Exterior
The location of the lighting
A lighting system is one of the most viable security components that should be installed in a facility to achieve set safety goals. From the exterior plan of the building, lights have been placed in both visitors’ and staff parking garages and other dark areas in the outbuilding because they are high-risk areas. It is reported that such a measure “increases the brightness of security lighting by turning on additional lights to relax … psychological fear of crime because of the increased sense of surveillance” (Cho et al., 2019, p. 1). These areas are likely to be invaded by intruders as compared to other areas because they have valuables. Therefore, the lights will provide enough illumination to act as a deterrent to those attempting intrusion. The lights have been placed relative to the position of the CCTV cameras. This will help the use of the security cameras by maximum illumination of the areas under surveillance for clear coverage and saving the cost of buying otherwise costly lowlight cameras.
Factors of increasing the security of the parking design
Visitors’ parking is far off from the entrance and therefore requires more cameras as compared to staff which is located just in Infront of the entrance and can be easily monitored by people walking in and out of the hospital.
The location of the cameras
CCTV cameras have been installed around the building and at each entrance to monitor those entering the facility and also around the car parking. It was found that “CCTV schemes operated by private security personnel generated larger crime prevention effects than those operated by police or those using a mix of police and security personnel” (Welsh et al., 2020, p. 56). Car parking is one of the most confined areas where crime is likely to occur. Therefore, they require to be under maximum monitoring. The cameras in both parking have been installed in a proper position to ensure that every corner is captured and recorded for evidence in case of a crime. From the exterior plan, the visitor’s parking lot has a greater number of cameras and lights as compared to the staff parking simply because of their locations.
Lobby
The kind of windows and access control security requires
Lobbies will have fixed glass and tinted glass windows to prevent exposure to valuable equipment inside the rooms. Apart from installed security equipment, the facility will use other access control security for patients. For employees, major access control will include electronic access control such as badge access and card swipes that will use technology to protect the health facility, the patients, visitors, staff, and equipment. Other access controls are barriers and rails leading to the counters for visitors, neck tags to differentiate between staff, visitors, and patients, and checkpoints. In addition, windows need to have bulletproof and shatterproof qualities to ensure higher resilience to the sources of damage and danger. Radiofrequency identification (RFID) and geofencing need to be introduced to ensure access to infant abduction prevention instruments.
Information collected from all nonemployees to enter the hospital
The visitors should write their names in the visitor’s book, including the place they are visiting, reasons for visiting, and the tome time duration. The victors will be allowed to leave any form of identification at the gate, either a passport or national identification card, and pick them up upon return (Sennewald & Baillie, 2020). Apart from the security guards, all gates and doorways will be installed with security cameras, and visitors’ badges will be issued to any visitors entering the hospital, and this will assist in discriminating between the staff, patients, and visitors.
The kind of security at the door
As motioned above, at various checkpoints and entrances, there will be security guards who will ensure maximum security by scrutinizing all visitors entering the premises.
Maternity Unit
The placement of the nurses’ station important
The Maternity unit is yet another crucial area in a hospital that requires utmost security and order because of the safety of the infants and other expensive equipment. Some of the security measures include the creation of nurse stations that are used to keep sensitive patient details, thus ensuring the information is kept secure all the time. These stations also assist in monitoring patients and carrying out inquiries and medication preparation.
Encouraging visitors to stay in designated areas
In any facility, visitors are directed to where to go with the help of security guides to avoid entry into sensitive rooms in the facility, such as ICUs, theatres, or maternity units, which cause disorder (Sennewald & Baillie, 2020). Specially designated areas can also be set aside for visitors to avoid confusion and overcrowding in the facility, and this will help maintain the order and safety of the patients.
Securing the newborns from potential abduction and accidental switching
Identically numbered bands will be used for a parent and baby to secure the newborns from potential abduction and accidental switching. RFID, as well as geofencing, will be utilized to prevent both intentional and unintentional infant abductions. In addition, the windows need to be shatterproof and bulletproof for the safety of intrusion and external shooting.
Secondary ID badges for maternity ward employees
For the sake of distinguishing between various personnel in the hospital, badges are used for maternity ward employees. The main reason is that they indicate various duties that the staff performs in the institution, especially those working in the maternity wards, to avoid illegal entry and abduction of the infants.
Security Training
Security training offered to employee staff
Installation of security equipment may not be enough; therefore, the management should train the staff on how to use the security system and enhance safety in the organization. It is stated that “effective security management … teaches practicing security professionals … mastering the fundamentals of good management” (Sennewald & Baillie, 2020, p. 2). The organization should schedule seasonal training for its employees to update them on the new trending crime and security measures to counter them. These activities need to take place every three months because each season will provide a sufficient degree of repetitiveness without affecting the overall performance.
The training for each group
The training will be offered based on duties performed in the institution, and doctors and nurses will be trained on how to ensure patient safety within the hospital and health-wise. Security guards will be trained on how to enhance the security of the whole institution, especially against the entry of criminals and the safety of the equipment. These differences need to be present in order to ensure smooth coordination of the staff and the safety of the various people in the hospital. Each type of professional needs to be proficient and experienced in his or her specific area of expertise.
References
Cho, Y., Jeong, H., Choi, A., & Sung, M. (2019). Design of a connected security lighting system for pedestrian safety in smart cities. Sustainability, 11(5), 1-11.
Sennewald, C., & Baillie, C. (2020). Effective security management (7th ed.). Elsevier.
Welsh, B. C., Piza, E. L., Thomas, A. L., & Farrington, D. P. (2020). Private Security and closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance: A systematic review of function and performance. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 36(1), 56–69.