Benefits of Having Security Systems In Industrial Areas

While setting up any business, it is crucial to think about security systems. Much like the operational setup is necessary for any business, a strong security and surveillance system is just as necessary, to ensure that the personnel and the property is protected. One such instance of these is industrial area complexes where manufacturing, assembly and other heavy duty operations are carried out. Whatever the industry, the security requirements, the safety of the workers and the equipment cannot be overstated.

This blog talks about industrial areas, why security is absolutely paramount for them and how you as a security or site manager make sure that these high-value areas are secure.

Picture a high foot traffic area with heavy machinery working round-the-clock. Incidents are bound to happen either due to carelessness or general lack of attentivity. 2021 alone saw 36,736 occupational injuries in specific sectors across Canada, underlining the need for a strong monitoring system to protect the personnel working for your business.

This is not where it ends. Breaking and entering, theft and robbery are another issue plaguing businesses. The crime severity index (CSI) for non-violent crimes including theft increased by 3.1% in 2023 compared to the previous year.

Major industries in Canada are spread across the whole country and pertain to various industries. Notably, these come from:

Ensuring that these businesses stay protected and are constantly monitored is an up-hill battle. With increasing challenges across the whole spectrum of industries, there are specific challenges as well that have to be addressed. Listed below, however, are specific ways in which effective security systems can protect big industries, factories, manufacturing plants, refineries and other large operations across Canada:

With such a heavy influx of people across the industrial areas and your factory floor, it is important to know who comes and goes. Unwanted personnel can harm your equipment, factory workers, disrupt operations, or try to steal things as well. A robust access control system prevents this and ensures that only the required people have access to where they need to be in order to do their job.

Whether during work hours or downtime, security systems keep a vigilant eye on your industrial areas. This constant surveillance helps deter potential thieves and quickly identifies any suspicious activity. By monitoring all areas, you can prevent theft and minimize losses, ensuring that your assets remain secure and accounted for.

A comprehensive security system not only monitors for unauthorized access but also keeps an eye on safety protocols. By identifying hazardous conditions and ensuring compliance with safety regulations, you can significantly reduce the risk of workplace accidents. This proactive approach helps protect your employees and maintain a safe working environment.

In case an accident happens or there is a break-in on your site, modern security systems are able to lock in on the specific date and time to determine what exactly happened and help the law enforcement as well as insurance with the investigation. The cameras installed also ensure that no incident goes unchecked and that everything is documented properly.

When an incident occurs, you do not have to rely on a person to raise alarms. This could take time and personnel may not be trained to effectively raise alarms to diffuse the threat. However, automated alarms paired with live video monitoring ensures that the Police or emergency services are informed as soon as the incident happens to improve response times and prevent further damage to property and workers.

As important as raising alarms is, false ones can end up costing you more. By human error or by automated alarm systems, false alarms are fairly common. Most security systems come with dual authentication to ensure that there is an actual threat and not a harmless anomaly that has raised the alarm. This reduces unnecessary interruptions and ensures that your people can focus on their work.

Along with security cameras and other systems can also help improve operational efficiency. Security footage can be reviewed to identify bottlenecks in the workflow, make a heatmap of the factory flow to determine which areas are used the most and how to effectively manage space for optimum space utilization, ensuring a smooth running operation.

Depending on the business & industrial areas, your budget as well as the requirements of insurance and worker safety codes, you may need a certain set of security system components to effectively monitor your site.

Here are the systems that you can put on your site to ensure maximum safety.

Installing security systems for your site is not the end of it. You can also integrate the systems, make sure they work with each other, share information to unlock greater potential of your system to get the most out of it. Following are the integrations you can make to make the most of the system you have and improve site security:

Your access control systems can be paired with security cameras to enable facial recognition or to prevent certain items/objects from being brought onto the premises.

Security camera systems can be set up in such a way that they can detect objects, motion, vehicles or personnel to raise alarms when the site is supposed to be empty.

Cloud-based security provides a singular platform or control panel to see everything at a glance to help you make decisions quickly. This also allows for remote access to all systems.

Before picking out a security camera or any security system for your business, it is a good idea to answer a few questions. These questions relate to the specific business needs and the existing conditions of the business. Here are a few things to consider before picking out the security cameras for your manufacturing plant/factory:

Answering these questions can help you determine which cameras to get. A more advisable route is consulting a reputable security service provider to ensure that your business needs are met as well as the security ones.

Here is a brief description of what to look for in a security camera for industrial usage:

1. Camera Resolution: Look for cameras that offer a high resolution and clearer images to ensure that you can zoom into it without loss of footage. This is especially important if a large area as to be covered with fewer cameras.
2. Durability: Since the factory floor can be a challenging environment for electronics, it is better to get a security camera with a strong body, durable build and vandal-resistant features to prevent damage or tampering.
3. Operating Temperature Range: Be it hot or cold, getting a security camera that can operate in a wide range of temperature conditions is necessary as the conditions may vary on the factory floor.
4. Low Light Performance: Be it day or night, security cameras have to monitor footage round-the-clock. Making sure that there is adequate lighting for them, and if not, then they have built-in IR capability and good low-light performance are important parameters to fulfill.
5. Advanced Analytics Features: Depending on the specific requirements, advanced analytics features powered by AI can also be implemented. These include object/person detection, motion detection, facial recognition, license plate recognition and more to enable features that are useful in maintaining security and safety of the site.

One other component that can be used to monitor warehouses and large factory floors is a lot cop or a Mobile Surveillance Trailer. This is an all-in-one surveillance solution tailored for prolonged surveillance on its own. It includes a long mast with a camera mounted on top with a power source (usually a backup generator) and can be wheeled around according to the needs of the security team as well as the site manager.

If you are looking for a robust security solution to help protect your business in Canada, Spotter Security has your back. Spotter Security knows the ins and outs of the security industry and has over 20 years of experience in securing businesses from various industries. Our initial consultation provides you insights into the systems that you can deploy, helps you understand your business’ security needs and how you can implement a security solution to overcome the challenges faced by your business.