Bolton Metropolitan Council operates a large town hall within the historic centre of Bolton and also occupies several satellite sites around the town. Being the hub of most of the council’s business, the 19th Century town hall is intensively occupied, and also houses the town’s central registry office, a theatre and other public rooms. As a result, the premises are extensively used by members of the public as well as council staff.
Security is a top priority for the council and, with more than 4,500 users; Bolton operates one of the largest access control systems of its type in the country. It uses sophisticated Bewator Granta access control and security management technology to centrally secure more than 200 access points within the town hall and its other premises.
The Challenge
At Bolton, the Granta System ensures that staff and visitors are only permitted access to those areas they are allowed to enter, and at the times they are allowed to enter them.
However, the Bewator Granta System is designed to provide the ideal combination of security and convenience - so the system is also flexible enough for operators to issue bespoke visitor passes and change the security status of individuals with ease.
Together with a network of reliable proximity card readers these features mean that, for the majority of its users, Granta permits quick and convenient access to all the areas they need to enter.
The only drawback at Bolton was a practical one; with wheelchair users finding it difficult to negotiate doors (both traditional and automatic) and some also struggled to use the system’s proximity readers without discomfort.
Bearing in mind these problems, and mindful of the forthcoming implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act, the council wanted to change the operation of the access control system to allow easier access for the disabled, but without compromising security.
The Solution
To convert Bolton’s access control to Bewator "Hands-Free" technology throughout.
"Hands-Free" technology means the council's 4,500 staff no longer have to physically present their card to a reader to activate the lock. Their presence within one meter of the reader is all that is required. No fumbling for cards. No stretching to reach readers. Hands-free means quicker and more convenient access for everyone - wheelchair users included. Bolton-based installer, Spectra Security converted the council’s existing system of proximity readers to the more advanced HF100. It has a much longer-range meaning that cards can be kept in pockets or on security badges. Spectra combined this technology with automatic door openers controlled by curtain PIR (passive infrared) detectors and large low-level push buttons for exit only. This ensured doors open long enough for a wheelchair to pass through, but also close rapidly thereafter, helping to maintain the previous high level of security. The original installation began as a pilot project on nine access points, but proved so successful that the upgrade continued throughout the rest of the premises.
“Members of the public also benefit from the new Siemens Building Technologies Security Products system, as some council premises are open to the public at certain times, such as from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The system enables these doors to remain open, or to open automatically during this time, while restricting access at all other times. Of course members of the public requiring special access can be issued with visitor passes. These will allow visitors access to only those areas they actually need to visit.” says Spectra’s operations director Barry Sloane.
The Law
The decision to ‘go hands-free’ formed a central part of Bolton's strategy to meet all requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act, which came into force in October 2004. The act requires that all disabled staff and members of the public should enjoy the same ease of access as the more able-bodied.
"Balancing security with increased ease of access for the disabled was our major challenge. The upgraded hands-free system manages to achieve this balance effectively," Bolton Council’s facilities manager, Brian Colquitt.
Additional Benefits
The Granta System supports a unique combination of user-friendly benefits designed to take the hassle out of running a large security system.
Dial-up Connectivity
Suppose you face an emergency. Perhaps a key member of staff requires immediate access to an area outside the hours he is normally permitted to enter. Or suppose an employee is revealed to be a security risk. How can you react swiftly and effectively?
At Bolton such emergencies can easily be dealt with via a secure facility, which allows authorised personnel to access and interrogate the Council’s entire access control system from any Internet-connected laptop or PC. It means, for example, that a security manager can immediately add or delete users, outside of office hours, using their home PC. This facility also gives customers the benefit of on-line technical support:
“As the access control support firm, we can interrogate the system from our offices and can often rapidly diagnose and solve any problems that might be reported without having to visit the site. We can also ‘grab’ the system from operators who might be experiencing difficulties, and take them through the problem in real time.” Spectra’s operations director Barry Sloan.
Tailored to your exact requirements
The unusual flexibility of the Granta system also allows users to tailor access protocols to their particular requirements - an especially useful feature when adapting premises for use by the disabled.
For example, where automatic doors are used to provide ease of access for disabled users the system is able to recognise that the card belongs to a disabled user and apply different parameters - such as increasing the door opening time to allow more time for a wheelchair user to pass through. The system can also be configured so that when an able-bodied user presents their card, the door unlocks, but does not automatically open. In this case the door must be opened manually, thus reducing the chance of unauthorised users ‘tailgating’ their way through the control point.