How to Ensure the Security and Safety Compliance of Your Workplace

In another article in the Physical Security for Emergencies course, we cover event audits in the case of emergencies in more detail, and how Kisi offers solutions for access event audits. In this article, we’ll cover this same topic from the perspective of a remote office manager, and how being remote doesn’t need to hamper your ability to ensure the security and safety compliance of your office.

Workplace Compliance

Workplace compliance is simply the need for certain offices or facilities to comply with certain codes. The codes themselves vary enormously based on the industry. In this article, we will focus mainly on access compliance. For an in-depth explanation of compliance for access control, please refer to this article on the Kisi resources page.

Determining Which Workplaces Need to be Compliant

The short answer to this question is that every workplace with means of entry and egress has to be compliant by some regulation. Fire safety regulations are standard, and you have to have a safe means of exiting your space in the case of any emergencies, but beyond that, the regulations you have will vary based on the means of entering and exiting. For instance, having a smart card system means that you’ll have to comply by different standards than an office that has a traditional lock and key system.

Another reason you might want compliance is to boost sales. Physical security and access markets have many competitors, so one metric you can use to judge the better ones is by noting the compliances and certifications that they have. While some will be required by law, many won’t be and are simply indicative of a better system. A good example would be the energy star rating, for appliances that are energetically efficient. Lacking certifications can be a deal breaker with certain clients.

Regulations That Govern Workplace Safety Access Compliance

There are many certifications that regulate the access control market and its compliance. Some are legally required across the United States, to be identified as emitters of radio waves: This would be the FCC certification. However, some are only required by certain states, like the UL certification for access control.

Others are certifications based on the specific mechanism of your access control system. A good example of this would be the SOC2 certification. For an exploration of the more common access control certifications, and what they certify, you can browse the Kisi resource guide here.

How Modern Access Control Enables Compliance

In this section, we’ll cover how an access control provider can help you with compliance for your workplace, and make the process of applying and supplying with records as easy as possible.

Data Tracking

The better modern access systems like Kisi are cloud-based, meaning that all your data is hosted on the provider’s servers. This comes with two major advantages. First, you don’t need to worry about keeping servers in your office, or about your data getting corrupted: the better systems have great backups and will grant you access to your data and secure it for you.

Secondly, this allows the provider to perform analytics for you, and supply you with metadata that you’d otherwise be hard-pressed to find. From time tracking to remote worker management, these access control companies give you access to all sorts of data that would be necessary for compliance.

The best part, is that you don’t even need to be physically present at your office to see this. You can access it all through your provider’s web or mobile interface.

Event Logs

Data is useless unless you have a way of visualizing it, and for compliances and certifications, this means that you need clear and accessible event logs that outline the data in a meaningful way, and that are easy to access. For a more detailed explanation of how providers like Kisi grant this, check out the article on event audits in the

Remote Visualization and Management

Thanks to the cloud-based nature of platforms like Kisi, you can access, visualize, and export your data from anywhere in the world with an internet connection. With an innovative and sleek web-based interface, as well as modern mobile apps for iOS and Android, access control leaders like Kisi are bringing the world of physical security to your fingertips. You can take advantage of features like a heatmap of unlocks, or easy-to-read logs of all employees’ ins and outs, and submit that to any sort of compliance provider with the click of a button.

Closing Thoughts

With modern access control, it’s easier than ever to organize all your office’s access information, and ensure the safety and compliance of your office, all without being there. Thanks to cloud infrastructures, with data tracking and event logs, all you need is a computer with internet to manage your office.