Security Is In The Air

Apr 1, 2003 12:00 PM, Larry Anderson, Editor

           

Vulnerabilities to attack come in all shapes and sizes, and some are more obvious than others. Even mindful security directors, those who try to plan for every worst-case scenario, can be at risk of overlooking a less obvious vulnerability. And wherever there is a weakness, unfortunately, an attacker often finds it.

One type of vulnerability that could use more attention is a building's heating and air conditioning system, suggests the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). A building's climate system, capable of spreading any airborne substance and with vents reaching every corner of a facility, is an obvious target for any attacker using a chemical or biological weapon. And yet how many security departments are focused on securing their facility's HVAC system as part of a comprehensive security program?

ASHRAE appointed a study group to propose actions to reduce the health and safety risks to occupants of buildings and to guide managers of new and existing buildings about protection of air, water and food systems within buildings.

Like so many other security issues, this one often comes down to access control. Entry of visitors, employees, tenants, delivery persons and other special persons should be considered. Increasing building physical security can minimize the opportunity for a deliberate internal release of a chemical or biological agent.

Building occupants have come to expect 100 percent reliability from the infrastructure that serves them — most are not aware of how vulnerable and interdependent these systems are.

One suggestion from ASHRAE is that outdoor air intakes should be located so as to be protected from external sources of contamination. Also, the building envelope should be designed to minimize liquid transfer, as well as air and water vapor infiltration. Such efforts should reduce both building vulnerability and energy use while providing a healthy and comfortable environment for occupants.

The sheer number of commercial buildings in the United States hints at the size of the problem. There are 4.7 million commercial buildings that comprise 67.3 billion square feet of floor space — more than the total area of Delaware. ASHRAE urges managers to assess risks systematically, to develop options to mitigate the risks, to rank options according to cost and effectiveness, and to implement solutions based on the rankings.

For a copy of the ASHRAE report “Risk Management Guidance For Health, Safety and Environmental Security Under Extraordinary Incidents,” visit www.ashrae.org.

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This month in Access Control

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