Beyond fences
The bakery’s property is the first line of defense against those who wish to cause harm. Fences are an obvious measure to keep threats out, but bakers shouldn’t just erect a fence and assume they have done their due diligence. The four walls and the roof of the bakery also can provide security or danger. Bakers should start their risk assessment by evaluating the outside and inside of their property for any vulnerabilities.
A simple walk around and through the bakery to look for places where someone could gain unauthorized access can be eye-opening. Mr. Heflich suggested including the plant’s maintenance, food safety and sanitation managers on this assessment.
“They’re usually very knowledgeable about the building, structure and who has access to what,” he said.
On the outside of the building, pay attention to places where people can enter restricted areas unnoticed. If the bakery has its own delivery trucks, are those locked? Can someone gain access to them unseen? And don’t forget the roof.
“Today, someone could fly in a little drone and throw something into an air intake, with no one the wiser,” Mr. Carr said.
When walking through the plant, put yourself into the mindset of someone trying to do harm. For example, chemicals used in sanitation pose a well-known risk. Evaluate chemical storage areas. Is access restricted? Is inventory control effective? A bakery must ensure that only authorized people have access to dangerous materials and that inventory is kept up-to-date to enable bakers know what exactly they are storing in what quantities.
“If a large amount of a chemical went missing, you would know it then,” Mr. Heflich said.
Once this assessment of building and layout is finished, the bakery team should look at what can be done to mitigate every possible risk. In a new facility, a central security system can be installed to restrict access to only those who are authorized.
Cameras are an easy and inexpensive way to do many of these tasks.
“They’re very inexpensive today, so we like to have a lot of ‘eyes’ covering all the doorways and openings to the building as well as up on the roof,” Mr. Carr said.
The trick with cameras, however, is that someone on staff must watch the monitors.
