2 0 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7
I
t's common courtesy to hold a
door open for whoever is
behind you, but it's also a huge
security risk in a surgical facility
(osmag.net/wYUQy2). What if the
person who follows an employee
through a locked door or into a
restricted area is up to no good?
Our hospital fell victim last year to so-called tailgating when a former
surgical resident dressed in scrubs followed staff into the ORs, where
she observed surgery and even helped transport a patient.
We have about 1,200 restricted areas in our hospital that require
badge access or a key to enter. But if people are able to follow behind
a staff member without permission, the card readers and locks aren't
effective. We ask all our 18,000 employees to be aware and look
behind them every time they use their badge or a key to enter one of
these areas. They also clip a blue "Be Aware" card (pictured above) to
their employee key-cards to help them remember what to do if some-
one tries to tailgate:
1. Stop. Ask, "Excuse me, can I help you?" Check to see if he has a
facility ID or visitor badge. Explain that the area he's trying to enter is
restricted. The goal is to assess the person's intentions in a non-con-
frontational manner.
2. Challenge. If the person doesn't have a badge or visitor ID, or
doesn't have permission to enter the area, tell him you're not able to let
him in. Validate the person's story. Did he call the nurse's station to
check in? If he's a visitor, whom is he coming to see and where is he
meeting that person?
• AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY Make it everyone's
responsibility to stop "tailgaters" from following them
through a locked door or into a restricted area.
Brigham
and
Women's
Hospital
NO TAILGATING
Keep Strangers Out of Restricted Areas
Ideas Work
That