With network security breaches swarming all over the news of late virtual security seems to have taken the limelight. As such some companies are placing much emphasis on their virtual security and understandably so, but at the same time are forgetting about their physical security. That said physical security remains one of the first links in the chain that companies should look to be strengthening. With this in mind, just how should a business go about conducting a physical risk assessment?
Taking a holistic approach
Effective physical security encompasses a holistic approach in order to prevent, deter, and detect physical threats of various kinds. These include:
- Environmental threats – such as floods, hurricanes, and freak weather conditions
- Human threats – including forced entry, employee error, or even a terrorist attack
- Supply system threats – including power surges and outages
Utilising these three factors of security you should then do a walk round and highlight any potential issues that could arise. For instance, do you have a back-up system in place if your main computer system goes down? Are your fences and gates secure enough to prevent unwanted human entry? If you’re in a flood zone or an area prone to hurricanes or violent storms do you have sandbags at the ready that you can deploy, or do you have direct links to emergency services should the need arise?
Break it down into areas
If it all seems a little daunting then try breaking each area of your business down into manageable sections. For example start with storage areas where stock or goods are kept. Then move onto the production side of your business where your products are made, then finally move on to the administrative side. Doing so will make it far easier to make sure that you don’t miss any vital elements.
Highlight and address any issues raised
Once you’ve carried out a physical walk round, and highlighted any issues raised, there needs to be a plan in place of how you’re going to address any problems raised. This should include
- The relevant action to be taken
- Who’s responsible for ensuring the task gets done
- A measured and realistic time scale
Finally, once action has been taken, then there needs to be a checking process in place to make sure that the accountable person has done what they said they’d do. Once checked, then that particular process can finally be signed off.
If you don’t know where to start or simply don’t have the time then why not speak to MA Services Group. As well as maintaining a physical security presence we also carry our a variety of detailed risk assessments for businesses and residents alike. Why not contact us today on 03 9994 4107 to see just how we can help.
