5 Ways Full-Height Turnstiles Help You Secure the Flow of Traffic
Every fence needs a door. But don’t let those doors become weak points in your security. Keep them protected with turnstiles so you can regulate access without impeding the flow of traffic. Here are four reasons why full-height turnstiles are the right tools for the job.
1. Start using access control devices before people reach the building door.
Whether you’re adding security to a university’s dormitories or you want to fully protect a warehouse, don’t just protect the front door. Every layer of security should be designed to be as foolproof as possible, but you still need those layers if something goes wrong. If someone gains access to a building’s interior, there’s a problem.
So start security at the exterior gate with access control. That gives you and your security department more control over who gains access to the property, not just who gets into the buildings. The appearance of security is an important part of security all by itself, and employing technology at the beginning makes your properties too risky to trespass.
2. The turnstiles make security violations highly visible.
People trying to get around turnstiles look ridiculous, and that’s exactly what your company needs. When people try to jump over tripod turnstiles, that motion might be hidden in a crowd. Particularly tall visitors might also be able to easily step over the barrier.
But when two or three people try to shuffle together through one segment of a full-height turnstile, it’s unmistakable. Whether you have employees watching the turnstiles’ security feeds or you have smart security systems that flag atypical movement, it’s easy to catch on when people are doing the wrong thing. Full-height turnstiles also come with timers that make it harder for people to squeeze together and gain unauthorized access.
3. Direct the flow of pedestrian traffic to clear access points.
If you just have a security fence around your company’s building, visitors, contractors, and suppliers might not know where to go first. But turnstiles are a universal signal for pedestrian traffic. If you can give first-time visitors cues about where to go first, you’ll have fewer accidental security problems. It also means visitors will be less frustrated, and that’s important if clients are likely to come onsite.
Even if some turnstiles are for internal traffic only, creating clear points and manned booths make it a lot easier to redirect traffic without confusion or further issues.
4. Monitor entrance and volume.
Turnstiles are helpful even if security isn’t your primary goal. You can use the turnstile’s rotation to get statistics on your daily traffic. Cities use pressure detectors to monitor traffic volume before funding new developments. By the same token, your business may need to know how much traffic a site receives before creating a budget for maintenance or improvements.
You can also track traffic data to look for peak visiting times. Whether you operate a seasonal business or a location with a relatively stable flow of traffic, knowing when and how that traffic changes is valuable information.
5. Your vertical security line stays the same height.
Consistency is important in good security. This doesn’t just mean the same procedures and the same timing. If you can keep the perimeter, security factors, and even known weak points consistent, it’s easier for your security team to do its job.
If your exterior security is supplemented by video cameras and motion detectors, full-height turnstiles can help. Nobody will be reaching above the fence’s height so you can use laser-guided motion sensors at the top of the fences. Employees that are scanning the fence line just have to check one standard height without any deviations, and that makes exceptions or odd occurrences stand out. It also means, if your premises’ perimeter fence is topped by barbed wire, it stays consistent the whole way around.
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