Industrial Security: Managing Security in the 21st Century

Chapter 4Evaluating a Company’s Protective Systems

Surveys and Assessments

The evaluation of a company’s protective systems involves a survey, an assessment of resources, planning, and a lot of work and imagination. The first item is the survey. The survey starts with a detailed mapping. In the event that it is a new facility, one needs to incorporate safety, security, and environmental response to catastrophes into the designs. Failure to plan for the worst will lead to the worst happening, and it never occurs at a convenient time.

There are several considerations that can be key to security. Site layout and physical arrangement are probably the most important consideration. That includes natural and artificial barriers (which may make defense a bit easier), physical intrusion barriers such as fencing, protective systems, and alarms. Physical arrangement of the plant and its environs can also be key in mitigating natural disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and other extreme weather events, including extreme precipitation.

Another security consideration is logistical and supply chain operations, which include shipping, receiving, and such items as supply lines, and remote locations such as pumping stations. The assessment of this element should also consider the security of the sources of supply as well as the security of the transportation to the plant. One often-overlooked critical need for a plant is the knowledge of the security, source, and location of the cooling ...