Security for Industrial Sites

Industrial sites are sites for manufacturing, used for a warehouse, a chemical plant, or similar business. They are typically found in the outskirts of cities due to their size and potential pollution. Industrial sites contain large machinery that are operated daily and are in constant use. These machines are likely expensive and need to be maintained to ensure the machines operate in a safe manner. It is also good practice to take security measures to ensure the safety of employees, vendors, and guests as well as preventing criminal activity.

Taking security measures at an industrial site can prevent money loss in the long run. When you analyze your industrial site, you should take into consideration what types of threats may be at risk for the site. Assessing the industrial site can provide answers to how to properly protect the industrial site. A risk analysis could show various potential risks for the site such as theft, vandalism, fire hazards, cyberattacks, and property damage. Analyzing an industrial site for risks is the start of a healthy investment to your site. Following the analysis, creating, and building your security measurements will allow the industrial site to run without any major concern that could potentially halt production and creating a financial loss.

Theft occurs frequently and just about anywhere. It happens in various settings and locations. Strategically placing security cameras on and around the premises can deter theft. Criminals do not like being caught and the sight of a camera increases the odds of them being caught. The machinery used at an industrial site is expensive and cost a lot of funding to set up the industrial site. Ensuring that all machineries are intact and fully operable is vital to maintaining a profitable flow of production. By investing in a security camera system, it reduces the potential of theft.

Vandalism is a form of street art to many people. They are challenged by other street artists to “tag” in the most impossible places throughout a city or similar locations. Industrial sites typically contain large, wide, and tall buildings. Street artists may view the location as a challenge to make their way to the top portion of the building. It will cost the industrial site time and money to repair the damage from the vandalism. A tall fence with a gate system will likely help reduce the likelihood of vandalism occurring. If a person sees they are unable to climb a tall fence topped with barbed wire or sees visible cameras just above the fence facing downward they may think twice pursuing their goal.

Fire hazards may not be considered a security measure for many places of business but when it comes to industrial sites, a fire can shut down production for days at a time. Security measures in this instance involves the safety of employees and vendors. Regular maintenance on machineries can reduce the chances of a fire occurring. During regular maintenance sessions, safety hazards can be identified and corrected.

Cyberattacks happen more often than people realize. In fact, there has been nearly four thousand cyberattacks that occur on a daily average so far for the current year. Machines today are likely controlled by a computer. If the computer system is not protected, the machinery is at risk of being hijacked from an outside source. Placing firewalls in the computer and implementing cybersecurity protection measures will protect confidential information and reduce the risk of losing control of the machines. This loss could hinder profitable production.

Property damage, like theft and vandalism, occur in various locations and places of business. Strategically picking a rural location for your industrial site will reduce the likelihood of property damage. Majority of property damage occurs between known individuals, rioting and looting within city limits, and residential areas. By building an industrial site in the outskirts of a city, sets up a distance barrier. People are less likely to drive far to commit a crime.

Once you have performed a risk analysis, it is time to create and build your security measures. The location of the industrial site is on a large lot of land on the outskirts of the city. Let’s work from the outside in. Approaching the location, a sense of security should be present. Driving to the main building from the road you go through an electric gate system with a fence that surrounds the entire property. You can only enter with an employee ID to scan. Guests and vendors can be assisted by security at the hut next to the gate. Maintaining access control reduces the likelihood of theft and vandalism occurring. The security personnel can verify if a vendor or guest is expected on certain days and times and issue a visitor’s pass. Those receiving a visitor's pass must go to the front office to be escorted through the industrial site for safety reasons such as personal safety of the guest. It could be liability to the company allowing visitors to roam freely, especially around large machines.

Strategically placing cameras throughout the industrial site not only reduces theft but also allows your security team to observe the entire property from one position. The security staff members are trained to respond to emergency situations and how to handle those situations. It allows a quick response, especially for life-or-death type emergencies. If someone gets hurt, and a camera was strategically placed then a recording of such event can be saved and investigated for liability purposes. Surveillance cameras can play a major role in preventing liability issues or concerns. Security personnel can be trained on safety and fire hazards. They can be on a look out for any potential fire or safety hazards and correct the concern immediately. These types of corrections can be documented for coaching purposes or similar reasons.

Cyberattacks are common events that take place all over the world in various businesses. Without a team dedicated to cybersecurity the events will happen frequently and increase risk of confidential information leaking. A team of IT personnel can perform risk analysis daily. An “eco-hacker” is someone who works for a cybersecurity company that attempts to hack into their client’s computer system. This is designed to find loopholes and seal the loopholes. Eco-hackers hack all day long in various ways to find the weak points so it can be fixed before an actual threat occurs. This helps improve and strengthen the system.

Ensuring the right security measures at an industrial site ensures safety across the board. There are multiple ways to protect a site and maintain control. Investing in security measures is a smart investment from the beginning and could prevent financial loss.