Industrial Design for a Truly Secure Facility

Today’s industrial design and engineering principles require a much greater focus on safety and security than was required in the past.

Incorporating effective security measures requires protecting the client’s interests as well as the community’s well-being. Our approach to this critical aspect of industrial and cleanroom design involves a multidisciplinary risk assessment and the involvement of all relevant stakeholders.

Security: The Most Pressing Industrial Design Imperative A virtual alphabet soup of government agencies has established security guidelines for industrial engineering, design and construction. Depending upon your industry and the nature of your facility, multiple sets of regulations may apply.

Some of the most stringent guidelines come from the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the General Services Administration. In addition to federal standards, each state, county and municipality may have its own standards as well. Statutes, regulations and guidelines that affect your industry may overlap or even conflict. As your project’s industrial engineering experts, we are obligated to ensure that your facility meets or exceeds all requirements.

Industrial Design and Planning for Security Today, the industrial design process often begins with a full risk assessment, conducted in conjunction with the client and other relevant stakeholders. In many cases, local building safety officials must also participate in this process. This facilitates the consideration of multiple perspectives.

For example, building safety officials will focus on the safety of first responders as well as the community. The client’s focus considers the health and safety of facility workers as well as the potential economic outcomes of a security breach.

We often encourage clients to involve insurance and lending representatives as well, to address any specific requirements that they may have.

When we make security a central part of design right from the conceptual phase of the project, the facility’s final design is much more likely to provide continued safety into the future.

The nature and extent of security requirements depends on several factors, most of which are identified during the risk assessment process. We typically use a zoned approach for intensifying security levels, starting from the property perimeter and progressing to the most sensitive areas of the facility.

Responsive industrial engineering and design also provides a means for the client to increase (or decrease) security measures in the future, should the need arise. Additional security may be needed due to changes within your facility — if you begin working with a potentially dangerous or controlled substance, for example. Alternatively, security concerns may arise from outside your organization, in the case of a specific external threat. Internal or external, your organization and facility must be prepared to withstand any and all challenges. DesignTek Consulting Group LLC provides value-added design, engineering and construction solutions for cleanrooms as well as industrial and commercial facilities of all sizes and scopes.

Contact us today to learn more about our core values and commitment to exceptional service. We will be happy to answer any questions and address your needs for industrial design and engineering services.