INDUSTRY FOCUS
PAGE 48
work be undertaken by an electrical contractor
and the electronics by a security electronics
contractor. It is also a requirement of the
Occupational Health and Safety Act that all
electrical work must be covered by a certificate
of compliance.
When the security design is optimised and
Estates need to be secure in order to protect
the specification expertly prepared, extended
both individual human beings and the value of
guarantees can be obtained. Correctly designed
their investment. It is a sad reality that when
and installed, a large portion of the infrastructure
news breaks that there has been an incident on
can have a lifetime of approximately 20 years.
an estate, the perception is that the security is
This helps keep the cost of security as low as
bad. This results in a potential reduced demand
possible.
for properties in the estate and a consequent
reduction in property values.
Adequate and ongoing training and management
of manpower are required to ensure that all
This puts a big responsibility on the security
systems are operated at the correct levels, to
sector in the estate environment which, in many
get the best returns for the investment.
cases, is made more difficult when residents,
visitors or contractors don’t play by the rules.
There is a clear trend in the guarding industry
Clearly this is where the estate management
to provide specialist solutions for the residential
has to play its part in keeping the peace and
estates. The personnel involved need to have
ensuring that the security personnel are not
good communication skills, patience and an
undermined.
ability to act in a firm manner without being
abusive. Quality management is necessary to
There is also a realisation that security is not
achieve this.
just CCTV and access control. Power supplies,
back-up power, transmission systems, surge
The decision by ARC to hold a workshop on
protection and so on all form part of the
security further indicates the necessity for
solution. This merging of products, technologies
giving security a higher priority in the overall
and skills places a further demand on the
management of a residential estate. Clearly,
designer and the integrator.
the road is never-ending in the improvement of
systems, design, implementation and operation
It is unlikely, for instance, that a good CCTV
for what is usually the largest cost on an estate.
installer would also be able to size cable
for power supplies. The solution is to ensure
It is fundamentally important for all parties to
that the overall security plan is understood
become part of the solution, and that entails
and then make sure that the design and
greater awareness and knowledge of the industry.
implementation are undertaken by individuals
with the correct expertise. For this reason, we
Rob Anderson
would always recommend that the electrical
www.robanderson.co.za