Beacon International launch a new decontamination lock to increase security for women in our industry.

After the team read the recent article ‘Female analysts and four-stage clearance testing – the need for change’ by Nick Garland, we knew we had to support a change. The story of Collette Willoughby and the other female analysts in the industry is quite harrowing. As much as we know things are changing, more definitely needs to be done.

We took quick action and looked at the best way to provide better and more complete security when female analysts are on-site and need the decontamination units. Our team has extensive practical experience in the industry, and considering the decontamination process, what was feasible and not feasible was soon ruled out.

Influencing factors:

We needed to find a solution to secure the unit at both ends so the female user could go through the decontamination process with peace of mind. We wanted to keep it simple and ensure it remained secured for as long as needed. This meant it must unlock from the clean end as you can’t go back through to the dirty end. Sure locks could be tampered with from the outside. We also wanted something that, in an emergency, could be easily disarmed without being too fiddly.

The solution:

Danny Black, one of Beacon’s directors who has spent 16 years in the industry, put forward a potential solution for testing. The answer was an electromagnetic lock that could be activated with a button once the female analyst closed the door at the dirty end. This would lock the clean end simultaneously, securing both units for the use duration. In addition, the team installed a lock on a unit for trialling. We also invited industry professionals to provide feedback. It was essential to ensure it was a viable solution before we took it to final testing and the market.

Beacon International is proud to announce that this lock, the Decon Electromagnetic Lock is available to order as a retrofit to any of our units. This is a bespoke solution, so it doesn’t come as standard. We will continue to review this and how it might become a standard fixture in the future.

Beacon is continually looking at how we can innovate and bring positive change to our industry. If you would like to discuss adding one of these locks to your units or ordering a unit with our new lock functionality, please don’t hesitate to contact your local branch, where one team will be happy to help.