Regardless of the type or size of an organization, ID badges are essential to enhancing safety and security measures. They make it easy for management and colleagues to identify who does or doesn’t belong on the premises, prevent unlawful entry onto company property, control access to restricted areas, allow for visitor management, and more.
But ID badges can’t serve their intended purpose if they’re damaged. Names and roles can become unreadable, barcodes can get scratched making them difficult to scan, and embedded technologies can break, preventing authorized employees from, for example, gaining access to certain areas.
This makes badge holders as crucial as the ID badges themselves. By providing a layer of protection, badge holders can help ensure that ID badges don’t get harmed in ways that could potentially affect its usefulness.
However, simply using badge holders isn’t enough. Choosing the right badge holders can actually improve the safety of employees—but opting for the wrong one can actually do more harm than good.
So how can companies make sure that they select badge holders that ensure the safety of their employees?
Here are three types of badge holders to consider with details on the types of environments, situations, or roles that would require their use.
Badge Holders for Multiple Cards
Whether it’s to gain entry into a number of company facilities or to be able to access different computer networks, some employees are required to carry multiple IDs for various purposes. Yet trying to keep more than one card in a single ID badge holder can damage the cards or let one or all fall out when trying to grab one.
Badge holders that can hold multiple ID cards, like this Three Card Vertical ID Badge Holder, eliminate employees’ struggles of trying to keep more than one card safely displayed. This can help prevent the possibility of ID cards getting dropped and lost, which risks the identity of an employee being stolen.
Additionally, a lost ID card could get picked up and used by an unauthorized person, which could compromise the safety and security of all employees.
Multiple ID badge holders are ideal for inspectors, security personnel, or any other position that requires employees to carry various badges for access.
RFID Badge Holders
Over the last two decades, RFID (radio frequency identification—a technology that uses communication via radio waves to exchange data between a reader and an electronic tag or card for the purpose of ID and tracking) has become the preferred ID badge technology for various types of data collection systems.
This includes point-of-sale, computer sign-on, door access, and time clocks, among others. Contactless RFID offers the highest level of security granted by an ID badge and isn’t easily duplicated.
However, contactless RFID’s weakness is the RFID itself. A person with an RFID reader could use it to unlawfully obtain the information embedded within an ID badge—meaning details on the badge holder’s identity or sensitive company data.
RFID blocking badge holders are essentially a shielded holder that can stop thieves from accessing any sensitive data.
This data is stored on these devices via a 13.56 MHz decoder that reacts when it comes into contact with a radio signal transmitted by a device using ISM radio frequencies. The card then acts as an antenna and capacitor, which couples with the circuit and transmits data over.
But you only want this to happen at specific times, so the shield blocks high frequency band RFID transmissions from occurring until the card is taken out of its badge holder. The card itself will be unable to react with the electromagnetic field that’s generated by these kinds of systems, which helps to prevent data leaks.
Armband Badge Holders
While lanyards, badge reels and clips are usually acceptable in most industries, employees in certain occupations that require the use of machinery or extreme physical activity, like manufacturing workers, military personnel, and first responders, shouldn’t be using a type of badge holder that hangs in front of them.
These badge holders could get in the way while lifting or running and get tangled or caught in equipment, putting employees at risk.
Armband badge holders offer a completely hands-free solution when it comes to displaying ID badges, maintaining the safety of physically active personnel. They are securely held in place on the upper arm by a stretchable strap that can be adjusted for the perfect fit.
Additionally, for workers who need to do their jobs in low-light conditions, glow in the dark and reflective armband badge holders add an extra layer of protection by helping to make the wearer visible at all times.
Badge holders offer a seamless way for employees to display and protect their ID badges, but simply wearing one isn’t enough.
To truly ensure safety and security, it’s essential that companies choose holders that fit the highly specific needs of their staff, whether it means making sure they can easily carry multiple ID cards, are protected from RFID skimming, or can safely do their jobs without worrying about lanyards.