Society Security Guards & Cleaners : An Ode

Apr 22,2020 / By Karnika / No Comment

Stay Home, Stay Safe. If this is your mantra for survival through the Covid-19 crisis, then indeed you are blessed. However, that is not the fate of several individuals around us whose services have been deemed essential, either by government order or by the need of this hour. Some of these people cross our paths everyday, namely the society security guards and cleaners.

Coronavirus or not, our society security guards and cleaners are often the heroes of our communities without the cape. Their importance is only highlighted intensely in this situation. The security guards and cleaners are the residential communities’ frontline workers in this battle against COVID-19. Everyday, in thousands of residential communities across the country, security guards and cleaners are reporting for duty.

How Are Society Security Guards And Cleaners Helping to Contain The Pandemic?

With social distancing and isolation being the norm, a lot about how apartment complexes function has changed. There is a bar on the entrance of visitors, delivery personnel and domestic staff. The security guards are in charge of making sure this barring works. It is no mean feat to ensure this barring is implemented in a community of 200+ or 500+ or 1500+ units.

Contactless deliveries has become the new law in all housing societies. Correct receipt of all parcels, food or non food items, has become the responsibility of the security guards. It is their efficiency that is contributing to residents safely receiving their packages even at a time like this, without any confusion. Imagine the logistics security guards have to handle now when they take responsibility for implementing contactless deliveries for hundreds of families. It is also these guards, who besides their regular work of manning the gates, are ensuring all packages are received by the residents properly. A 1500+ units community in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal is using it’s society security force as internal volunteers to assist senior citizens of the community. The force has risen high beyond their call of duty.

Another 300+ units apartment complex in Caranzalem, Goa rely on their security force to coordinate the delivery vans coming to the community with essential goods for the residents. They are working 24*7 for our safety, our convenience.

What About The Cleaners?

Imagine what if your community housekeeping staff decided to not come for work for safety concerns? The strict isolation and no-visitor policy will save you from COVID-19, but the piling garbage and the general lack of cleanliness will only lead to other problems – spread of bacterial or fungal infection, rampant movement of rodents and insects are a few things that come to mind. The cleaners today have become as much part of society security as the guards who patrol our premises.

All communities across the country have equipped security guards and cleaners with proper masks, gloves and aprons for their individual safety. A 3000+ units society in Bangalore has even arranged for the housekeeping staff to go through a complete medicated disinfection process after they are done with their work for the day.

We, at ADDA, take this opportunity to cheer for the unsung heroes of COVID-19 – our beloved society security guards and cleaners. They have shown us the true spirit of our motto to Rise High. We congratulate them for their sincere service to keep us safe in these unpredictable times.

Here is the link of a certificate we designed to show our gratitude to the community staff without whom we couldn’t have fought this battle so well. Please feel free to download it, fill up the gaps and present it to our foot soldiers to bring a smile on their face.

Society Security And Cleaners Appreciation Certificate

Capture Of Appreciation Certificate

For Management Committee Residents

Snakes and Apartment Safety: Prevention & Tips

Dec 18,2019 / By Karnika / No Comment

Gatekeeper Security

Every living being, humans, plants, animals have equal rights to the resources on this planet. However, it will be foolhardy to not be conscious of threats certain animals pose to the human populace, and take sustainable measures to deal with this law of nature.

With the advent of the monsoons, snakes are a common sight everywhere. Apartment complexes provide a safe alternative to their natural habitat. However, by following a few simple steps, apartment management committees can deal with this issue sustainably without compromising on Apartment Safety.

Precautions apartment management committees can take to avoid snake nesting

Discourage planting low dense shrubs in common area. Such vegetation are used as nesting grounds for snakes.
Encourage regular checks of nooks and corners, gardens to ensure there are no nesting grounds. Clean common areas regularly with bleach and carbolic acid. Mow the gardens regularly to create low frequency vibrations on the ground to deter snakes from nesting underground.
Keep pest infestation at minimum. Snakes prey on rodents, lower reptiles, like lizards and insects. Higher the rodent, reptile and insect population, higher the chances of attracting snakes.
Keep local wildlife office contacts handy. On spotting a snake, immediately inform concerned officials who are trained and equipped to remove the snakes.
Do NOT engage with snakes without proper training.

What To Do If You Are Bitten By A Snake?

Seek medical attention as quickly as possible.
Apply first aid treatment:
- Remove any jewelry or watches, as these could cut into the skin if swelling occurs, quickening the venom spread in the bloodstream.
- Keep the area of the bite below the level of the heart in order to slow the spread of venom through the bloodstream.
- Remain still and calm. Moving around will make venom spread faster through the body. Do not remove any clothes since it will only lead to unnecessary movements.
- Clean the bite wound after bleeding stops with a wet sterilised cloth or cotton and soap. Try to avoid running water on the wound until medical assistance arrives. Be sure to wipe in the direction away from the wound.
- The main goal is to administer the correct antivenom as soon as possible. Knowing the size, color and shape of the snake can help Preventions determine the best treatment for a particular bite.
- Monospecific antivenoms treat the bite of a specific type of snake, while polyspecific antivenoms can treat bites from a number of snakes found in a particular geographic region. Therefore, mentioning the region where the snake bite has occurred is mandatory.

What Not To Do In The Event of A Snake Bite?

Don’t apply ice on the snake bite as the ice may block blood circulation.
Don’t suck the blood out with your mouth (germs in the mouth may cause infection in the bite wound) and you may be also exposing yourself to the venom.
Do not tourniquet any spot around the bite wound. Rather, use splints and bandages to support and tie areas lightly around bite wounds to decrease movement.
Don’t attempt to cut the wound.
Don’t attempt to guess whether the snake was venomous or not, based on its physical characteristics.

Prevention Is Always Better Than Cure

Snake bite is one of the most underrated causes of accidental deaths in India. The number of deaths due to snake bite, peaks in the monsoon months of June to September. While rural areas bear the brunt of the bulk of these deaths, urban areas are not spared of this unfortunate situation. However, apartment complexes have the necessary resources to ensure the prevention of snake bite related accidents. Let small workshops and seminars be conducted on weekends making residents aware of prevention measures as well as first aid measures. Posters demonstrating the do’s and don’ts in the event of snake bites can be put up on notice boards. Let every resident have access to numbers of the local wildlife boards.

We have technology and modern amenities on our side. A little advance preparation can go a long way to deal with the problem of snakes and snake bites in a sustainable manner while protecting both the animals and humans.

Snake Bite Poster

Download this Poster

For Management Committee Residents

Safety of Children in Apartments- Common Area Electric Issues

Dec 18,2019 / By admin / No Comment

We are inexpressibly saddened by the accident that happened in an Apartment Community recently where a 6 year old boy got electrocuted.

The little one was playing in the common area, the most common sight in the evenings in every gated community. While retrieving a ball he touched a lamp post which apparently was short-circuited.

The loss of the life is irreparable for the parents, we can hardly imagine the state of the mind when such a thing happens in one of the safest places they have chosen to be – a gated community.

However, there are risks of such electrocution in many gated communities. Common Area Lighting, Decoration lights during festivals, all such electricity usages that are kept openly accessible in common area (and hence to children) must be heavily safeguarded and periodically audited.

We must look inward – what is in our control – and ensure not another child or adult falls in such high-risk deathtrap. Here is a picture of the garden lamps in the author’s own community. Very easily accessible by children.

GateKeeper Children Safety

WHAT CAN I CHECK FOR IN MY GATED COMMUNITY

Here are some tips regards to this incident we can come up with. Please share any you may have.

1) In common areas, wall mount lighting instead of mounting them on iron poles.

2) If poles are unavoidable create an insulating barrier around the poll – made of fibre/wood or other insulators.

3) Enforce safety standards for Decorational lighting during community events – most carelessness happens in this area in the rush of festive preparations.

4) Perform a weekly audit of all such electrical equipment out in the open in the common area, check for proper wiring and insulation best practices (e.g., in older communities common area lamp posts do not have switches. Instead, they have wires that have to be connected and disconnected each time – keeping open high risks of a stray strand of wire coming in touch with the pole. )

RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL RESIDENTS

Found a hanging cable or open electric point? Snap a picture on the ADDA app > Helpdesk, do your duty to report.

Each Resident is the eye and ear of the maintenance team. A living community is one of the most complex infrastructures, maintained with constrained resources. A community that takes responsibility to be the ear and eye of the Maintenance Team can mitigate such Safety Risks.

GENERIC TIPS TO AVOID SUCH FUTURE INCIDENTS

Common area electrical installations exposed to the public are considered for review as under

Test ELR ( Earth Leakage Relay) periodically in the electric panel.
Individual light poles erected to be in touch with the ground to enable tripping of ELR
Avoid lose wiring
Tightening screws of the MCB connected to electric poles
Ensure external electrical panels are covered and locked always.
Waterproofing tapes to be used for external wiring connections.
Armored cables are to be used While laying cable in soil/garden
Armour portion of Armoured cable should be in contact with the panel.
Gardeners should be educated about the cables laid in the garden area.
Vegetation growth around the electrical panel and poles should be cleaned.

The above-mentioned pointers are courtesy of Mr. Vinod KC (Brigade Group)

For Management Committee

Conventional Security Systems v/s Modern Security Systems in Apartment Complexes

Dec 18,2019 / By Paul Maliakel / No Comment

What comes to your mind when you think of a gated community by a prominent builder? Acres of manicured lawns, gardens, happy families, state of the art amenities, pools, people leisurely strolling around and job opportunities for maids and the likes. Pretty much sums it up, right? Ever wondered what comes to the mind of someone with a sinister agenda at the mention of apartment complexes – cars, personal belongings, valuables, countless gadgets, many opportunities for crime and petty theft and much worse.

Pardon us for opening the article on a scary note. But if you give thought to just how much can be stolen or how much damage can be caused inside an apartment complex by one guy with a bad agenda, you’ll realise the need for tight security. Thankfully, for residents’ associations are strict about having security protocols and personnel in place. But unfortunately, in some residents, the system is just not strong enough to hold up against some perpetrators. And some housing societies have guards and CCTVs are just there because it is customary of all gated communities to have them. Such systems sometimes are merely functioning and until it is too late, associations do not realise just how incompetent their security was.

Conventional Security Systems Are Obsolete & Outdated

Let’s discuss about security measures inside apartment complexes. Here’s what they are comprised of –

A band of security guards distributed around the premises, exit/entry gates, clubhouses and other active spots
A CCTV circuit with cameras in every block, clubhouse, kids park and lanes
A record keeping system which is usually a ledger or similar physical entity typically used at the gate.

And that’s pretty much it! Do you realize that all of this cannot do much at preventing crimes? They may discourage crimes to a certain extent but once a crime is happening, not much can be done about it other than merely documenting it.

Here’s why –

Security guards are, at the end of the day, humans. They are prone to error. At the gates, some days have a surge of guests. Entering the details, verifying their identities, allotting parking spots for them etc are time-consuming. This could overwhelm them and they will start speeding up everything increasing chances of sloppy records.
Manually entering each visitors details is not just time-consuming. It also creates a rather long queue at the gate which could extend well into the main road disrupting traffic there. And this is something that annoys the visitors easily. Nobody wants to spend several minutes waiting for their turn.
While CCTVs are vital in any security system, they also need someone to constantly analyse the visuals they are broadcasting. Until there is human intelligence to decipher the visuals and act upon them if needed, CCTVs will merely capture videos of crimes and hazards. They deter crime, but rarely ever stop or even intercept them.
Physical ledgers, books etc kept at the gates can be really bad materials to aid in any investigation if the occasion calls for it. Guards may not have legible handwriting, they could accidentally enter incorrect details, the visitor could provide them details that are false. And such records are easily destroyed within seconds. Water could spill on them, someone could intentionally steal them, burn them or even tear pages out to cover their tracks.
Maintaining staff attendance is another big part of running a society. But such attendance books are so easy to fool, Maid 1 could sign for maid 2 because they are friends. When someone goes back to the records to calculate pay based on days worked, this could be bad. Such records play a big role in identifying the culprits behind crimes. And if they are easy to manipulate, they will be of no help during an investigation.
If a worker was previously removed from the premises for bad conduct, physical measures will do nothing at preventing his return a few years later. The security guards present at the time of him being expelled could no longer be working in the compound. People may fail at identifying that he was the blacklisted employee from a few years back. We’re sure we don’t have to elaborate on what entails if such a person returns.
Visitors who checked in could stay hidden inside the premises and wreak havoc later. If physical ledgers are your only means of recording visitors, they could enter their sign in the timeout column as well while checking in. At the end of the day, when the guard checks the register, he’ll think that everyone has indeed checked out.

We could go on all day about why conventional systems are no longer strong enough to hold fort against anyone with a mind to sneak in and cause harm. Despite this, many apartment complexes continue to stick to outdated measures such as the ones mentioned above.

Associations often hire a band of guards from agencies that provide security personnel. The MCs expect them to have all the training required for the job and rarely provide any training related to their apartment specific needs. Needless to say, this leaves the guards on their own to use whatever limited training they have to guard an entire community with thousands of residents.

Why does this happen? Why do communities get lax about something as vital as security? Simple – it is convenient. It is convenient to pretend that you’ve done everything right until a mishap takes place. But the price you pay for convenience is quite high. Which is why those who are serious about security use a combination of human intelligence and software solutions to put up a near next to unbreachable security.

ADDA GateKeeper: Keeping Crime At Bay, One Apartment At A Time

Software solutions have numerous benefits over conventional manual security measures. They are less prone to error, they work round the clock, are easy to update/upgrade and are tougher to tamper with. Here are some of the features that the Gatekeeper app offers.

ADDA Gatekeeper subscription includes two tablets that the guards would be trained to use. Using this, visitor details, photo capture, attendance records etc can be digitally saved and stored for future use.
Gatekeeper alerts you when a visitor has checked in and has not exited premises even after a considerable length of time. Helps immensely in locating any visitor who is still lurking around.
Biometric parameters will be used to capture staff attendance. That would be very difficult to fake or impersonate. Fingerprints of staff and domestic helpers can be recorded so even if someone gets blacklisted, saved biometric parameters can help the security guards identify them should they try to enter the premises once again.
Digitally stored records are difficult to tamper with. Such records can be accessed by guards and MCs everyday to check for activity within the society.
The ADDA Gatekeeper app comes with an in-built panic alert button for medical and non-medical emergencies. The button can be used to alert personnel at the gates and a safety contact of your choice to come rushing to you. In your situation allows it, you can even enter nature of emergency so that first responders can come prepared to handle your emergency.
The Gatekeeper app can be used to keep track of move in/move out of tenants. Otherwise, you might be clueless about people who move out and still access amenities.
The app will also help you make sure that drinking water tankers are actually emptied by checking tank parameters.
Gatekeeper allows residents to create digital invites that can be shared with guests they are expecting. The guests can then show this at the gate to avoid long queues and procedures to check into the society.

The app packs a very powerful punch and is used by hundreds of apartment complexes within the nation. At ADDA, we understand the dangers of having an incompetent security system which is why we work around the clock to ensure that the Gatekeeper app does everything required to deter, prevent and stop crimes.

Remember, the price you pay for choosing what is convenient over what is effective is way too high. This is a matter that concerns the safety of hundreds of residents who pay you maintenance dues for security and other features. So be wise about your decisions.

Want to check us out? Click here to schedule a demo. We would love to help you out.

Residents

Stop Miscreants Entering Your Apartment using #1 Visitor Management System

Jun 14,2017 / By ambili / No Comment

There’s a reason why everyone prefers to reside in a gated community. There are various amenities, a sense of being a part of a large family and above all, better security than in independent houses. Most apartments do have guards, CCTV surveillance and very vigilant residents. So while this definitely puts them at a higher level of security, some isolated incidents still manage to happen and that instills fear in all of us. visitor management system

So, how do you stop miscreants from slipping into a society and committing crimes?

There are the obvious options –

Increasing the number of security guards on duty
More CCTV cameras
Drills for the residents to be vigilant all the time and to report any activity that seems suspicious
Stricter rules for checking people in

There are quite a few things that can be done to ramp up security. But the thing is this – All these measures, even when implemented in the best possible way, are obsolete.

Tag Archives: community security