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Adam Bannister is a contributor to IFSEC Global, having been in the role of Editor from 2014 through to November 2019. Adam also had stints as a journalist at cybersecurity publication, The Daily Swig, and as Managing Editor at Dynamis Online Media Group.
Security procedures at energy and utilities companies are bypassed more often than in any other sector, according to those working in the industry.
Asked by www.versapak.co.uk if they had seen evidence of security procedures being bypassed, 61% of those working in the sector, which is widely seen as vulnerable to terrorist attack, said yes.
Workers in transport – another sector targeted by terrorists – were the second most likely group to report security laxness (53%), followed by retail staff (44%).
Asked to rank out of 10 (10 being ‘extremely’) how security-conscious their sector was, those working in energy ranked an average of just 4.6 in the poll of 2,882 employees in a range of sectors.
And the education sector is surprisingly blasé about security too, if teachers and other educational staff are to be believed.
They rated the industry’s vigilance at a modest 5.1, even though a typical school holds personal information about hundreds of children and has obligations to protect children from intruders and from each other – and, indeed, on occasion, to protect teachers from children.
That both still made the top 10 most security-conscious industries, along with construction – another terrorist target scoring low at 4.8 – despite posting middling ratings, arguably attests to a wider complacency across industries.
Healthcare topped the poll, with HR, accountancy, retail and transport respectively occupying the next four places.
If the healthcare sector is alert to the importance of protecting life-saving equipment and confidential patient data, then they still have room for improvement, according to 61% of respondents who worked in the sector. Only 39% believed that current procedures were sufficient.
When aggregated across all sectors, 72% of all respondents believed that there was ‘room for improvement’ across their sector.
One in five (20%) respondents with security processes or equipment in place to ensure the safe handling of objects or information admitted they rarely used them. Another 19% said they sometimes used them, 27% opted for ‘the majority of the time’, with 34% saying ‘yes’.
About two thirds (66%) said they had specific security processes or equipment in place to ensure the safe handling of objects or information.
Asked whether they handle items or information that require secure storage or transport, 73% replied affirmatively.
“In most industry sectors there is a requirement for secure storage or transportation of some kind. Whether you’re handling cash, sensitive information or medical supplies there is always a requirement to ensure that these items aren’t tampered or interfered with by unauthorised persons,” said Leon Edwards, Group Managing Director of Versapak, which manufactures tamper-evident containers, cash bags, secure document wallets and mail pouches.
“The majority of companies have some form of procedure in place, but these are by no means water tight. Based on personal experience I’d say that every sector has room for improvement when it comes to secure storage or transportation.
“Businesses have a high responsibility to safeguard data or objects entrusted to their care, so they need to make sure that they keep on top of their game and put strict processes in place.”
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Which Sectors Are Apparently Most Blasé About Security? Clue: Both are Prime Terrorist TargetsSecurity procedures are bypassed more often at energy and utilities companies than in any other sector, according to those working in an industry widely seen as vulnerable to terrorist attack.
Adam Bannister
IFSEC Insider | Security and Fire News and Resources
