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Controlling access for people and vehicles

When it comes to access control, the security requirements of mines and the industrial sector are similar, requiring a layered approach that combines physical barriers, digital authentication, and continuous monitoring to protect personnel, assets, and operational continuity. Key requirements include securing perimeters with fencing and automated gates, restricting entry to critical areas via biometrics or multi-factor authentication, and integrating systems with surveillance and cybersecurity measures.

Image credit: Gemini.

Often, these environments integrate surveillance operations in which access control systems are linked to AI-powered video surveillance to provide visual verification of access events and deter criminal behaviour. Additionally, RFID technology is often used to track personnel and asset locations in real time for safety compliance and emergency response in both underground and open-pit environments.

John Lakin

Wouter Du Toit

To find out more about what is available and being used in these sectors, SMART Security Solutions asked three access control experts for their insights into mining and industrial access control. Our questions went to:

• John Lakin, director of sales META at STid,

• Hynek Pindak, sales director at Flow Systems, and

• Wouter Du Toit, business development manager for Africa at IDEMIA.

What works?

SMART Security: What access control needs do mines and industrial facilities have? Consider security, identity verification, and durability for harsh environments. What are the best solutions, and are these organisations adopting facial recognition over fingerprint scans?

Lakin: This subject is split into two. The first concerns personnel and their movements; the second concerns vehicle and asset movements. It is fair to say that any solution offered must be fit for purpose. Geographically, many of these facilities are not conveniently located for technical support, so reliability and robustness are top priorities for all parties involved. Specialist areas may require specific ATEX-rated products (equipment and protective systems designed and certified to operate safely in potentially explosive atmospheres), and an understanding of these products is essential for their installation as part of an overall solution.

Personnel: Mines and harsh-environment facilities have several requirements, all of which require careful consideration before implementation. Facial recognition with good AI is proving to be one of the more reliable and robust methods of people verification. A high-quality template at the outset gives the best chance of verifying field accuracy. Its ability to increase personnel throughput, whilst still providing accurate verification means that this kind of implementation will remain the preferred methodology for the foreseeable future.

Vehicles: Efficient, secure throughput of authorised vehicles and the ability to track site-wide movements have led this market to recognise the need to adopt UHF technology. UHF has, for many years, been a dark art, with effective implementations, field reliability, and accuracy as variables. With the advent of modern UHF readers with fully field-configurable feature sets, scalable security levels, easy-to-source vehicle tags, and robust structures, this previously fragile solution is now proving to be the default for many mining and industrial groups.

Pindak: Mines require durable, dependable equipment capable of 24/7 operation, including demanding night shifts. Equipment failure or an inability to handle high traffic and heavy usage can be a significant liability. Since 1975, Flow Systems’ full-height mine turnstiles have been tried and tested across the industry. Available in single- and double-configuration options, the turnstile systems can be equipped with integrated breathalysers, random-search facilities, and quarter-lock versions to meet specific security needs.

Du Toit: From an IDEMIA perspective, mining and industrial sites require access control systems that support zero-tolerance policies, in which any failure in identity verification can lead to safety incidents, compliance breaches, or operational risks. These environments demand absolute identity assurance, preventing credential sharing and ensuring that only authorised personnel access hazardous areas.

At the same time, mines are adopting, Zero Trust principles (never trust, always verify), making biometric authentication essential. Traditional methods such as cards or PINs are no longer sufficient, as they do not prove true identity. However, harsh conditions such as dust and moisture, as well as the use of PPE, including helmets and masks, limit the effectiveness of many technologies. While facial recognition is often considered, it struggles with PPE obstruction and environmental variability, making it less reliable in zero-tolerance environments.

MorphoWave is ideally suited to these challenges. Its contactless fingerprint technology captures four fingerprints in a single hand wave, delivering fast and accurate identification even with worn or dirty fingers. By combining high security, reliability, and throughput, MorphoWave enables mines to enforce Zero Trust and zero-tolerance policies effectively, making it the preferred solution over facial recognition in demanding industrial environments.

This does not mean that facial recognition or contact fingerprint solutions are not options. Both can be used depending on the specific area of concern and the volume of people to be managed. IDEMIA readers are designed to scale across any environment, with security at their core.

SMART Security: Are mines and industrial facilities implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) like cards and fingerprints for access control? What are the benefits of MFA for these companies?

Lakin: In production environments, two-factor authentication proves difficult. The traditional two-factor approach is a mix of cards, PINs, and biometrics, and where speed and accuracy are key, there is little room for two-factor authentication. In these environments, a quality-driven single factor should be sufficient for the task at hand.

Once we move into the administration part of the business, the story may be different, as there will be other security drivers. It is less about speed and more about ensuring the right people have access to appropriate areas. Server rooms, control suites, and other sensitive areas will be handled differently from production areas.

Pindak: These environments do use MFA; for example, cards are used to access the mine premises, and biometrics (e.g., hand or finger technology) are used to enter the change house and/or shaft. The more checks, the less the chance of unauthorised people entering.

Du Toit: Many mines and industrial facilities are adopting multi-factor authentication (MFA) to strengthen access control in situations where safety is not at stake. Common implementations include card-plus-biometric or biometric-on-card systems in high-throughput areas, with additional competency checks or role validation for critical zones.

MFA provides multiple benefits in mining and industrial environments:

• Stronger security and true identity assurance – Combining a card with biometrics, such as MorphoWave, ensures access is granted based on who the person is, reducing unauthorised entry.

• Safety and compliance – Access can be linked to certification, training, or role-based permissions, supporting zero-tolerance policies in hazardous areas.

• Auditability – Each access event is tied to a verified individual, creating a reliable audit trail for compliance and incident review.

• Operational flexibility – MFA allows different security levels for general versus high-risk areas without slowing workflow.

In harsh mining conditions, contactless, robust biometric systems like MorphoWave provide fast, accurate, and reliable authentication, making MFA practical and effective without compromising efficiency.

Flow Systems HD Booms.

Controlling vehicle access

SMART Security: What solutions are available for managing vehicle access and egress? Can these systems be integrated with personnel access control to verify who is driving and whether they have permission to do so?

Lakin: UHF solutions are the most common for managing vehicle access. Because of their open architecture and common communication protocols, they are easy to integrate with all access control platforms. This enables pairing and confirming driver and vehicle identities before allowing access or egress. The access control platform needs to be configured to pair the two identifiers and only allow the action if both are approved. The device used to verify the driver’s identity is not dictated by the UHF solution, and the customer is left to choose their preferred method for personnel identification.

Pindak: Standard boom gates of various lengths (3m, 4,5m and 6m) are offered as well as heavy-duty barrier booms. Specifically designed for mining, these gates are built for durability in harsh, dusty, or remote environments and can withstand attacks from 20-ton trucks at high speeds. Other options include:

• Rapid access barriers: High-speed barriers, often with integrated LED lights, allow for quick, efficient, and safe vehicle movement at entry/exit points.

• Portable access control containers: For dynamic sites, self-sufficient access

control containers can be used at various sites for a month or a year, then at a different site.

• Spike barriers: For high-security areas to prevent unauthorised vehicles from entering or leaving and to deter theft.

Automated vehicle identification solutions include:

• Long-range RFID systems: Tags attached to vehicles to allow fixed readers to automatically identify and track vehicles up to 10 metres away, even at high speeds.

• Licence plate recognition (LPR): Cameras automatically identify authorised vehicles, allowing them to pass through barriers without the driver having to stop or use a physical card.

• Combined driver/vehicle identification: Systems that verify both the vehicle and the specific driver (using Bluetooth or RFID tags).

Du Toit: IDEMIA manufactures a portable biometric workstation (ID Screen, Android-based) that can be customised to capture and verify biometric data and support operational requirements, such as validating driver competencies. It can be integrated with automatic licence plate recognition for real-time vehicle verification, biometric checks to ensure that the individual operating the vehicle is authorised, and personnel access control systems that link driver identity, vehicle information, and access permissions within a single platform.

This integrated approach delivers enhanced security and compliance by ensuring only authorised personnel operate or move vehicles within site boundaries, creates a full audit trail where every vehicle movement is tied to a verified individual in line with Zero Trust and zero-tolerance policies, improves operational efficiency by reducing bottlenecks at entry and exit points through automated checks, and mitigates risk by limiting unauthorised vehicle use in hazardous areas.

By combining robust biometric identity management with vehicle identification and monitoring, mines and industrial sites can establish a holistic, secure, and efficient access control ecosystem.

Integrated access management

SMART Security: Do your access control solutions secure only the perimeter, or do they also offer integrated internal access management? Can your systems combine modalities like card access and biometrics? Do they integrate with centralised management platforms?

Lakin: Everything we offer is scalable and, because of its open nature, fully integratable with all other systems. Multiple technologies can be included in a single device to reduce wall furniture.

Pindak: Yes, we do both. Normally, at the perimeter, the mine would use turnstiles for access control. As miners descended the mine shaft, they would clock in, and T&A; systems are utilised.

Du Toit: We provide comprehensive access control solutions that go far beyond simple perimeter protection. While securing the perimeter is critical, industrial and mining environments require layered access control throughout the site, including internal restricted zones, hazardous areas, and high-value asset locations.

Our systems are designed to combine multiple authentication modalities seamlessly: card-based access, biometric verification (contact and contactless), QR code, PIN,

and mobile. This flexible approach ensures Zero Trust enforcement, linking identity verification to location, role, and operational context.

All our access control solutions can be integrated with centralised management platforms, providing:

• Real-time monitoring of personnel movement across multiple access points.

• Audit trails for compliance and incident investigation.

• Unified management of personnel, biometrics, cards, and even vehicle access.

• Easy integration with third-party security or operational platforms.

By offering modular, scalable, and fully integrated access control, IDEMIA enables organisations to implement layered security that is both flexible and enforceable, ensuring that the right people access the right areas at the right time.

Flow Systems Mine Biometric QuarterLocks.

Solutions to streamline access control

SMART Security: What solutions does your company offer to the mining and industrial sectors to streamline their access control and identity management processes?

Lakin: As a reader manufacturer, we operate in a very similar fashion to the tyre industry. We specialise in provisioning the control platforms with accurate, securely transmitted data for them to interpret and manage.

Pindak: Flow Systems offers turnstile counting systems to ensure that the number of miners who go down the mine through our turnstiles aligns with the access control system and that the same number comes back up. It also ensures that lifts are not overcrowded; once the maximum number of miners has entered the lift, the turnstile will automatically lock, and no more miners will be able to access the lift.

We also offer random-search turnstiles, whereby miners are searched at random to avoid accusations of prejudice, etc. This also allows the flow of people to increase, rather than searching every person, which would slow movement considerably. Breathalysers can also be integrated with our turnstiles to ensure workers do not enter the workplace under the influence of alcohol.

Du Toit: IDEMIA offers comprehensive access control and identity management solutions for mining and industrial operations, combining physical and logical identity management to secure both people and digital resources.

Physical identity management:

• Contactless biometrics with MorphoWave enables fast, accurate identification, even in harsh environments with worn or dirty fingerprints.

• Multi-modal authentication: biometrics, QR, card, PIN, and mobile enforces Zero Trust and zero-tolerance policies.

• Integrated internal and perimeter access control secures restricted zones, hazardous areas, and high-value assets.

• Vehicle access management links drivers to verified personnel for a unified security approach.

• Integration into third-party command and control, visitor, and T&A; platforms.

• A wide range of contact and contactless devices to meet client requirements.

Logical Identity Management

• Digital credentials and secure authentication for IT systems, control rooms, and operational applications.

• Centralised platforms to monitor and control physical and digital access in real time.

• Audit trails and reporting for compliance, safety, and operational oversight.

• Biometric onboarding ensures every employee, contractor, and visitor is uniquely enrolled without duplication, establishing a trusted root of identity.

By unifying physical and logical identity management, IDEMIA enables mines and industrial facilities to streamline operations, reduce risk and maintain full oversight of access to areas and systems, delivering a secure, efficient and fully auditable identity ecosystem.

For more information, contact Flow Systems Manufacturers, +27 11 762 2453, info@flowsystems.co.za, www.flowsystems.co.za

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