Returning from furlough to the “new normal” raises the question of how buildings can stay secure while people remain safe in an attempt to mitigate the threat of Covid-19?
Ellena O’Sullivan of AWS Tel Sec Ltd, explores why a ‘touchless’ future may lie ahead.
Businesses are facing restrictions to the way they operate their buildings.
Due to the increased risk of transmission when multiple individuals share common touch points; such as push buttons, handles, push bars, keypads and press to exit buttons. Viruses are invisible and can remain infectious on stainless steel for up to 48 hours, and as such, pose an ongoing threat.
So what are the answers?
Interestingly, electronic security systems could hold some of them, and one solution to minimise and mitigate the risk of virus transmission is through the use of touchless access control.
Touchless access control ensures that staff and visitors can move freely throughout the building without ever needing to touch a shared surface.
Automatic doors can be installed along with infrared sensors which trigger doors to open, whilst push-to-exit buttons can be replaced with wave sensors to protect both staff and the public. Infrared buttons sense movement up to 60mm, so allow visitors to safely hover their hand over the button without touching the surface when making an intercom call or request to enter.
Where security is paramount, a range of contact free solutions only allow authorised individuals to activate automatic doors using cards, tags and mobile phone apps. All of this can happen whilst ensuring touchless access on entry and exit, completely eliminating the need for a user to make physical contact with the entryway. Facial recognition systems with built in temperature checks are available and can allow/restrict access if masks are obligatory. They’re so clever that they can recognise people with masks on and allow access if the user is logged or run on stranger mode. The thermo-graphic technology, is touch-free and can measure the temperature of the forehead after face detection has taken place – anything over 38˚C will trigger an alarm, with an accuracy of 0.5˚C and is best wall mounted or on a stand. It can run through a PC which can hold centralised management access control and temperature records.
Social distancing, is another consideration at this time is. Where a limited number of people are permitted to use indoor spaces, access control can count the number of occupants and restricting entry to ensure social distancing is observed. The count is adjusted accordingly as people exit, removing the need for personnel to count people in/out and reducing the chances of transmission. Some manufacturers offer a traffic light system or scoreboard of occupancy, which is very effective.
At AWS Tel Sec Ltd, we’ve been busy throughout lockdown, servicing sites and Corona Proofing buildings. We’ve adapted our offering to ensure that we work with masks, gloves and uphold a high level of safety to both our engineers and our customers. Although a new way of thinking for some, we’ve really enjoyed getting to grips with the evolving technologies available to us and making buildings as safe as we possibly can.
To find out more contact Ellena O’Sullivan on 01582 735202 or email info@aws-access.com.
