Every time a visitor steps into a manufacturing facility, they pose an ITAR compliance risk. This includes employees, contractors, and essential visitors, all of whom have to be regarded as a risk when coming into a facility that deals with ITAR-related goods and services.
To protect these facilities, and the technical data related to ITAR compliance, screening is imperative to stay within the regulations, while also promoting a more secure facility. However, the system has to scale with the requirements, and there is a risk of relying on manual techniques, such as log-books and sign-in sheets to meet compliance. Human error is one of the main sources of accidental ITAR violations.
Under ITAR, it’s required to submit audit reports on the visitors coming into a facility. Missing information can result in a compliance violation, and granting access to a foreign national without State Department clearance will result in hefty penalties.
In order to better mitigate these risks, manufacturers need tools, such as enterprise visitor management to support compliance. Automated systems that gather information and record it for an audit of each visitor that comes into the facility are a critical part of ITAR preparedness. Those tools include:
Electronic logbooks
A system to remove the paper-based and manual logging of visitor information. These are available for auditing purposes.
Entry screening
Facilities with multiple entry points can deploy a system that helps to screen consistently at each gate. This acts as a filter to ensure that only the right people are allowed into the right place to reduce information access and ensure sensitive information is only viewed by following proper procedures. Through registration, visitors can enter their country of origin and attach a passport or other ID to support and verify citizenship.
Automated escalations
Security teams can be alerted when a visitor responds to questions that would require action. Once a possible risk is identified, security is notified to escort the visitor throughout the facility or deny them entry.
Watchlists
ID scanning and connections to watchlist databases, including local, national and international databases, screens visitors for possible risks. This includes a criminal or violent history report to get a full profile of the visitors entering a facility. Internal watchlists can also ensure that those denied access to one facility cannot access another facility.
Visitor management systems provide transparency and accountability when dealing with ITAR compliance, while also adding another level of enhanced security. These systems act as the administrative, documentation and communication tools required to meet ITAR standards, which avoids major penalties and violations.
Download the eBook on ITAR compliance for manufacturing organizations to learn more.