By Caryn Smith (c) 2012, All Rights Reserved

The most effective security often involves simply knowing whether
or not a person belongs in a given area. Sensitive documents,
dangerous equipment, research facilities, and building
construction are just some of the reasons you might need to
restrict access to certain locations. The trouble is, it’s not
always easy to identify someone who is out of place.

Keep Restricted Areas Safe

In manufacturing facilities, it’s not uncommon to see areas of
restricted access designed to keep staff, visitors, and even your
equipment safe. Whatever the reason, it’s important for
management to be able to quickly spot unauthorized visitors.
Providing staff with custom lanyards is one way to ensure you’ll
always know who’s allowed on site and who is not.

Different colored lanyards can be used to signify level of
access. Upper management might wear green to indicate they have
full access to the building, while lower-level employees could
wear colors that correspond only to their department or work
area. This eliminates the need to identify everyone by face,
which, in a large factory, can be an impossible task.

In addition, lanyards make carrying picture ID cards convenient,
and virtually eliminate the “where do I carry it” dilemma. In the
case of swipe cards, there’s an added benefit of always having
your card near available – no wallet fumbling while your hands
are full of other things.

Quickly Identify Visitors

In large institutions where many hundreds of people come and go
every day, it can be especially difficult to spot those who are
just visiting. Asking guests to sign in and wear a visitor’s
badge is a good start, but far too often the guest badges are
identical to those worn by the staff. Instead, provide colored
lanyards to staff and guests alike, differentiating the two with
opposite colors.

For example, if teachers in your high school wear white lanyards
with purple letters, and students wear purple with white letters,
order gold lanyards for guests. You’ll know at a glance if that
person you don’t recognize is a student, staff, or just visiting.
For added security, a different color visitor lanyard for each
day of the week can deter those with bad intentions from simply
stealing one for later use.

It’s not just schools that benefit from this at-a-glance
identification, either. Maternity wards, nursing homes, and other
medical facilities cautiously watch the comings and goings of
patients and visitors. Color-coded lanyards can help staff
determine quickly if someone is out of place or potentially needs
help.

If keeping staff and visitors safe is your job, color-coded
lanyards can be a cost-effective solution. Look for a supplier
that offers a choice of material and imprint options along with a
range of widths. Top vendors will provide a variety of
attachments at no additional charge, and offer fast turnaround on
orders of any size. In addition, design help should be readily
available to ensure you get the best lanyard for the job.

Caryn Smith is Manager of Lapel Pins R Us. When you need custom
lanyards, visit http://www.lapelpinsrus.com/lanyards.html today.