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Which security barrier is best for my business premises

Your security starts at your perimeter. Ideally, you should protect your perimeter with a strong barrier such as a fence or wall.

By Lucinda ThorpePublished 2 years ago 3 min read
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Your security starts at your perimeter. Ideally, you should protect your perimeter with a strong barrier such as a fence or wall. You’ll also need a way for people and/or vehicles to get through that barrier.

Choosing the right option can significantly enhance your security and ensure that visitors and staff within your premises are kept safe throughout the working day and during the evening when employees may be leaving late on.

However, the question remains, which security barrier is best for your business premises?

Manual and automated barriers

Most security barriers are available in both manual and automated forms. Manual barriers are increasingly regarded as being obsolete. With that said, they can still have their uses. The obvious one is in “off-grid” environments where there is no (reliable) source of electricity.

Another is when barriers are either only used occasionally or only needed temporarily. Currently, it’s unlikely to be cost-effective to install automatic barriers for either very light or very short-term use. Manual barriers can also be the preferred choice in very high-security locations as they do not have control systems to hack. They would, however, probably be used in combination with automated barriers.

Automated barriers are now the preferred choice for most environments, particularly commercial ones. While they cost more than manual barriers, the cost is more than outweighed by their security and convenience. The fact that automatic barriers can be operated remotely means that they can be opened and closed quickly and effectively without needing to have staff anywhere physically near them.

Choosing the right style of barrier

There are five main types of barriers commonly used on business premises. These are gates, rising-arm barriers, turnstiles, rise-and-fall bollards and height-restrictor barriers. Here, Lucinda Thorpe, Business Development Executive at Newgate shares her insight into each type.

Gates

Gates come in three main forms, swing, bi-folding sliding. Swing gates require space at the front to open. Swing gates with two-way hinges will need space at the back as well. Bi-folding gates are swing gates that fold on themselves. This minimizes the amount of space they need to open. Sliding gates need space at the side to open.

The standout advantage of gates is that they give effective protection against both pedestrians and vehicles of all sorts. This includes all the shades in between such as skaters, skateboarders and people on scooters. The disadvantages of gates are their cost and the space they need to operate.

Rising-arm barriers

Rising-arm barriers are only a minor nuisance to pedestrians and people on non-motorized transport. They are really intended as a deterrent to vehicles. It is, however, important to note that rising-arm barriers are vulnerable to brute-force attacks. This is why they are a deterrent rather than a defence. They may need to be backed with stronger security.

Turnstiles

Turnstiles are generally used for controlling pedestrians. In fact, they are often used as a way to separate pedestrian access from vehicular access thus improving safety for both pedestrians and drivers. Modern turnstiles have safety features to prevent anyone from getting stuck in them.

Even so, in many environments, turnstiles will need to be partnered with another form of barrier to ensure that everyone can pass through them safely and comfortably. For example, people with bulky luggage, prams/pushchairs or mobility aids are unlikely to be able to use turnstiles.

Rise-and-fall bollards

Rise-and-fall bollards are only available in automated form. They are nowhere near as robust as a fence or wall with a gate. They are, however, a popular solution when gates are impractical. They can also be used inside a perimeter for added safety and security. For example, they can be used to control traffic flows.

Like rising-arm barriers, rise-and-fall bollards are much more effective against vehicles than against pedestrians. They are also vulnerable to brute-force attacks and hence may need to be backed by additional security.

Height-restrictor barriers

Height-restrictor barriers are only available in manual form. They are very simple and hence very affordable but very effective at what they do. As their name suggests, they prevent vehicles over a certain height from entering an area.

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About the Creator

Lucinda Thorpe

Lucinda Thorpe is the Business Development Executive at Newgate Newark Ltd and is responsible for monitoring market strategies and implementing changes to enhance the companies profile and exposure.

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