Traditionally, most facility owners placed minimal emphasis on building security issues in the operation, design, and construction of various facilities. With the expensive costs and resources needed in implementing security procedures and systems, and also because many building owners had viewed the occurrence of terrorist attacks on their facilities as unlikely, building security was often perceived as a low priority consideration. However, in the aftermath 9/11, the physical security of facilities across the country (in both public and private sectors) has instantly become a topic of critical importance and paramount significance.
Jane’s Property and Facility Manager’s Workplace Security Handbook is one of the timeliest resources available on the use of applying building security principles. The publication addresses numerous aspects of maintaining effective security of facilities such as planning, crisis management, and threat assessment. Although the intent of the guide is to provide organizations and its owners with a convenient reference on the best methods of how to prepare, respond, and recover from security threats to their facilities, building professionals will also find the guide to be of great interest, as it also addresses key security issues to consider when constructing and laying out facilities.
While building security has become a high priority in recent years, it does, however, pose certain challenges to building owners when implementing security strategies in the operation of facilities. The enactment of heavy-handed security procedures can project a fortress-like image of a building, which can become a deterrent in attracting prospective clients or guests to a facility. The authors of the guide contend that the key to developing a successful security program for facilities lies in establishing a “well-planned and coordinated team effort” that can be best achieved through developing effective threat assessment and crisis management. The guide also provides guidance to facility owners on how to develop efficient threat assessment and crisis management teams to accomplish these goals.
In the chapter “Buildings and Terrorism,” perhaps the most interesting chapter of the guide, the authors explain how facilities can become vulnerable to terrorist activity and address the best procedures to apply in making a structure more resistant to attack. The guide cites certain building systems that can serve as access and entry points for terrorist perpetration. For instance, through the dispersion of chemical and biological agents, specific building systems such as air intake and HVAC units are pathways for terrorist penetration. The publication provides instruction on how to make these systems less vulnerable and lessen the potential incursion of detrimental agents through the use of filters (such as HEPA and charcoal), scrubbers, and UV lamps.
In addition, the authors suggest other methods of increasing the resiliency of building systems through re-engineering or relocating air intake or HVAC systems to other areas of the facility that are more secure and less vulnerable to terrorist infiltration. The authors suggest how considerations such as cost, compliance to building ordinances, and architectural aesthetics should be taken in account when making such modifications to building layouts and designs.
The guide also recommends that facility owners develop “building profiles” of their facilities in an effort to ascertain the current level of environmental security and to pinpoint vulnerable areas. Such profiles can be developed through the review of the facility’s design, construction, and operating documents and walk-through inspections of the building.
To place an order for Jane’s Property and Facility Manager’s Workplace Security Handbook, please visit the DBIA web site (www.dbia.org) to use the online ordering system, under the “Publications” prompt. Under the heading “Order Online,” you can locate this publication by title using the “Publications Search” field. The cost of the publication is $45.00, plus shipping and handling. DBIA will reduce this cost by five percent for orders received by October 31, 2005.
Jane’s Property and Facility Manager’s Workplace Security Handbook is a highly informative resource for facility managers/owners on how to implement building security procedures properly. In addition, professional designers and contractors will find the publication to be a helpful reference for understanding building security concepts.