When it comes to food and drink manufacturing, good site security is critical for mitigating the risk of sabotage or theft from unauthorised intruders. Both can have serious consequences from a food safety and financial perspective.
Physical security measures, company procedures and systems, and staff vigilance are all crucial when it comes to reducing risk and ensuring access to the site by staff, contractors (including drivers) and visitors is controlled.
Here are a few key considerations to ensure your site security procedures are as robust as possible:
- Site perimeter -Are the gates to your site kept closed or, if not, are they constantly monitored? Are there any vulnerabilities in your fencing or external walls where intruders could gain access without being noticed?
- Building access – Are all external doors and access points locked? If not, are they supervised at all times by an appropriate member of staff such as a receptionist or security guard or monitored by a door camera?
- Delivery access – Is access to loading bays and delivery areas controlled or are there barriers in place that ensure only authorised vehicles have access?
- Signage -Do you have clear visual signage explaining the steps that visitors, contractors, agency staff and drivers are required to follow for access to the site and that warns of no unauthorised access on site?
- Visitor reporting system -Are all site visitors greeted by a member of staff and required to sign-in and sign-out with arrival and departure times? Do you keep a daily record of any expected visitors or agency staff working on site and require their host to collect them from reception so that only authorised visitors and personnel have access to production areas?
- Site rules – Are visitors and contractors made aware of site rules, including requirements relating to site access?
- Visitor badges -Are site visitors required to wear a visitor badge at all times?
- Internal movement controls -Are there physical barriers in place which prevent access to production areas or offices? For example, internal doors are locked and only permanent staff members with appropriate security clearance have access.
- Staff awareness and challenge culture -Are staff trained in the site’s security procedures and encouraged to remain vigilant and challenge anyone unfamiliar on site? Are staff trained to not hold doors open for unaccompanied visitors?
- Production areas -Are there physical barriers or is there supervision in place which prevents access to products and machinery? For example, contractors working in product processing or storage areas are the responsibility of a nominated person on site.
- Visitor PPE -Are authorised visitors, contractors and agency workers required to wear specific PPE that makes them clearly identifiable in production areas?
- Vulnerabilities at specific times -Does your site have vulnerabilities at certain times that need particularly close monitoring? e.g. shift start and end times, arrival times for agency workers, during hot weather or when certain staff members are on annual leave.
If your company would like ZERO2FIVE to assess the effectiveness of your site security through a real-world challenge test, please get in touch to discuss the funded support available through the Welsh Government’s HELIX Programme.
Kate Bailey
Senior Food Technologist
ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre
