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When one thinks about hospital security programs, ID badges, security officers and cameras come to mind. Yet, based on our experiences, physical security breaches are seldom the proximate cause of criminal victimization. Physical security remedies, such as lighting, access control and the application of CPTED principals all important and should not be ignored, but absent staff involvement, these methods can be rendered impotent. Whether intended or not, most hospitals are not difficult to breech.
Hospitals are loaded with numerous points of ingress and egress and it is not difficult to blend in. Even access control doors are not difficult to penetrate by coat-tailing a legitimate card holder. With the exception of most pharmacies, it is not difficult to penetrate the back of the house.
Hospitals are loaded with hundreds of desirable consumables are their clients (patients) are fully dependent on the hospital for their safety and security.
A major part of the solution: A fully engaged staff. Many hospitals, not all, tell employees what to do, but they often do not tell them how and when to do it. For example most hospital's new employee orientation programs encourage employees to watch out for suspicious people, especially during other than normal business hours. The assumption is that everyone knows what is meant by "suspicious people." Guess what? That assumption does not always hold water.
During a recent training session several clinical employees were asked if they were asked to lookout for suspicious people wandering about the hospital, and everyone raised their hand in the affirmative. When the instructor pointed to Mary or Sally and said, "Mary why don't you tell all of us in this room, what constitutes suspicious behavior? What does it look like?" Mary became flummoxed and was unable to produce an answer. It took the instructor all of about 15 minutes to fill that void after which everyone one knew what suspicious looked like.
Employees must not only be taught how to recognize suspicious behavior, but they must be taught what to do and how to do. A little role playing never hurts. It is surprising how many security breaches, including those that result in significant litigation, are the result on inattentiveness. The deterrent impact of any hospital security program can be enhanced several times over by fully engaged employees. Many security threats, such as those mentioned, can be effectively mitigated with simple and low cost solutions. After all, what is more effective, a 200 camera video surveillance system or a 1000 sets of eye and ear and the ability to act?
If you have questions regarding the subject matter to this article, feel free to contact me at bill@smsiinc.com.
Submitted by:
William H. Nesbitt, CPP
President
Security Management Services International, Inc.
805-499-3800
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