Physical Security Risk Assessment

If you haven’t assessed your physical security risks in the past five years,

BPS has the knowledge and experience to guide you through the steps critical to assessing your security risk. Let us help you eliminate crime before it happens with a simple physical security risk assessment project.

• Prevent incidents and criminal activity.
• “Informs your COVID-19 return to work strategy” for access control management.
• Compliance with the OSHA General Duty Clause.
• Learn where you can be victimized by criminals or terrorists.
• Identify holistic mitigation strategies to reduce security risk to people, assets and information.
• Stage implementation of recommendations at your own pace rather than hastily responding or overreacting after a security incident.
• Secure funding for security improvements by making a compelling business case. (Management will sometimes react more rapidly to third party recommendations or those that are well supported with crime and other data analysis).
• Identify to all stakeholders what needs to be protected, why and from whom.
• Implement many improvements without a capital investment. Typically, 80% of BPS’ security risk assessment recommendations can be implemented without expending capital.
• Identify emergency scenarios and calibrate emergency response and business continuity plans accordingly.
• Defend against frivolous litigation.

What is the best way to determine if your security is adequate? Read our blog on The Three Components of a Security Risk Assessment

Take steps now to put your organization in a better position to mitigate both known and potential attacks. BPS is ready to help.

You risk assessment will be planned in three phases:

1. Planning Prior to Field Deployment – BPS’ success is attributed to our meticulous planning and execution of client security risk assessments.
   • Initiate a request for information from the Client to gather relevant documents to support the project.
   • Collect crime data from local law enforcement and other relevant sources
   • Develop a facility threat profile including an inventory of credible security scenarios (e.g., workplace violence, theft, vandalism).
2. Fieldwork and Site Visit – BPS will execute the following process during all field work to enable the Client to meet project goals and most importantly, prioritize future investments in technical and procedural security to the areas where it is needed most.

• • Validate the facility threat profile
  • Interview managers and other key stakeholders
  • Tour the facility and grounds
  • Observe operations
  • Deliberate to classify and rank risks
  • Make a preliminary exit presentation on early findings and projected recommendations

How security risk is analyzed:

Risk is analyzed and score considering three elements per global risk assessment standards:

• Probability of occurrence. How likely is it an incident will occur?
• Consequences if an incident were to occur. How bad will it be if the incident occurs?
• Preparedness to prevent an incident from occurring. How well is the organization positioned to prevent the incident?
  • In determining the level of preparedness for prevention and response, BPS will assess hundreds of individual elements of your security program during site inspections, interviews and documentation review.

Scoring the Final Risk for each Scenario.  Security scenarios for each facility or department will be scored on a scale of 3-15 and a risk classification assigned as shown in the matrix above. Utilization of this transparent methodology will enable you to make cost/benefit decisions.

After the initial risk is assigned and for those highest scoring scenarios BPS works to identify options for reducing risk ideally to a moderate level of risk and out of the high and critical levels where they may exist today.  They key is our extensive knowledge on security risk management best practices that can be surgically applied to the areas with the highest existing risk.  After considering a variety of mitigations and assuming those were implemented, BPS will rescore the risks to demonstrate the impact of recommended mitigation strategies.

3. Reporting – BPS will issue a draft and final report at the conclusion of each risk assessment, unless the client wishes to have a verbal briefing.

Typically, within about ten days, you will receive a draft written report that outlines the existing conditions, findings and recommendations.  Like any group of action items, it is always better to have things put in order.  BPS has several methods to prioritize recommendations to assist you in implementation and putting first things first.  After you have had a chance to review the draft report, if there are any edits that need to be made, BPS will make those quickly and return a final report to you with a detailed implementation plan.

BPS typically provides cost estimates for recommendations because leadership’s first question after receiving the recommendations and implementation plan is, “what is this going to cost?” By including the cost estimates with the report, you are ready to get started without delay in better protecting your people, assets and information.

The outline below represents what you can expect in a typical security risk assessment report:

• Table of Contents
• Executive Summary
  • Strengths of the Security Program
  • Threat Assessment
  • Critical Assets
  • Top Risks
  • Top Recommendations
• Detailed Findings and Recommendations
• Cost for Implementation
• Report Addendums