Compliant Locking Solutions
W
hen it comes to access control in public buildings, compliant electric
locking solutions that meet building regulation standards – such as EN179 Emergency Escape (for when the building occupants are aware of the building environment) and EN1125 Panic Escape (for environments used by the general public) – are essential to ensure safety and security.
These standards state that even if a door is electronically controlled for access, there must be a compliant mechanical means of escape in an emergency. In the case of fire doors, this is essential to provide fire protection, compartmentalise a building, and protect the escape routes.
partnership programmes in Germany where the police have asked private security companies, operating mobile patrols around critical infrastructure, to pass on information related to suspect persons and vehicles or unlawful activities. In the case of Düsseldorf alone this has resulted in over 500 reports.
Driving Best Practice
Returning to the subject of trust, it is essential, wherever you are in Europe, that individuals are security cleared/screened and trained to the right level.
The private security service provider also needs appropriate security clearance, transparent corporate governance and should work to high standards. While there is not, as yet, a generic guarding standard for critical infrastructure, the good news is that there is a range of existing sector-specific guarding standards which have a role to play. These include: EN 6502:2007 – security service providers – terminology; EN 16082:2011 – airport and aviation security services; PD ISO/PAS 28007:2012 – ships and maritime guideline for armed security personnel; and ISO 9001 – quality management systems.
Moving forward, the European security sector recognises the pressing requirement to produce a framework that can help governments and critical infrastructure owners, across the continent, to ensure that they have the right quality of guards to provide the right level of protection. For its part the BSIA (British Security Industry Association) is a member of the Confederation of European Security Services (CoESS) – the umbrella organisation for 26 national private security employers’ associations – whose Critical Infrastructure Committee I chair. At CoESS we have developed an essential check- list that can help infrastructure owners and operators to ascertain whether a private guarding company has the potential to be a trusted partner in this mission-critical area.
© CI TY S ECURI TY MAGAZ INE – S PRING 2014
The aspects highlighted by the check-list range from personnel security vetting to whether the guarding company is able to carry out a site risk and threat assessment, has the resources to fulfil their contract and has put in place escalation plans and resilience measures. At a broader level through CoESS we are heavily involved in lobbying and providing on-going best practice advice to public authorities Europe-wide.
Added to this, when there is a human element involved in security, it is imperative that personnel are fully motivated and understand what they are actually there to do. This becomes even more of an issue where critical infrastructure is concerned given the implications if anything is allowed to undermine the heightened security. Consequently, at the BSIA, we were pleased to welcome the publication, last June, of updated guidance on guard force motivation by the UK's Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI). This is an initiative that we have been actively supporting since the first edition was produced back in 2011.
Interconnected Infrastructure
There is little doubt that in today’s interconnected world, if things go wrong in part of the critical national infrastructure, there are serious ramifications, not just for individual countries where an incident takes place but, potentially, a domino effect leading to Europe-wide disruption. This means that, in future, we are likely to witness an even greater drive for public and private co- operation, and best practice, to build in resilience to ensure the wheels are turning where strategically important European Critical Infrastructure (ECI) is concerned.
Alex Carmichael Director of Technical Services British Security Industry Association (BSIA)
www.bsia.co.uk
Electric locks are a more compliant access control solution in comparison to door magnets, as magnetic systems are often not guaranteed to be fail-safe. This means that if there was an emergency, they may not allow the occupants of a building to make a quick and safe exit, which could possibly result in fatalities.
A CE mark should be present on locking devices, confirming they comply with EU legislation. It is now a legal requirement for manufacturers of construction products in the UK to apply CE marking to items that are covered by harmonised European Norms (hEN).
A CE mark shows that the minimum performance requirements of the product have been met; however, it is not always a sign of high quality. Alongside the CE mark, a Declaration of Performance (DoP) document has to be made available to the customer upon request.
It’s vital that each party – whether an architect, specifier, facilities manager or installer – takes responsibility for ensuring the correct compliant systems are in place to guarantee safe egress for the occupants of the building in the event of an emergency.
Jon Burke Marketing Manager, Abloy UK
www.abloy.co.uk
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