from Reece Enterprise are just some of the mirrors that offer a range of views depending on the angle of your building and premises.
Round mirrors can be used for blind-spot viewing and may assist CCTV cameras, and quarter-, half-, and full-dome mirrors are ideal for retail businesses both inside and outside. Finally, the growing need for antiterrorism security means many business premises are investing in the likes of under-vehicle inspection mirrors where long-stay car parks are in use.
4. Ensure Important Equipment and Documents Are Safeguarded
Whether you are looking to secure business documents, money, or company equipment, these items can be easily stolen if a perpetrator gains entry to the building. Keep important items protected in a fire-resistant safe with a combination padlock. Security will be maximized if a limited number of people know the code to retrieve the items, such as a selected management team, and if the code is regularly changed.
5. Review Your Security Strategy
Quarterly or 6-month reviews of your security strategy will allow you to improve, develop, and spot faults with any part of it. It is a good time to review fixtures and any repairs or upgrades that should be considered, as well. It may be useful to keep in contact with other local businesses to find out if they have had any break-ins or security breaches in addition to looking into crime rates in the local area.
A competent security strategy is important for all businesses. Although external security is often considered not as vital as internal security, external protection may prevent and deter trespassers in the long run.
 Sonny Brindle is Account Manager at Reece Safety and Reece Enterprise. |