Bristol Water has become one of a growing number of utility companies choosing access management specialist Traka to provide its key control systems. Installing the Traka system has given Bristol Water full audit capability of all its critical keys, many of which are used to secure reservoirs and water treatment works, and enables the company to comply with health and safety regulations.
"We had a situation where everyone was carrying around bunches of keys and we recognised that this was not acceptable in an organisation which is part of the critical National Infrastructure," says Martin Harvey, Bristol Water's Security Manager. With overall responsibility for everything from padlocks on perimeter fences through to risk assessments and security contracts.
Having realised the degree of control and management information the Traka system could offer, Bristol Water ran a very successful three-month trial. Board approval was sought and quickly granted to install a further 22 systems across the entire company. The whole project was completed in just three months, with final installation at the 22 separate sites undertaken in only four days. All the Traka cabinets installed are networked to a central management point and provide full accountability for all critical key transactions. Key management for the 178 staff who use keys is now locally deployed from regional hub locations, meaning less travelling time for staff accessing keys to different locations. The Traka system ensures that every key user is now accountable, responsible and can be easily traced!
"From the original presentation, through to the engineers and account manager, the Traka staff have all been very professional," comments Martin Harvey. "Every site worked first time with no problems - it was great team work, well planned and very well co-ordinated."
"Key management is a utility-wide problem but, thanks to Traka, we at Bristol Water have been able to address these issues very effectively," adds Martin. "The installation of Traka has brought about a culture change throughout the organisation."
Bristol Water is one of 25 utility companies in the UK supplying drinking water and services to over a million domestic water users across the Bristol area, managing 14 raw water reservoirs, 16 treatment works, 164 pumping stations and 139 covered treated water storage reservoirs.
The Traka system is used extensively in the UK and 25 other countries, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The company continues to work on the development of the system as new improvements and technologies arise. Traka is used in many different market sectors, among them Distribution and MHE Management; Fleet Management; Property Access Control (in prisons, utilities, hospitals and schools); Casinos; Petrochemical and Mining; Airports, Docks and Railways and Military and Emergency Services.