Pandemic Access Control – Ensure Duty of Care Requirements

April 6, 2020

Identity verification is an essential part of any safety protocol or security access control. Should this individual be onsite? Should they be in the yard? Access control specifically allows or denies a subject’s presence in various environments. It is also used for various applications such as pre-employment screening, online identity verification, and onsite driver validation.

During these unpredictable times, companies are looking at access control to help detect and mitigate their staff’s exposure to COVID-19. These safety measures are crucial in satisfying the ever-important duty of care requirements of providing a safe workplace environment.

Essential services that are currently in high demand (trucking, food services, grocery delivery, medical care, SCM) require the ability to screen individuals. With threats of cross-contamination and exposure, theft and looting of valuable supplies, access control has become critical to corporate governance and protection.

The app requires a smart device (phone or tablet) and can be installed, or a subject can enter their email to start the verification process. Once an individual passes the authentication stage, they can be granted access remotely (supporting social distancing and isolation measures for your existing staff).

Access control measures also offer the ability to leverage audit trails. This means a security team can track and monitor potential risks – potential positive cases – deny or grant access and ultimately determine possible index patients. (an index patient is an individual who first introduces a virus to a new environment)

As the pandemic continues to evolve, policies and procedures are changing as companies are doing their best to balance their employees’ rights and safety. While Canada waits for the mass release of testing kits, effective and well-thought-out access control measures can mitigate risk and help prevent community spread.