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To answer how many people are on site right now, you need one register in which every entry has a matching exit, and for everyone: employees, visitors, subcontractors and drivers. Many plants have no such register. Employees swipe their cards at readers, visitors sign a book, drivers are in the entry log and subcontractors are sometimes nowhere at all, so instead of one answer there are several partial ones that nobody adds up in time. This usually comes to light when the question is asked during an alarm, an inspection or after an accident.
Why the list of people on site drifts away from reality
The list of people on site most often loses credibility through unrecorded exits. Everyone registers on the way in, because otherwise they do not get in. On the way out, though, people often leave through whichever gate happens to be open, or behind someone else. The register then shows people who are no longer on site, and within a week nobody uses it, because everyone knows it lies. That is why fixing the list starts with the routes people take out.
The second cause is organisational. Employees, visitors, subcontractors and drivers are four different processes run in four different places, even though physically they are all standing in the same yard. A visitor book, for its part, cannot be searched: to read who is here now, you have to turn several pages and subtract those who have already left, assuming someone wrote down that they left.
What has to be in one register
| Category | Entry recorded by | Exit recorded by |
|---|---|---|
| Employee | reader at the access point | reader at the access point |
| Visitor | reception, card from the pool | card returned |
| Subcontractor | organisation list, temporary card | reader or card returned |
| Driver | entry registration, kiosk | exit registration |
In TraxSystem all four categories go into the same list of people on site, so nobody has to merge four lists into one. The vehicle entry log is part of the base system, while on-site presence for employees, visitors and subcontractors requires the People access control module, whose reader limit grows with the size of the base package. You can price that combination in the pricing configurator; readers and turnstiles are a separate item, like all hardware.
Leaving by the vehicle gate, unreturned cards and staying after hours
Someone who leaves through the vehicle gate does not swipe out. On the organisational side it helps to designate exit routes; on the technical side, to fit a reader on the exit side. A turnstile has two readers, one for each direction, so the direction of passage follows from the reader the card was swiped on.
A visitor who leaves without returning their card leaves a signal behind. A pool card that was issued and not returned means that either the person is still on site or the card has gone missing, and both need to be cleared up.
Sometimes people also stay after hours. Automatic visit closure ends visits longer than a set threshold, so the register is not left holding people who went home three days ago.
What TraxSystem does not know about people on site
The list covers only people registered in the system. Someone who came in through a hole in the fence or behind someone else will not be on it. No software removes that limitation, and it has to be stated plainly, especially when the list is meant to be used for evacuation.
TraxSystem does not locate people on site. It knows that someone is there and, if the entrances to zones have readers, which zone they were in at their last pass, but it does not know exactly where they are standing. The locator in the system covers vehicles only. Nor does the system recognise faces. Identification is by card and personal details, and biometrics are not a basis for access.
Questions and answers
Can we have a list of people on site without readers?
Partly. Drivers and visitors can be registered without a reader, at the gate and at reception. Employees without readers would mean logging entries and exits by hand, and manual logging does not hold up in the long run.
Does the list include people from outside companies?
Yes, through subcontractor lists assigned to organisations. A card from the temporary pool works for a set period.
How quickly can we get the list of people on site?
Immediately. The list is a view updated in real time; it does not have to be generated or requested as a report, so you can use it in a situation where minutes count.
See also: The evacuation list: how to get it in three minutes · The entry log and GDPR: who in the company may see driver data · Time and attendance vs access control: what is the difference