Looking Down, Locking Up
Excerpt from article by Jennifer Pero, originally
published in Government Security Magazine,
August 2004 (www.govtsecurity.com)
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Many people never notice
the numerous manholes on sidewalks and streets, but those manholes
serve as entryways to the nation's extensive underground infrastructure.
In a busy metropolitan intersection, one manhole can provide access
to the communication, gas and electric lines for tens of thousands
of users — not to mention storm and sewer manholes that connect
a network of tunnels leading to and from otherwise secured perimeters. |
Manhole security has become such a concern that the Department of Homeland Security's National Infrastructure Protection Center has suggested guidance to develop protective measures including a recommendation to “install special locking devices on manhole covers in and around critical infrastructure facilities.” But doing so would also require that certain manholes be kept accessible to authorized personnel, such as underground technicians. With major metropolitan cities having tens of thousands of manholes, finding a feasible solution is a challenge. One proposed idea is temporarily locking down certain manholes in small, defined areas for special events or Presidential visits. Alternative manhole security systems are designed with underground technicians in mind — these security products deter intruders, yet can be removed by authorized personnel before performing maintenance services. One such device is the LockDown-LockDry device from Barton Southern Co., a Conyers, Ga.-based concrete repair contractor. The device uses a stainless-steel insert and locking hardware that can be placed under the manhole cover and secured to the existing frame. Originally developed for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the product has been used in government installations, at military bases and at universities across the country. It can be wired with contact switches for remote monitoring and alerting of unauthorized entry. To read this article in its original form, visit http://govtsecurity.com/mag/looking_down_locking/. |
System Solves Manhole Security
Concerns
Article by Jeff Griffin, originally published in Underground
Construction Magazine, September 2003, page 66
In the unsettled post-9/11 world, security is a priority. Is enough being done to protect our nation, its institutions, and us?
Immediately after the September 2001 attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center and damaged the Pentagon, it became obvious that America’s utility infrastructure was extremely vulnerable. It is frightening to imagine the chaos if the nation’s water supply, power grids, and communications network were put out of service.
However, in spite of heightened security awareness, much of the nation’s infrastructure is readily accessible through manholes by almost anyone.
“We lock gates, doors, and windows, and install sophisticated electronic security systems, but leave pipe and cable vulnerable from unsecured manholes,” says Wayne Benitz, division manager of LockDown-LockDry, a Conyers, GA, manufacturer of a locking manhole cover to prevent unauthorized manhole entry.
Benitz says the company’s patented LockDown device is a heavy-duty 12 gauge, corrosion-resistant stainless steel “pan” that fits into a manhole’s opening. Modification of the manhole is not required. The cover is secured by a padlock and can be quickly unlocked and removed to provide unobstructed access.
In addition to deterring unauthorized entry, LockDown also blocks inflow of surface water and keeps out dirt, debris, and contamination. A neoprene gasket is compressed when the device is installed, forming a watertight seal.
The lockdown system is not new. Benitz says the product was developed specifically for BellSouth to protect manholes in Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.
“Several hundred were placed in communications manholes throughout the city, at telephone central offices, around the CNN Center, and other key locations,” says Benitz. “After the Olympics, it was clear that there were many applications for the product throughout the U.S., and we marketed LockDown to utility providers. Telecommunications companies were the primary users.”
9/11 changed that. “Suddenly a lot more people became interested,” Benitz says. “Every manhole around the Pentagon now is locked. Military bases, research organizations, colleges and universities are using LockDown to secure manholes in specific areas, often to protect internal communications systems. In Boston, every manhole providing access to gas regulators is locked. They also are being used at airports, electrical utilities, by sewer and water system operators, in industrial facilities, public areas, and around high-profile buildings.”
LockDown covers are available in all common manhole sizes ranging in size from 20 to 38 inches. Other sizes are available by special order. They are sized to the inside diameters of the manhole opening and cover support ring.
Benitz says the devices weigh less than 40 pounds and can be installed without special tools by one person in about 10 minutes. Installation involves positioning the pan in the manhole, tightening a bolt to secure it, installing a padlock into the lock guard, and clamping down the lock cover.
When security isn’t an issue, LockDown-LockDry produces a similar non-locking stainless steel insert that can be installed under the manhole cover to block surface water inflow.
LockDown-LockDry is a division of The Barton Southern Co., an infrastructure repair contracting company serving the southeastern United States. The company uses various technologies to stop leaks in concrete structures, restore damaged concrete, stabilize concrete slabs, fill voids, and improve soil conditions.
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