Cover Story
| Date | 01 May 1982 |
| Pages | 26-27 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb057258 |
| Published date | 01 May 1982 |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Cover Story
Controlling Access to a Multi-occupier
Building
Bowater House has been a landmark in Knightsbridge
since 1958 and it
is
still one of the more imposing buildings
in that part of London. It houses the headquarters of the
world-wide Bowater Group of Companies and also the
London offices of about 20 other major companies who
occupy substantial floor space as Bowater tenants. The
total number of personnel employed on the site is about
1,500.
Security, and particularly control of access, is always
more difficult in a multi-occupancy building with more
than one entrance. In the case of Bowater the problem is
exacerbated by the fact that the Company has to maintain
round-the-clock contact with its associate companies
overseas operating in several different time zones. The
security arrangements therefore have to provide for
24-hour access to the building.
In
1979
Bowater had already begun to plan more up-to-
date security arrangements for the building as a whole
when several of the tenant companies indicated that they
would like controlled 24-hour access to their offices also. It
was clear that the cost of setting up a fully manned security
system would be prohibitive and in any case it was unlikely
that it could handle all the security functions and all the
staff and access variables involved at Bowater House. The
company decided therefore to go for automation as far as
possible with a single central control station in the main en-
trance foyer.
The system selected was the Cardkey D 2000, a
microprocessor-monitored access control system using
magnetically coded cards and card operated locks to con-
trol entry and/or exit. It can control up to 4,100 cards with
various permitted levels and times of access, and up to 64
card-operated terminals. In addition it can monitor alarm
conditions such as heat, smoke, power failure, etc. Access
activity, alarm conditions and instructions for remedial ac-
tion are displayed in English text on the monitor screen
which can also, and simultaneously, display a CCTV pic-
ture.
A printout provides a permanent record of all activi-
ty.
At Bowater House nearly all the 1500 staff employed by
the various companies within the building are issued with a
card, also the 80 cleaners employed by the office cleaning
contractor. Each card is coded with the employee's iden-
tification and his or her permitted zone and times of ac-
cess.
If an attempt is made to gain entry to another zone,
or to the correct zone at an unauthorized time, an alarm
sounds at the central D 2000 console and the location and
other details are displayed on the monitor screen.
Altogether there are 46 different access levels defined at
Bowater House.
The cards themselves carry no visible identification,
either of the employee or of Bowater House; if a card is
lost it is of no value to the finder. When loss of a card is
notified (and it will be, for the employee cannot reach his
or her place of work without it) it is immediately in-
validated at the D 2000 keyboard and any subsequent at-
tempt to use it raises an alarm.
Bowater have plans to expand the system, adding CCTV
and some degree of energy management by using the D
2000 microprocessor to control lighting levels in certain
parts of the building.
News Briefs
Managers Worse Off According to BIM Survey
Industrial managers' total earnings rose 12.3 per cent dur-
ing
1981,
but in real terms managers are 0.9 per cent worse
off than they were in 1975. At the same time national
average earnings increased by 10.9 per cent. These figures
are revealed in the ninth BIM National Management
Salary Survey published by Remuneration Economics Ltd.
Managers in chemicals and petroleum industries and in
the distributive trade did better than average, while those
in manufacturing industries, food, drink and tobacco, in-
surance, banking, finance and business services were below
average.
The continuing fall in bonuses made a significant
dif-
ference to gross earnings in 1981. A high proportion of
payments (76.5%) continues to be based on company per-
formance, so a drop was to be expected; the average bonus
fell from 9.2 to 7.7 per cent of salary with the largest
reductions at director level and moreover the number of
managers receiving any bonus fell significantly. This trend
is expected to continue during 1982 until after company
results show a sustained improvement.
The National Management Salary Survey in two
volumes is available from Remuneration Economics Ltd,
51 Portland Road, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey KT1
2SH (Tel: 01-549 8726), price £70 to companies con-
tributing input data or £100 to others plus £1.50 postage
and packing.
First World Congress on Employee Relations
On account of growing pressure for more attention to be
paid to employee relations, in particular the improvement
of communications with employees, in organisations
throughout the world, coupled with the success of the First
World Congress on Management Development, the Inter-
national Management Foundation is arranging the First
World Congress on Employee Relations to be held in the
City Conference Centre (formerly the Institute of Marine
Engineers) on 24-26 November 1982.
The theme of the Congress will be the increasing
internal
pressures within organisations for productivity in the con-
tinuing difficulties of the present economic climate and the
external
pressures of environmental change which need to
be understood and explained to employees.
The speakers will include Dr Geert Hofstede of Fasson
Europe Ltd; Pat Lowry, Chairman of ACAS; Dr Bill
Weinstein of Balliol College, Oxford; and George
Leonidas, Director of the Department of Political
Economy, University of Toronto.
Further details can be obtained from David Seekings,
International Management Foundation, 1 Union Street,
Bedford MK40 2SF (Tel: Bedford (0234)
26 INDUSTRIAL MANAGEMENT + DATA SYSTEMS
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