Visitor Safety

An example of this is during a workplace emergency. It is typical for global companies to have sophisticated emergency response plans in those instances to help account for employees in one or more of their facilities. However, safeguarding and communicating with their onsite visitors (contractors, customers, potential employees, vendors) during an emergency is a whole other challenge with potentially significant consequences. It is a challenge that organizations had been struggling to solve.

“Companies find themselves ill-equipped to properly respond to their visitors when unexpected situations occur,” said Keith Metcalfe, CEO of Traction Guest, a visitor management systems (VMS) company. “They don’t know who's on site, so if there is an emergency, how are they notifying guests on where to go?”

According to OSHA, “A workplace emergency is an unforeseen situation that threatens your employees, customers or the public; disrupts or shuts down your operations; or causes physical or environmental damage.”

In the past few years, visitor management technology has been a new way for organizations to effectively address these challenges. Once viewed as a novelty that was mostly encountered as an iPad check-in tool in the lobby for guests, has now blossomed into a mission critical tool for enterprise facilities -- one that has capabilities to collect visitor data, run background checks on guests or sign crucial documents at check-in. But most importantly, in the event of an emergency, a VMS enables organizations to communicate with their guests before, during and after their visit.

In Traction Guest’s annual Visitor Management Survey, 92 percent of participants in 2019 (which included facilities and security leaders) said VMS creates a safer environment, up 3 percent from 2018 and 10 percent from 2017.

This is critical to visitor safety, risk management and overall facility security.

Simplified emergency communication

Well before a possible emergency can occur or even before guests set foot onto the premises, the lines of communication with guests are already open if a company is leveraging an enterprise VMS. This is a major benefit for health and safety teams responsible for managing a high volume of visitors across multiple facilities.

Visitors can be pre-registered, with their contact information captured. This enables fluid and direct communication with guests throughout the entire visit cycle. Companies can provide parking instructions, facilitate host meetings, and send mass notifications or directly text/call when immediate action is required.

“Providing education and crucial information is the main component,” said Metcalfe. “We can message them immediately if there’s a problem and they need to exit the site, and specifically where to do that. It’s about having the same value, responsibility and care for your visitors that you have for your employees.”

A VMS can also require guests to watch safety videos or view site maps at check-in. Automating this as part of the check-in process helps to ensure awareness of workplace hazards, protective equipment and emergency procedures.

Including visitors in the emergency and evacuation procedures is not only ethical, it also aligns with a company’s risk management and security strategy. On top of gathering visitor contact information and providing timely correspondence during an emergency, a VMS can confirm everyone’s safety with a roll call. Companies can also notify visitors to meet or take a detour to an alternative site versus one during an emergency.

“There is no current method for companies to achieve this without VMS,” added Melcalfe. Being able to locate and communicate with visitors gives organizations peace of mind, knowing their guests are safe and allows personnel to allocate that precious saved time to other pressing matters.

Know your visitor

Part of preventing an onsite incident, whether it is an active threat or a data breach, is understanding who is visiting and what their intentions are. Typically, global organizations must manage thousands of employees, multiple sites and different visitor types. Many have complex regulatory requirements.

The goal for security managers is to mitigate risk and have policies and procedures in place for a multitude of events. Any environment where visitors are onsite requires a proactive plan to manage the situation and roll out security procedures for both employees and visitors. A VMS is a great way to execute that.

Part of improving facility security for organizations includes validating and pre-screening any onsite attendees. VMS has features like watchlists and ID scanning that can pre-screen guests, verify their identities and view their past check-ins. Adding this extra layer of security is important for companies. In the 2019 VMS survey, the demand for watchlists grew by 10 percent in 2018.

Individuals that may pose a threat to a company and its employees can easily be added to a watchlist - both internally developed lists and lists curated by third parties, similar to those used by law enforcement.

“Watchlists help notify hosts and security when an unwelcome guest may have entered the premises,” said Metcalfe. “At that point, companies can block those flagged individuals from accessing the facility past the check-in.”

ID scanning technology also helps organizations capture important data from passports and driver’s licences, and in some cases, help verify the identities of individuals or run them against third-party watchlists. Beyond safeguarding people and facilities, organizations are having to protect their data. According to the 2019 VMS survey, 63 percent of companies are worried about data security - a 19 percent increase from the year before.

To proactively prevent onsite guests from compromising data, organizations can use VMS to maintain consistent records of visitors (i.e., time on site, number of visits, purpose of visit), have them sign NDAs and pre-screen those who may have malicious intentions based on their prior history. Visitor management technology is giving companies the visibility necessary to safeguard their data, people and facilities.

Strengthening procedures

The visitor management needs of global organizations have increased in response to heightened safety standards and regulations. Enterprises, particularly in high-volume, complex environments, are placing tremendous emphasis on safety and accountability. not only on employees, but now also guests. Dealing with multiple sites, different visitor types and employees requires a robust and flexible solution capable of adjusting to the needs of different locations.

Prioritizing visitors during emergency situations not only makes sure people are accounted for and briefed on mandatory actions, but most importantly, it ensures they are safe. VMS allows organizations to have strong emergency preparedness procedures in place in times of disaster. It provides a sense of control and comfort at a time of chaos and panic.