Biometric access control offers a complete security package to process facility managers
Shaun Oakes, Managing Director of ievo Ltd, the Newcastle-based manufacturer of biometric recognition systems, explains how modern fingerprint scanners prove a highly cost-effective and superior alternative to traditional access control methods for the food & drink processing and packaging sector which offers managers additional benefits. www. ievoreader. com
The risk to the food and drink industry from accidental contamination breaches right up to food terrorism increases annually with facility managers requiring a robust security strategy to balance safety, reliability and accuracy whilst adhering to risk management assessments. With increasing pressure on profit margins in the whole sector, it is vital to find a balance between essential security and available investment without compromising on safety.
The growth of modern biometric access control systems linked to time and attendance software, is now able to provide a highly cost-effective security system that not only controls who goes into which areas of a processing plant, but can also provide vital data for health & safety, payroll and other HR requirements.
Whilst access control has traditionally relied on key fobs, PINs or swipe card technology as identifying measures, biometrics offer a more advanced and adaptive solution. Numeric codes and cards can be forgotten, swopped, lost or even stolen allowing potential access to unauthorised personnel, resulting in possible security breaches, or systems could be exploited for time and attendance records. Biometric technology provides a solution that captures unique biometric data to infallibly determine identify of the individual who is present. The data cannot be shared, or replicated, and fingerprint readers themselves have built in systems to identify and deny access to‘ fake fingerprints’. 4 FDPP- www. fdpp. co. uk
When this technology is then seamlessly linked to advanced time & attendance software, facility and site managers have a multi-level security system which prevents non-authorised access to different areas of the plant and records time and attendance data – a further benefit for managers where continuous operations is common and production staff work 24 / 7 shift patterns.
Biometric solutions can help alleviate a number of risk issues, allowing for greater accountability, staff tracking and monitoring, accurate health & safety and fire safety records, along with a deeper layer of multi-level access security, all of which helps builds a sophisticated risk management technique to provide robust liability. This approach to security protocol could be seen as a benefit to risk management assessments, and has the potential to help reduce risk and possibly even insurance premiums.
The flagship of the ievo range, the CPNI-approved ievo ultimate™, scans and captures data using multispectral imaging( MSI) technology where multiple light sources read not only the surface of the skin, but also data points from the subsurface level( up to 4mm deep) of a finger. These different light sources can penetrate levels of moisture and debris present on the skin to read data points below which produces a high number of uniquely identifiable data points to be recognised and used for a more accurate, reliable and efficient verification process.
The readers are also designed for both external and internal use and are equipped with an internal thermostat controlled heater allowing them to operate in conditions as low as-20˚C and, being IP65 rated, they also function in adverse weather conditions.
The readers can be installed to work with a variety of access points such as turnstiles, barriers, doors etc. and integrate into existing access control systems from well-known manufacturers such as Paxton, PAC, Honeywell and Nortech, with more integration options constantly being released. ievo systems can be customised with a variety of options depending on requirements of the installation / end user, but using biometrics as an identifier, food and drink process facility managers can be sure that only those with permissions will be able to access specific areas without the additional cost of dedicated access control staff.
The result is a highly secure recognition system unaffected by lost or stolen fobs or swipe cards and one that cannot be deceived by the entry of fraudulent PIN’ s into numeric key pads, coupled with a data acquisition system that supplies reliable information for payroll, flexi-time, absenteeism control and holiday planning. Just as importantly, this flexible integration eliminates the need for multiple systems and installations, which can prove costly to both time and resources, and can be adapted or upgraded as businesses or properties grow and develop.