Physical Security and Access Control
- Access permissions assigned to current employees
- Former employees who may still appear in access systems
- Camera placement and recording functionality
- Alarm system testing and reporting procedures
- Areas where building use has changed since the beginning of the year
- Blind spots created by renovations, furniture changes, or operational adjustments
Workplace Violence Prevention Procedures
A workplace violence prevention review should focus on one question: if an employee notices concerning behavior tomorrow, would they know exactly what to do?
Workplace violence prevention procedures rarely remain static. Managers change roles, new employees join the company, reporting responsibilities shift, and lessons learned from incidents may lead to procedural adjustments. A security audit provides an opportunity to confirm that those changes have not created confusion about how concerns should be identified, reported, documented, or escalated.
SHIELD recommends reviewing:
How employees report security concerns
Who receives those reports
Whether management responsibilities have changed
Whether workplace incidents have been reviewed and documented appropriately
Whether newly hired employees have received the same guidance as existing staff
Employee surveys can provide valuable insight during this portion of the audit. Procedures may appear clear on paper while employees remain uncertain about who should be contacted or what happens after a concern is reported.
Training records should also be reviewed.
De-Escalation Training
Employees who regularly interact with customers, clients, visitors, vendors, patients, or members of the public may encounter situations that become emotionally charged. Reviewing participation in De-Escalation Training helps determine whether staff members have the skills needed to manage those interactions before they develop into larger security concerns.
Behavioral Threat Assessment Training
Behavioral Threat Assessment Training is particularly valuable for supervisors and managers responsible for receiving concerns from employees. During an audit, organizations should verify that personnel responsible for reviewing reports understand how to recognize warning signs, document observations, and elevate concerns when additional evaluation becomes necessary.
A workplace violence prevention procedure becomes significantly stronger when employees understand how concerns move through the system and when leadership understands how to respond once those concerns arrive.
Emergency Response Procedures
Emergency procedures are one of the easiest parts of a security program to overlook because they may sit untouched for months or even years without being used.
At the same time, businesses rarely remain unchanged. A response plan that accurately reflected the business when it was written may no longer match how the business operates today.
A mid-year security audit provides an opportunity to verify that emergency procedures still reflect current conditions.
SHIELD recommends reviewing:
Emergency contact information
Employee response assignments
Evacuation routes and facility maps
Communication procedures during incidents
Vendor and contractor responsibilities during emergencies
Incident reporting procedures
The review should focus on practicality. Employees should know where to find emergency procedures, understand what is expected of them during an incident, and know who is responsible for making decisions when normal operations are interrupted.
Training records should also be reviewed.
Critical Incident Response Training
Critical Incident Response Training prepares employees and leadership teams to make informed decisions during emergencies, disruptive events, and other high-risk situations. During an audit, businesses should verify that personnel responsible for emergency response have completed appropriate training and that newly hired employees have not been overlooked.
Tabletop Exercises
Tabletop Exercises allow leadership teams to evaluate emergency procedures against realistic scenarios before an actual incident occurs. These discussions frequently reveal assumptions, communication gaps, or responsibilities that were never clearly assigned.
For that reason, SHIELD frequently recommends incorporating tabletop exercises into the audit process itself. Walking through a realistic scenario can quickly demonstrate whether a plan remains practical, understood, and aligned with current operations.
Emergency procedures are most effective when employees are familiar with them before an incident occurs rather than learning them while responding to one.
Visitor, Vendor, and Contractor Access Procedures
A review of visitor, vendor, and contractor access procedures should focus on a straightforward question: does the business know who is entering the facility, why they are there, and where they are allowed to go?
Visitor management procedures are usually established for a reason. Over time, however, familiarity can replace process. Employees begin recognizing regular vendors. Contractors become a common sight around the facility. Deliveries arrive through the same entrance every week. As a result, individuals who would normally be checked in, escorted, or documented may gradually move through the facility with less oversight than originally intended.
A mid-year security audit provides an opportunity to verify that accountability remains in place and that access procedures continue supporting the security needs of the business.
SHIELD recommends reviewing:
Visitor sign-in procedures
Contractor access permissions
Vendor escort requirements
Temporary access credentials
Delivery procedures
Visitor and contractor accountability records
This portion of the audit should also evaluate whether procedures are being followed consistently. A policy may be well written and still fail to provide value if daily practices no longer match the documented process.
The size of the business may influence how these procedures are managed. A professional office may rely on reception staff and a visitor log. A warehouse, manufacturing facility, healthcare provider, or multi-building campus may require multiple access points, designated delivery areas, contractor check-in procedures, and additional oversight.
Conclusion
By the middle of the year, every business has experienced changes in personnel, operations, facilities, or daily routines. A security audit provides an opportunity to verify that security procedures have kept pace with those changes and that important details have not been overlooked.
SHIELD recommends incorporating commercial security audits into regular business operations rather than waiting for an incident to reveal weaknesses in a security program.
Our directors of safety and security support businesses throughout Michigan year-round through commercial security services, workplace violence prevention programs, employee training, security assessments, and long-term corporate security solutions.
If your business is looking for a security partner that understands both daily operations and long-term risk management, contact SHIELD to learn how our team can help strengthen your security program.