Workplace Security Audit Checklist

Conducting a regular workplace security audit will keep your security policies up to date and your employees safe. Ideally, you want to answer "yes" to each of the following questions. If you answer "no" to any of them, consider it a vulnerable area and develop a task force to begin researching security solutions.

This workplace security audit checklist is designed to be a general checklist that can be applied to many types of organizations and industries. As you conduct the audit, be sure to consider your personal situation. You will need to address additional issues depending on your location, employees, and the nature of your business.

1. DO YOU HAVE AN ESTABLISHED WORKPLACE SECURITY POLICY?

Include a security policy in your employee handbook that outlines security policies and procedures. This makes it so that all staff knows details of this critical aspect of your building.

All employees, not only security and human resources, should understand safety and security policies and procedures. Trained employees should watch for activity that violates security policies and know how to properly handle or report it.

Workplaces should prevent admitting individuals who don’t belong in the building by monitoring all entrances. Most workplaces lock all entrances except for those monitored by an employee.

Visitor identification communicates to employees that a visitor in the building has followed proper security procedures. This also allows administration personnel to know who is in the building at any given time, in case of an emergency.

Employee identification makes it easy for security and employees to know who belongs in the building with quick visual identification.

6. DO ACCESS CARDS AND IDENTIFICATION CARDS HAVE ENHANCED SECURITY FEATURES?Enhanced security features prevent the creation of fraudulent cards and restrict unwanted visitors from entering your workplace. Magnetic strip, watermark logo, or a holograph protects your cards from being duplicated.

7. ARE THE FACILITY AND PARKING LOT WELL-LIT?

Providing a well–lit property prevents attacks and thefts from happening and keeps intruders away.

8. IS THE SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM UP TO DATE?

Review the areas captured by your surveillance cameras and be sure they are still in the right locations. Give any employees who monitor specific areas or entrances updated training on security procedures.

9. HAS THE SECURITY SYSTEM OR ALARM EQUIPMENT BEEN RECENTLY TESTED?

Conduct regular tests on your security system or alarm equipment to ensure everything is in working order. Change security codes on a regular basis to prevent hackers.

10. ARE HAZARDOUS OR DANGEROUS MATERIALS IN LOCKED STORAGE AND CLEARLY IDENTIFIED?

Any materials that could harm employees should be carefully locked and access should be given only to a few responsible and trusted employees. The storage area should also be under surveillance to prevent abuse from taking place.