The now-cliche saying “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” was first offered by Benjamin Franklin in the 1700s, but it still has ample application today – especially when it comes to addressing a business’s security threats. After all, it’s far better to mitigate risk and reduce the likelihood of a problem in advance rather than go through the costly process of “cleaning up” after a security breach or other disaster.
Adequate preparation for security threats starts with your team: both security personnel and other individuals who work in the building. How can you ensure that everyone is on the same page and has the right resources to help prevent security problems?
Here’s a closer look at some of the steps you should take to ensure everyone is fully prepared.
1. Conduct a Risk Assessment
You won’t be able to help your team prepare for potential security threats if you aren’t sure what risks you’re facing. For most companies, the first step toward improved preparedness is to hire an outside security professional to conduct a risk assessment of their property. Security providers should be able to either conduct a risk assessment themselves or have access to someone who can provide a thorough evaluation.
A professional risk assessment identifies all potential security threats, both internal and external. Threats are often organized based on factors such as likelihood and potential impact so companies can see where they have the greatest weaknesses. Most importantly, a professional risk assessment won’t just identify weaknesses – it will also offer suggestions as to how improvements can be made.
2. Provide Training
Training is another must in preparing for security threats. It should come as no surprise that security guards should be fully trained on how to respond to a wide range of situations. Regardless of whether a guard encounters a maintenance issue or an unauthorized intruder, promptly following the correct course of action is essential for mitigating the threat.
As such, security providers should regularly provide response training to their personnel.
Training can also have an impact on your other employees. From the everyday such as clear desk policies, to making sure staff members know which evacuation routes to use in case of a fire. Or even awareness of safety and evacuation procedures during an active shooter incident. You never know when a seemingly unlikely scenario could impact your location.
Providing training to all personnel can literally save lives by helping team members avoid costly mistakes.
3. Make Needed Facility Changes
Finally, your staff will be better prepared to deal with security threats as facility changes recommended by the risk assessment are implemented. For example, many facilities can make dramatic improvements simply by introducing a badge identification system or upgrading a perimeter fence. Many facilities find the use of security guards to be a highly effective method of mitigating potential risk.
When such changes are made, it’s essential that facility owners go over them with all staff members. Highlighting the benefits of new policies and procedures as well as providing any introductory training that might be needed will improve compliance across the board. The sooner recommended changes are implemented, the less likely a facility is to be negatively impacted by previously identified threats.
Be Prepared for Security Threats
While you won’t always be able to prevent every threat that might come your way, a proactive approach that involves your entire team will make a huge difference in improving safety and security. The actions you take now could save your company thousands or even millions of dollars – and they could even save lives. Ensuring that your team is prepared for whatever security threats might impact them is an investment that is always worth making.
