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Rant Warning-
Oh the joys of working at the steel mill where there is no access control. Sunday I arrived at work. Once inside the guard shack/security office I noticed that one of the building alarms was off. We keep the alarms on during the weekend when nobody is working in the offices. The keypads were supposed to all have red LEDs showing but one, our Administration building, was green.
So I'm releiving my Site Supervisor/SO/EMT and before he heads out the door I ask "Why is the Admin Bld alarm off?"
He tells me that the President of the Steel Mill had showed up and set it off. Seems Mr President, driving a rented car, had driven in the main gate and waved toward the guard shack located several yards away behind a couple of truck scales. He then drove into the Employee parking lot and parked on the side of the Admin building. The guard on duty, my Site Supervisor/SO/EMT, never saw him drive in and if he did would not have recognized the car anyway.
We lock the front doors to the Admin Bld every night and on the weekends the doors stay locked unless an employee pulls up to tell us that they are coming in to get some work done on the weekend.
Since the President couldn't get in the locked front doors he entered through a side door which is not locked. In fact, that door has tape over the bolt to keep it from closing and locking. Anyone walking up to it can pull on the handle and walk in. That is what the President did.
Upon entering, the buildings' motion detectors set off the alarm. The whole building was whooping with the siren. I hate being in there when it goes off. In the Guard shack the keypad started beeping. My Site Supervisor/SO/EMT called his partner who was on patrol in the rear of the facility telling him that there was a visitor inside the Admin building.
This happens sometimes. Often someone will pull up to our facility, enter the main gate and drive right into the employee lot toward the big 2 story office building to find someone. Our Guard shack might as well be across town for all the good it does. There is no sign saying "SECURITY" and because of our location we have no way of IDing anyone before they enter the parking lot and go into the buildings.
So the partol SO gets to the building, discovers the President in his office trying to ignore the blaring alarm and radios the Guard shack. The Site Supervisor/SO/EMT turns off the alarm and logs it in the log book.
Several hours later I'm standing there and after hearing the story ask "Well the alarm is still off so is he still in his office?"
My Site Supervisor/SO/EMT tells me that he's not sure. It's not like we have a clear line of site of people coming and going. The continues lack of concern about access control is a major thorn in my side.
My comment of "Well I guess that this is another example of the crappy access control they have here" pissed off my boss.
I worked 2 days for my Site Supervisor last week. What if the President had waved on his way in while I was at the desk? I wouldn't have known him either.
He got very angry and told me that it's my responsibility to learn the vehicles and faces of the employees and certainly the President of the facility where we work.
I responded that his anger was misdirected. Besides, he had admitted that he would not have known who was in the rental car. To expect contract security officers, many who are new or work non traditional hours (nights), to know who someone is when they drive in at 20mhp, in a rented car, past other vehicles, as well as other visual obstructions, is ridiculous.
Just as bad is the President of the company expecting that the SO on duty would recognise him right away without having to checkin.
"Ok, forget you being at the desk or even me," I countered, " What if some of the new people we hired for the shut down were sitting here at the desk while you were in the back at First Aid bandaging someone up? Joseph just started last week and if he was sitting at the desk in your place answering phones and signing scale tickets for truckers would he know who the President is and what he looks like? What about Brittany? Would she? How about the new guy Terrel? Or Rondell? Or that big guy, whatshisname? Face it. Access control sucks and the guy in charge is so blind that he doesn't even consider what we are doing when he shows up unannounced on a weekend. We should have a guard shack closer to the main gate with access control arms and we should be checking IDs of everyone going in or out. What happens when we loose this account and Securitas or Whackingoff shows up with a whole new crew? Will they know who everyone is? "
My Site Supervisor was not happy with my attitude. He left in a huff.
There are more than 400 employees at this steel mill. They get hired and fired regularly. They buy new cars or trucks, rent them or drive their wifes car. Yet they expect to be able to just drive into the plant and give a quick wave before speeding off. This is someting I'll never get used to.
ID Them All. Let Security Sort Them Out.
Rant off.
Oh the joys of working at the steel mill where there is no access control. Sunday I arrived at work. Once inside the guard shack/security office I noticed that one of the building alarms was off. We keep the alarms on during the weekend when nobody is working in the offices. The keypads were supposed to all have red LEDs showing but one, our Administration building, was green.
So I'm releiving my Site Supervisor/SO/EMT and before he heads out the door I ask "Why is the Admin Bld alarm off?"
He tells me that the President of the Steel Mill had showed up and set it off. Seems Mr President, driving a rented car, had driven in the main gate and waved toward the guard shack located several yards away behind a couple of truck scales. He then drove into the Employee parking lot and parked on the side of the Admin building. The guard on duty, my Site Supervisor/SO/EMT, never saw him drive in and if he did would not have recognized the car anyway.
We lock the front doors to the Admin Bld every night and on the weekends the doors stay locked unless an employee pulls up to tell us that they are coming in to get some work done on the weekend.
Since the President couldn't get in the locked front doors he entered through a side door which is not locked. In fact, that door has tape over the bolt to keep it from closing and locking. Anyone walking up to it can pull on the handle and walk in. That is what the President did.
Upon entering, the buildings' motion detectors set off the alarm. The whole building was whooping with the siren. I hate being in there when it goes off. In the Guard shack the keypad started beeping. My Site Supervisor/SO/EMT called his partner who was on patrol in the rear of the facility telling him that there was a visitor inside the Admin building.
This happens sometimes. Often someone will pull up to our facility, enter the main gate and drive right into the employee lot toward the big 2 story office building to find someone. Our Guard shack might as well be across town for all the good it does. There is no sign saying "SECURITY" and because of our location we have no way of IDing anyone before they enter the parking lot and go into the buildings.
So the partol SO gets to the building, discovers the President in his office trying to ignore the blaring alarm and radios the Guard shack. The Site Supervisor/SO/EMT turns off the alarm and logs it in the log book.
Several hours later I'm standing there and after hearing the story ask "Well the alarm is still off so is he still in his office?"
My Site Supervisor/SO/EMT tells me that he's not sure. It's not like we have a clear line of site of people coming and going. The continues lack of concern about access control is a major thorn in my side.
My comment of "Well I guess that this is another example of the crappy access control they have here" pissed off my boss.
I worked 2 days for my Site Supervisor last week. What if the President had waved on his way in while I was at the desk? I wouldn't have known him either.
He got very angry and told me that it's my responsibility to learn the vehicles and faces of the employees and certainly the President of the facility where we work.
I responded that his anger was misdirected. Besides, he had admitted that he would not have known who was in the rental car. To expect contract security officers, many who are new or work non traditional hours (nights), to know who someone is when they drive in at 20mhp, in a rented car, past other vehicles, as well as other visual obstructions, is ridiculous.
Just as bad is the President of the company expecting that the SO on duty would recognise him right away without having to checkin.
"Ok, forget you being at the desk or even me," I countered, " What if some of the new people we hired for the shut down were sitting here at the desk while you were in the back at First Aid bandaging someone up? Joseph just started last week and if he was sitting at the desk in your place answering phones and signing scale tickets for truckers would he know who the President is and what he looks like? What about Brittany? Would she? How about the new guy Terrel? Or Rondell? Or that big guy, whatshisname? Face it. Access control sucks and the guy in charge is so blind that he doesn't even consider what we are doing when he shows up unannounced on a weekend. We should have a guard shack closer to the main gate with access control arms and we should be checking IDs of everyone going in or out. What happens when we loose this account and Securitas or Whackingoff shows up with a whole new crew? Will they know who everyone is? "
My Site Supervisor was not happy with my attitude. He left in a huff.
There are more than 400 employees at this steel mill. They get hired and fired regularly. They buy new cars or trucks, rent them or drive their wifes car. Yet they expect to be able to just drive into the plant and give a quick wave before speeding off. This is someting I'll never get used to.
ID Them All. Let Security Sort Them Out.
Rant off.
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