Pedestrian Access Control Products
At a Glance: Managing Turnstiles to Combat Coronavirus Spread
Some turnstiles require hands-on operation where contact is unavoidable
Proper turnstile management can help cut down on COVID-19 exposure.
We have 5 key tips for minimizing COVID-19 spread with your turnstile access control system
Introduction
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in nearly half of the U.S. states, it is imperative that we continue to do our part to stave off this disease. This is not a new concept for most as social distancing and mask wearing has become the new normal in our every day lives. But there is one crucial area that businesses often overlook in in their coronavirus prevention plans: their turnstiles.
With coronavirus actively detected on metal surfaces for up to 5 days, we must not forget to clean and disinfect our turnstiles and ADA compliant security gates just like any other surface, piece of equipment, or furniture in our businesses. Just like everything else in your facility, access control products have the potential to become major germ and pathogen hotspots if they are overlooked in your cleaning routine.
We created this quick 5 tip guide to help facilities managers, custodial staff, and business owners alike prevent COVID-19 spread at their turnstiles and gates. After all, access control systems outfitted with turnstiles and ADA gates should be your first defense against pathogen spread, not your most prominent risk factor.
1. Implement Turnstile Social Distancing Policies
Social distancing—as I'm sure you already know by now—means keeping a safe space between yourself and other people around you in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus through respiratory droplets when you cough or sneeze. A generally understood acceptable distance to achieve safe social distancing is 6 feet. Business owners and facility caretakers should make it a priority to implement turnstile-related social distancing policies and further reiterate that social distancing doesn't just apply in the building, but at the building's entryways and various access control points as well.
Oftentimes during peak traffic periods, personnel tend to crowd each other as they rush to get through a turnstile or gate. If you can imagine how eager everybody at your company is to leave on a sunny Friday afternoon when the clock hits 5:00 PM, you can probably picture the impatience and crowding that could happen at your company's turnstile access control system.
Just like how standing up right when a plane lands won't allow you to disembark any quicker, crowding a turnstile lane will not allow more people to pass through per minute. Ensuring your personnel understand this fact will help them better abide by your COVID-19 social distancing guidelines at your turnstiles. By keeping a safe distance and passing through your facility's turnstiles 6 feet apart, you can help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other pathogens, too.
2. Opt for Hands Free (Touchless) Access Control Options
Unlike waist high and full height turnstiles, there are other turnstile and gate options (like optical turnstiles and ADA gates) that provide hands free “touchless" operation. These products use motorized gate closers and sophisticated optical sensors to detect when a user wants to gain access. These units open and close on their own without needing your touch to encourage their opening.
These touchless turnstiles are great for preventing COVID-19 spread because the more you can minimize contact the better. Though they are more COVID-friendly than their hands-on counterparts, they should still be cleaned and disinfected even if they pose a significantly lower risk because you can never be too safe!
A simple solution for full height turnstiles is our full height turnstile Safety Sleeves. These sleeves provide a non-metal barrier between users and metal turnstile arms. This is advantageous because the fabric in turnstile Safety Sleeves holds coronavirus for a much shorter time than metal (which at times can hold active coronavirus traces for up to 5 days). Also, they can be easily zipped off, cleaned, and zipped back on in no time: making regular turnstile cleaning much more efficient.
3. Wash Your Hands Regularly
I get it; you already know that washing your hands is extremely important in the fight against COVID-19 and you are probably sick of hearing about it (excuse the bad pun). But, certain turnstiles with the highest level of security, like waist high turnstiles and full height turnstiles, are inherently hands-on. Users must push through these turnstiles to gain entry, creating an unavoidable point of contact.
By keeping your hands properly washed (the CDC recommends washing with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds), you lower the risk of passing on traces of coronavirus to anything you touch, including your company's turnstiles and gates. Even if you have come in contact with traces of coronavirus, washing your hands for at least 20 seconds will render any remnants of coronavirus harmless by dissolving their fatty outer layers.
Ensuring proper hand washing regiments at your facility is one of the most important tasks you can accomplish in the fight against COVID-19 at your company. Hand washing keeps more people safe and lessens the likelihood of contracting the virus from surfaces like countertops, doorknobs, and your turnstiles.
4. Disinfect Your Turnstiles Regularly
The same reasoning behind washing your hands can be extended to regularly disinfecting the various surfaces at your facility. Keeping the virus off surfaces helps lower the risk of virus transmission through touch and is a generally good practice for providing a safe work environment in general.
Facility managers should set up a schedule to regularly clean and disinfect their turnstiles and security gates because these access control products are inherently high-trafficked, high-touch surfaces. Between shifts, during lunch, and on the weekends are all good times to quickly clean and disinfect your access control products because the lack of people traffic makes it easy to get the job done efficiently.
We recommend following the CDC's guideline for cleaning and disinfecting hard, non-porous surfaces. Further, many of our customers have seen success using disinfecting wipes to expedite the turnstile disinfecting process. Just be sure to follow all cleaning product directions and use them as intended.
5. Assign Employees to Specific Turnstiles
For facilities with more than one turnstile or gate, contact tracing may become arduous in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak. Users could use one turnstile upon entry, a completely different one on exit, and yet another on the next day. This complicates the contact tracing process tremendously as there are multiple opportunities for contact when people go through a different turnstile each time they enter your facility.
To ensure proper and effective contact tracing efforts, we recommend our facility managers and business owners to assign employees and other entrants to specific turnstiles. For instance, if you had 4 turnstiles at your office, you would divide your employees up into four groups (preferably these groups would be people that work close to each other or are in the same department) and each group would use their own assigned turnstile day in and day out.
By assigning users to specific turnstiles, the contact tracing process in the event of an outbreak will be much more accurate, effective, and possibly lifesaving. After all, there is no reason to make the process any harder than it needs to be, so setting simple policies like assigning people to turnstiles will pay for themselves over time.
At a Glance: Will Coronavirus Change Access Control and Entrance Security?
With novel coronavirus cases rising daily, we can't help but look to the future and wonder what the new normal will be. We can only speculate at this point as we haven't had to deal with a viral outbreak of this magnitude since the 1918 Influenza outbreak. But, one thing is for certain; this novel coronavirus outbreak will sit fresh in our minds for years to come, popping into our thoughts whenever we go in for a handshake or attend a crowded social gathering. There is no denying the monumental impression this microscopic virus will leave on the world.
If there's a silver lining to this novel coronavirus pandemic, though, it's that we now understand the all-too-real threats that lurk in the microscopic world around us. We have now seen firsthand what works, what doesn't work, and what preparedness–or lack thereof– looks like in a global pandemic situation. Looking forward, I can't help but wonder: will coronavirus change the access control and security spaces?
Put simply: yes, I think it's safe to say that coronavirus will change the access control industry. Why? Because access control has never been more important. If you think about it, the whole idea of quarantining to flatten the curve is basically just a huge access control effort with people actively controlling who they come into contact with and who they do not. Pathogens are now just another risk factor on the long list of reasons to monitor and control access into and out of your facilities.
Looking forward, there will be a shift in the access control industry: one that favors tighter security, hands-free entry control, and new sanitization technologies. As access control remains a facility's first line of defense against unauthorized entrants, it too will now function as a facility's first line of defense against pathogens.
Uncovering Long-Forgotten Risks
In the overview, I touched on the H1N1 outbreak of 1918. This strain of influenza, colloquially referred to as the Spanish Flu, was particularly harsh: infecting over a third of the world's population with at least 10% of carriers succumbing to the unrelenting disease. The Spanish Flu pandemic was like a scene out of a horror movie. But like all things, our memory of its severity faded over time. In fact, I bet a viral pandemic wasn't even on your list of worries just a few months ago, and why would it be?
Well, things have obviously changed over the past few months. The long-forgotten risks of a deadly viral pandemic have taken center stage again after almost one hundred years. We are now experiencing first-hand how a microscopic virus can create some very real macroscopic threats. And somehow I don't think we will be forgetting the events of the past few months any time soon.
The threats that a viral outbreak poses are especially apparent in offices, factories, entertainment venues, and really anywhere where people gather in large numbers and come into close contact with each other over extended periods of time. Anything from touching doors, to using the same sinks, or even just sitting in the same office can help a virus spread. Because of this, many organizations have chosen to work from home or close their doors entirely to stave off the deadly disease.
Business owners feel like they do not have the proper controls in place to simultaneously keep business going while keeping the virus at bay. Closing the doors for any period of time could prove detrimental to some smaller businesses, so savvy business owners are looking for new ways to keep viral threats at bay and minimize risk without having to shut down.
What Does This Mean for Access Control?
COVID-19 has functioned as a wakeup call for most. Companies have seen firsthand how quickly and violently this novel coronavirus can spread from their factories into their offices and beyond. Above all, facilities with sophisticated access control solutions implemented are uniquely at risk. Just like door handles and bathroom sinks, access control systems like turnstiles and security gates are inherently high-trafficked. In fact, many turnstiles and gates require users to push through with their hands to gain entry. These inherent characteristics of an access control system should not be overlooked in a global pandemic context.
Now more than ever, facility managers should practice proper turnstile and gate maintenance, making sure to clean and sanitize all access control products on a regular basis. Coupled with keeping units clean, users should practice proper hygiene by washing their hands and avoiding touching their faces after going through a turnstile or gate, for example.
So, what does this all mean for access control anyway? Well, given the recent eye-opening coronavirus pandemic, access control is no longer only about controlling who is allowed access into your facility, it is now also about controlling what is allowed access into your facility–with that what being pathogens and other potentially deadly contaminants.
Hands-Free Operation: The Future of Access Control is Touchless
As this novel coronavirus continues to progress and spread across our world, we must think ahead. We owe it to ourselves to better prepare for the next outbreak, even if one never comes. I know I am not the only person who believes this because our Hayward Turnstiles access control specialists have seen a massive influx of inquiries from potential customers looking for touchless turnstiles and gates that feature hands-free operation. These potential customers are planning for their futures and taking responsibility into their own (washed) hands.
Now, I know that most people don't know the subtleties of access control turnstiles and security gates. But, I can assure you that there are hands-free options available. In fact, here at Hayward Turnstiles, we offer completely motorized ADA compliant gates and optical turnstiles that provide a completely touchless entry experience. Both of these types of units control access into and out of your facility while simultaneously halting the spread of germs and harmful viruses. What could be better than that?
All is not lost for our customers with higher security needs that require hands-on units like full height turnstiles. We offer a line of full height turnstile safety sleeves that act as a barrier between your turnstile and its users. Simply remove safety sleeves at the end of each day, wipe them down, and reinstall them for a quick and easy sanitization. These safety sleeves can be purchased right on our website from our convenient full height turnstile safety sleeve store.
Conclusion
The novel coronavirus outbreak has been an eye-opening event for us all. Though we never used to worry about a future viral outbreak, we most certainly do now. COVID-19 and other pathogens create a unique threat to access control turnstiles and gates because of their inherent exposure to high traffic and touching. Because of this, many organizations are now preparing their access control systems for the future by implementing hands-free turnstiles and gates that allow for touchless entry. Though nothing can replace proper cleaning and active transmission prevention, touchless operation is a step in the right direction.
As we are starting to see–and we will soon see more clearly– access control is no longer simply about controlling the traffic of visitors into and out of your facilities, it is now also about controlling the transmission of disease into and out of your facilities.