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Hygienic access control

There is nowhere more important for the promotion of hygiene and the prevention of the spreading of germs than in the healthcare industry. Hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and even laboratories need to be hygienic and uncontaminated by unwashed hands, the known carriers of most superbugs.

These locations also have the need for some extraordinary security measures. Access to maternity wards, hospital pharmacies and hospital and clinic supply stores, and even operating theatres need special measures. It is critically important to ensure that only designated hospital staff enter specific areas like operating theatres, delivery wards and that they are correctly verified as being authorised to do so.

Derek Udemans, marketing and sales manager of Uniclox Technologies, says that his company has been busy installing its product, the HandKey ll, in a number of private hospitals around the country.

“The great thing about the HandKey ll is that it is an advanced access verification system for hospital employees. It has three main elements. A keypad with which to punch in a pin number, a hand geometry system which can accurately identify a member of staff even if he/she is wearing clinical rubber gloves, and a visual and audio recognition option. This renders the system fool-proof,” Udemans said.

A massive benefit of this hand punch is that it eliminates buddy punching, whereby one staff member clocks in for another, and it has an anti-microbial base plate which helps minimise the spread of unwelcome germs.

The Uniclox HandKey 11 also comes with an RFID option and can be used as a standalone access system at a particular security point, or it can be integrated into an entire time and access management system that supports the hospital’s HR and payroll function. It can withstand temperatures up to 45 degrees Celsius and humidity levels of up to 80%.

The hand punch is supported by a number of Uniclox software options, including the Vision Attendance Software.

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