The Antwerp University Hospital (UZA)

The main function of the SALTO locks is to ensure separate access to staff and patient areas. UZA started on a small scale by fitting SALTO locks to a number of offices. Zones where stricter access control is needed followed later.

According to Kobe Deckers: “The SALTO software allows us to create partitions and assign access rights. This enables departmental quality managers to identify who has been in a room and who has access rights. Before that, they always had to ask us for a list of people with access. Of course, we have clearly explained to UZA employees why we are installing SALTO locks: if something irregular is detected in a room, we are able to see who has been in it. This means we have better control, and that’s good for everyone.”

UZA uses both online and offline locks: “The latter are quick to install and programe, for example when building a new department. The installation of online locks takes a little longer, as it involves cabling. But this is also going smoothly, thanks to the clear scheduling and the excellent support provided by SALTO Systems.”

Online locks are installed in places where UZA wants to obtain fresh data from users, says Kobe Deckers: “Each time a UZA employee passes an online point with his or her badge, the badge is read. It’s fascinating! We also gather information about the battery status of all offline locks that are passed. This is particularly interesting for us, because batteries need to be replaced in time. SALTO online locks are also useful when a person is suddenly no longer a member of staff and may no longer have access rights. As far as possible, we try to equip the hospital entrances with online locks. We also install online locks where, due to the nature of certain zones – such as labs – it is absolutely essential to be able to see immediately who has been in which room. This kind of information is not available in real time through the offline locks.”

Two technical department employees manage the SALTO system. They establish standard rights, ensuring that everything runs as smoothly as possible: “Data for each new member of staff are entered by the personnel department into a system that is linked to SALTO. The staff member automatically receives a set of standard access permissions for parking, bicycle storage and main access, plus a basic set of access permissions for the department in which he or she works.”

When technical support is required, UZA always contacts SALTO directly: “In the case of a lock that does not initialize immediately, for example, or a software update that needs to be installed. We place orders with Safehouse, a SALTO partner in the Antwerp region. We usually perform the installation and implementation ourselves.”

The unique advantage of SALTO? In the words of Kobe Deckers: “The SALTO software features a tool that I consider indispensable: synchronization with other software. We have links with our personnel department software, as well as with our facilities management system, in which we register all jobs carried out by internal and external services. For example, if the battery of an offline lock is about to expire, a job is automatically created, ensuring that our caretakers replace the battery. If a job needs to be done by external technicians, they will automatically receive an e-mail from the facility management system, and they can register online to obtain the appropriate access rights.”

UZA employees and the technical department both find the SALTO system very easy to use: “As soon as an installation request is received, all we have to do is go there and fit the SALTO lock. The lock works immediately. If there’s a problem with the access rights of an UZA employee’s badge, we can easily update the badge. The aim is to fit all doors in the UZA with SALTO locks. We still have several thousand doors to go!”