Behind the scenes of GS: each to his own lock and key
The GS-ASE team in charge of access control has an access solution for every type of premises, from radiation-controlled areas to simple administrative offices.
Although CERN is unquestionably open to the world, some of its doors must remain closed for a simple reason: as an industrial site, it must put safety and security at the top of its priorities and control access to certain areas in order to protect people and property from hazards.
The AC (Access Control) section of the GS-ASE group uses a range of access control tools as the type of restrictions varies considerably according to the type of premises or area concerned: the requirements at the entrances to the different CERN sites may be quite different, for example, to those at the entrances to a specific building, a storage area, a workshop or an experiment hall within the fenced part of the CERN site.
“We use different types of access systems at CERN”, explains Rui Nunes, head of the GS-ASE-AC section. “These range from ordinary doors fitted with a simple key to doors with electronic locks, doors with card readers – often combined with a videosurveillance camera – and doors equipped with dosimeter readers. Of course, we also use special access control systems at the entrance points to the accelerators, such as biometric readers.”
The choice of access system depends on various factors, such as the number and type of users, the activities concerned and any hazards, as well as on the degree of restriction required. For example, the new electronic locks that operate with CERN cards are mainly installed in buildings with offices for CERN users. They allow access rights to be managed remotely and to be updated easily in just a few clicks. Dosimeter readers, on the other hand, are essential at the entrances to radiation-controlled areas. They prevent anyone whose radiation dose is too high and whose dosimeter has been invalidated by the Radiation Protection service from entering such areas.
Gate C of the Meyrin site with its new automatic gate and, on the left, the turnstile for cyclists and pedestrians.
“We operate also various systems to control access to the different sites”, adds Nunes. “We’ve recently supplemented the barriers and number-plate readers at Gate C of the Meyrin site with a new automatic gate. We’ve also installed a turnstile for cyclists and pedestrians there (see here) and plan to do the same near Building 864 on the Prévessin site.”
The GS-ASE group works closely with the security guards in managing the comings and goings of the 10,000 people present on the CERN site every day. Their work is facilitated by almost 300 cameras located at strategic points. “While we clearly can’t assign someone to monitor each camera around the clock, we can often resolve mysteries by watching the images back”, says Nunes. “Once, we even watched an attempted theft live! We can take immediate action in such cases in coordination with the local police forces.”
