30 | JUNE 2020
Products
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
UNWAVERING SECURITY
DURING FLEXIBLE WORKING
With the recent increase in flexible working, facilities managers are seeing lower occupancy levels in
properties across the country. Colin Campbell, Managing Director of Codelocks, talks about what this
means for security – and how access control technology can help building managers at this time.
Securing properties: the
right lock for the job
Facilities managers have always
needed to prepare for the unexpected,
but recent changes to
our daily lives have made it even
harder to judge levels of risk to
property. With many people now
working from home on a daily
basis, properties are standing
empty, or only lightly occupied,
for long periods. Appropriate
access control is needed to help
prevent break-ins, theft and
damage.
Smart locks: the key
to flexible working
With staff working from home,
or in separate shifts, providing
access to the right areas of premises
at the right time is beneficial
to facilities managers and
employees. One very effective
way to achieve this is through the
use of smart locks. Smart locks
combine the convenience of
keyless operation with the extra
control and functionality afforded
by smart technology.
Using wireless technology and
an Application Programming
Interface (API), you can create
codes that have a specified
start date, time and duration
that will automatically expire.
Facilities managers can provide
the required levels of access for
essential workers and important
deliveries without compromising
on security, even while facilities
managers are located remotely.
By automating code generation,
the need for onsite staff is dramatically
reduced and, in many
cases, removed.
Securing equipment
outside
According to Logic Fire and
Security, the UK construction
industry loses £800 million each
year due to burglary, vandalism
and neglect. Research undertaken
by the Chartered Institute
of Building revealed that 92%
of construction workers and
management are affected weekly,
monthly or yearly by theft.
This is even more the case
when there are fewer people
around to act as a natural
deterrent to crime, and many
properties are less guarded
now than usual. The exposure
of construction sites and outbuildings
leaves them especially
vulnerable, meaning that access
control is paramount. One way
that construction companies can
secure their sites is by investing
in mechanical coded locks.
These are heavy duty locks
suitable for securing enclosures
containing construction equipment,
robust enough for frequent
use, flexible enough to allow
multiple workers easy access and
effective at keeping the public
safely out of the way of any
construction hazards. They are
cost-effective and can be installed
easily on to existing doors, gates
and storage units.
For environments that are
at particular risk from damage
caused by corrosion, it is worth
considering a marine grade finish
lock. These are designed to
withstand exposure to moisture,
and are ideal for outbuildings,
construction sites, marinas and
properties by the water.
Secure lockers for a
flexible workforce
Another consequence of the
increase in homeworking and
business properties becoming
more sparsely occupied is a shift
towards hot-desking. But sharing
facilities needn’t stop at desks.
Safe storage of kit, equipment
and devices is essential for many
workers, but lockers are often
in high demand and over-subscribed.
A simple solution to this is to
equip lockers with coded locks.
This enables multiple users to
access the same locker securely,
without the need for a key.
There are many options available.
A simple mechanical locker
lock can be programmed by the
user each time and be ready
for the next person once it is
finished with. More sophisticated
electronic locker locks can be
programmed by an app, allowing
access to authorised users at set
times.
With either option, coded locks
can cut down on the number of
lockers needed to meet demand.
Plus, as each user has their own
code, rather than a copy of a key,
which is at risk of being misplaced.
Providing coded access
to lockers also avoids facilities
managers and caretakers needing
to spend budget and time repairing
locks – keeping maintenance
costs to a minimum.
Locks for the future
With flexibility becoming more
important in the workplace, coded
locks look set to become more
prevalent, providing convenient
access control for a range of sites,
buildings, and equipment. If you
are looking to upgrade the access
control at your office, construction
site, shop, school or warehouse,
there are an ever-growing
range of access control solutions
to choose from.
www.codelocks.co.uk