Healthcare facilities of all types and sizes need to be serious about security. They typically keep a lot of medication on hand, some of which could have considerable value on the street and can be targeted by thieves. Here are the layers of security needed for your facility.
1. Perimeter
Most healthcare facilities play an important role in their community, and the exterior has to be welcoming. This means that imposing fences tend to project the wrong image. That said, it’s important to have at least some amount of protection. Outdoor security cameras, while they don’t themselves make the site more secure, will provide security personnel with more information about who approaches the building, effectively making their job easier.
2. Building exterior
The main goal of security measures at this stage is to ensure staff and visitors enter the building through their designated entrances. This is important both for the integrity of your facility and for the safety of everyone on site. Implementing access control systems is a good way to make sure only authorized personnel enter staff areas without having to dedicate security staff to monitoring these entrances.
3. Interior: staff-only areas
Depending on what services you provide, your facility may be more at risk than others. An emergency or sports clinic may keep painkillers on hand, increasing the risk that people would want to gain access to the premise. Installing a surveillance system as well as an intruder alarm will ensure you don’t have to worry about people breaking into your medication storage areas.
It’s also important that visitors and patients keep to the areas where they’re allowed to be, especially if your facility is on the larger side and there’s a substantial amount of traffic.
4. Interior: sensitive areas
It’s an unfortunate reality that employee theft is common. However, it’s an even bigger problem for small healthcare facilities that stock medication and don’t have a dedicated pharmaceutical department. Even when such a department is present, there’s always a risk of employees going where they aren’t supposed to. This is also important for clinics that keep confidential files on the premises. Again, commercial access control and security systems will allow you to ensure employees only enter areas they’re allowed to and reduce the risk of expensive and sensitive materials going missing.
Security experts in Calgary and Lethbridge
Guardian Security Solutions provides high-quality security systems to businesses in the Calgary and Lethbridge areas. Contact us today to make an appointment and learn more about our products and services.