Schools especially must be in a position to account for who is onsite at all times .
Safe and secure
Visitor management systems can help promote health and safety at schools .
By Stephen Darracott
COVID-19 caused significant disruption for Australians in 2020 , with rapid lockdowns , changing restrictions and social distancing guidelines a constant source of frustration for many . The impact this had for schools was especially challenging , as teachers and students were forced to quickly adapt to remote learning when required to remain at home during lockdowns .
At the peak of the pandemic , there was also an increased demand for Australian organisations to assist with contact tracing . As a result , the pandemic heightened the need for a simple yet secure way of managing visitors and contractors in schools when educational institutions were returned ( almost ) to normal .
With more than four million students enrolled across more than 9,500 schools in Australia in 2020 , a significant number of people are required to provide additional support to students and staff onsite . This includes teachers and aides , support staff , cleaners , grounds staff , and visiting teachers , parents , office workers and more . Managing visitors and contractors at schools will continue to be high on the agenda into the future as a way to keep staff , students and the broader community safe .
Having an effective visitor management system is essential in ensuring the security and health and safety of schools , as they can provide a clear idea of who is onsite at any given time . However , investing in digital visitor management systems will let schools manage this process even more effectively , without increasing costs .
Digital visitor management systems can provide a rapid overview of who is onsite at any given time . While this is essential for COVID-19 contact tracing , it will also help to improve the security of schools in times of a security breach or concern . Schools especially must be in a position to account for who is onsite at all times , particularly in the event of an emergency or when the need arises to assess potential health or security risks posed by unauthorised visitors .
Investing in digital management systems lets schools capture and record relevant information on visitors and store this in a secure database in real-time . Visitors may need to provide relevant information , such as blue card details for example , to help protect students onsite and guarantee only authorised persons are registered and allowed access to the site . For the safety of all school visitors , it ’ s also possible for some digital systems to incorporate safety and security inductions to ensure all visitors are aware of emergency procedures .
Some of the latest digital systems also incorporate features such as infrared temperature scanning , which lets schools quickly check visitors ’ temperatures and notify relevant staff if an elevated temperature is detected . This can help schools monitor the health and safety of visitors to their sites and keep students and staff safe , keeping a close eye on potentially infectious persons to help minimise the spread of contagions within schools , particularly as Australia heads into its 2021 flu season .
Digitising these processes also helps schools to keep costs low by removing the need to have dedicated staff time available to monitor visitors and take temperatures . Digital visitor management systems can be set up in close proximity to office or reception staff , who can ensure that all visitors sign in without needing to dedicate time towards signing them in manually .
While COVID-19 is the most recent , and potentially disruptive , pandemic to hit our shores , it ’ s not the first and won ’ t be the last . By investing in digital visitor management systems now , schools can ensure that they are investing in the health and safety of students and staff now and are also incorporating the most up-todate processes and procedures to protect the health and safety of schools into the future . ■
Stephen Darracott is vice president and country manager at Pitney Bowes Japan , Australia and New Zealand .
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