Perimeter security is one of the foundational components of every organization’s physical security program. For water and wastewater utilities, enforcing stringent access controls is crucial for preventing unauthorized access to sensitive sites and safeguarding critical services for the community.  

To help infrastructure owners and operators enhance their access controls, Security Management Magazine, an ASIS International publication, recently published a report, “The Essentials of Access Control: Insights, Benchmarks, and Best Practices,” and a series of articles offering multiple recommendations and tips on the topic. One article discusses four ways to make access controls more effective. It recommends using access control technology that is secure and hard to compromise, knowing who is in your facility at all times, reinforcing access control policies with regular security awareness training, and incorporating access control technology with video surveillance systems. Another piece detailed a survey of physical security consultants regarding access controls. When asked if organizations paid enough attention to access control solutions, two-thirds (68%) of the respondents said they did not. In addition, more than half said they experienced tailgating or piggybacking incidents (61%) or propped doors (50%) within the previous month. Other significant issues reported by the respondents included card sharing (38%), visitor attempts to circumvent procedures (32%), and deliberate staff attempts to circumvent procedures (32%).

The respondents were also asked to offer advice about access control. Multiple themes emerged from the answers, including: “integrating access control systems with other systems is a business imperative; people are the weakest link of access control systems and there is no substitute for training; and the need to see the access control system as an important part of, but still only part of, a robust, layered security strategy.” The other article in the series examines visitor management as part of an access control program. The report, drew from a survey of more than 1,000 security professionals and provides benchmarks of systems in place and analyzes what technology and tactics make controlling access effective. For additional guidance on risk assessment, utilities can utilize EPA’s Vulnerability Self-Assessment Tool. Access the full report at ASIS here or read the articles at Security Management Magazine (article 1, article 2, or article 3).