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Keeping workers safe is a vital part of conducting business efficiently and effectively. What was once considered a security access control decision can now be thought of in broader terms as a business workforce enablement decision.

Access control can be greatly enriched when informed by data from integrated systems including business and regulatory policy defining an individual’s suitability for access – e.g. their status in terms of induction, training, certification, licences, and fitness for work.

Employers’ ability monitor and control which areas are accessed, and by which employees keeps workers safe by making sure the restricted areas are only accessed by compliant staff with necessary skills and training. In case of an emergency evacuation, employers are able to know exactly who is on site and which area they last accessed.

Identity Analytics, a function in the Gallagher access system ensures people are competent, safe and accountable as they move around on site. Identity Analytics provides a high degree of control and certainty by ensuring the right people (who are inducted, trained, licensed and competent and therefore compliant with regulations) with the right assets (e.g. vehicles or safety equipment), are in the right place at the right time, and by alerting system operators to exceptions. This greatly mitigates the risk of accidents, partial or full site shutdown and corporate liability.

Partial or full site lockdown during threat or emergency situations allows only a selected group of staff such as rescue or medical personnel to enter and exit locked down zones, so no one else can enter a dangerous area in case of a site evacuation.

Bi-directional information flow between business systems overlaid with policy and its effect ‘at the door’ delivers an ongoing impact throughout your organisation. As business rules are set, managers are assured that organisational and regulatory policy is automatically enforced. The effect on day-to-day business can be felt on the ground by every employee – they have the assurance that their co-workers are fit for work and their working environment is safe.

Identity Analytics delivers truly intelligent access control decisions which are communicated in a meaningful way on distributed hardware ‘at the door’. Staff can be warned via a door reader screen of any upcoming expiry of their licences or competencies, so they can proactively address these issues and prevent them from becoming an impediment to their access. If denied access, they are immediately informed of corrective action to be taken in order to have their access to an area re-instated. For example, a employee may be denied access if he needs to complete certain training before accessing equipment or a licence to access a vehicle before signing on for his shift.

This system can be advantageous across multiple industries. High-risk industries like critical infrastructure, manufacturing plants or mines especially can benefit from the feature. Xstrata Copper’s Mount Isa Mines operates one of the largest underground mines in the world. As they handle explosives, operate machinery and work as deep as 1800 metres below ground, Xstrata Copper requires first class safety and security systems. The company is committed to providing a safe, productive and healthy work environment and utilises Gallagher security system to achieve this goal.

Mount Isa Mines Emergency and Protective Services Superintendent Darren Bracey said the complex mix of mining, processing and smelting at Mount Isa presented numerous challenges when it came to ensuring the safety of employees and general public. “We must allow for movement of authorised personnel with a minimum effort, while ensuring all the necessary training, induction and other entry requirements are current,” he said. “We must also be able to ensure that personnel who are not authorised to access certain areas are prevented from doing so. The powerful Gallagher software leads itself well to integration with other third party software applications to allow better management of security, health, safety, access control and contractor management.”

The Gallagher system employed at Mount Isa Mines uses several integration applications to provide a customised reporting tool to monitor the whereabouts of underground staff. As well as being interfaced to CCTV and the company’s HR management system, the Gallagher system also monitors alarms including environmental, fire, intrusion and production alarms and domestic site associated alarm systems.