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Ensuring security and safety at your food or beverage plant has never been more important. Facility owners are increasingly considering how to best protect their product, investments and, most importantly, their employees. Following 9/11, the government even increased security regulations for these processing plants that are so integral to the nation’s food supply. Of course, no amount of planning can absolutely guarantee safety or prevent an incident, but these design measures are effective at discouraging threats and improving security. At Stellar, we’ve built numerous food plants, and we’re constantly exploring and designing new security measures into our projects. Here are seven ways to increase safety at your facility: 1. Berms These elevated strips of land are a security measure for the exterior of your facility, and they serve a variety of purposes. The banks can eliminate a direct line-of-sight from the road to your facility, which increases privacy and could deter an active shooter scenario. The steep elevation can also serve as a barrier to prevent a vehicle from driving directly onto the property or into the building. 2. Fencing Installing fencing around your facility can keep out potential intruders, especially if it is topped with barbed wire. Government regulations now require food manufacturing facilities to establish a food defense plan , which includes fencing and other protections, to mitigate the risk of someone intentionally adulterating or poisoning the food supply. 3. A single entrance It’s critical to control access to the facility by requiring all employees and visitors to enter the building through a single main entrance where all who approach can be observed. Architects must be skilled in designing a single entry while complying with building codes, travel distance egress requirements, and emergency exit door requirements. 4. Security cameras Installing closed-circuit security cameras enables you to monitor […]