Visitor On-Site Procedures¶

Procedures for anyone who is not a Scott Recycling employee but who needs to be on the facility: customers dropping off material, vendors making deliveries, auditors, contractors, prospective customers, media, family of employees, regulatory inspectors.

Audience: Reception / office staff, supervisors, drivers, warehouse receivers

Why this exists: Scott Recycling handles high-value inventory (CPUs, memory, phones), hazardous materials (CRTs, batteries), customer data (HIPAA-covered devices awaiting destruction), and active forklift traffic. An undocumented visitor policy creates liability exposure and safety risk. A consistent visitor workflow protects employees, visitors, and the business.

Visitor Categories¶

Type	Typical purpose	Escort?	Sign-in?	PPE?	Advance notice?
Customer — drop-off	Bringing e-waste to the yard	Front counter only	Yes	No	Not required
Customer — meeting	Account manager visit, contract signing	Yes (to meeting room)	Yes	No	Preferred
Prospective customer — tour	Facility tour as part of sales process	Yes	Yes	Yes (warehouse)	Required
Vendor / supplier — delivery	Dropping off parts, supplies, packaging	Reception dock area	Yes	Yes (dock)	Recommended
Contractor — service work	HVAC, electrical, IT, plumbing, etc.	Always	Yes	Yes (their zone)	Required — see Contractor Management
Auditor / compliance	R2, OSHA, TDEC, DOT, insurance, financial	Yes	Yes	Yes	Usually required
Law enforcement	Non-emergency investigation, records request	Manager handles	Yes	Situational	As required by law
Insurance adjuster	Claim inspection	Yes	Yes	Yes	Required
Media / press	Interview, photo, story	Dan only	Yes	Yes	Required
Prospective employee	Interview or facility tour	Yes (by HR / Dan)	Yes	Yes	Required
Family of employees	Drop-off, emergency, personal	Brief visit only	Yes	No (office only)	Not required

Check-in Procedure¶

Step 1 — Greet at the front counter¶

Every visitor must be greeted, never wander into the facility alone.

Ask: "Hi, how can I help you?"
Determine type: are they a customer, a vendor, a contractor, a visitor?
Confirm expected vs. unexpected: If the visitor has an appointment, verify against the schedule
Unexpected visitors: politely ask them to wait while you confirm with the host employee

Every visitor signs in. Paper log or electronic — whichever the facility uses.

Information to capture: - Full name - Company / affiliation - Purpose of visit - Host employee (who they're here to see) - Time in - Signature (handwritten acknowledgment of safety rules) - For contractors and vendors with warehouse access: photo ID check

Information to capture at sign-out: - Time out - (Optional) note any issues during the visit

Step 3 — Issue a visitor badge¶

If the facility uses badges: - Temporary badge with a distinctive color/design (cannot be confused with employee badges) - Badge includes: date, "VISITOR" label, host employee name - Returned at sign-out

If no badge system: a high-visibility vest serves the same purpose for warehouse-access visitors.

Step 4 — Safety briefing¶

For any visitor entering the warehouse, yard, or processing areas:

PPE required: closed-toe shoes, safety glasses, high-visibility vest. Sandals, open-toe shoes, flip-flops = denied entry to warehouse.
Walking rules: stay with your escort, stay in marked walkways, watch for forklifts
Do not touch any equipment, material, or customer property
Do not photograph without permission
Emergency procedure: where to go if the alarm sounds, which exit to use

30-second verbal briefing is sufficient for most visitors. Longer for contractors who will be working on-site.

Step 5 — Escort to destination¶

Visitors with warehouse or yard access must be escorted at all times by an authorized employee. The escort is responsible for:

Keeping the visitor with them
Explaining what they're seeing
Keeping them out of restricted zones
Bringing them safely back to reception

Exception: customers dropping off material at the front counter who don't enter the warehouse do not need a walking escort — reception handles them.

Step 6 — Sign out¶

When the visit is complete:

Escort returns the visitor to reception
Visitor signs out (time, any notes)
Badge or vest returned
Thank them for visiting

Photography & Recording¶

Default rule: no photography without explicit permission.

Reasons: - Customer material often includes data-bearing devices (HIPAA concern) - Employee faces without consent (privacy) - Serial numbers and identifying marks on customer devices - Security of inventory storage areas - Trade secret concerns (processing methods, equipment)

Exceptions (permission granted in advance): - Insurance adjusters documenting a claim - Auditors documenting compliance - Scott Recycling's own marketing / social media team (internal) - Dan-approved media visits

Enforcement: if a visitor takes unauthorized photos, politely ask them to delete the photos and escort them out. If they refuse, call Dan and consider whether to contact law enforcement.

PPE Requirements by Zone¶

Zone visited	Minimum PPE
Reception / office	None
Waiting area	None
Customer drop-off counter	None (stay on public side)
Warehouse walking path	Safety glasses, high-vis vest, closed-toe shoes
Near forklift activity	Safety glasses, hi-vis vest, steel-toe shoes
Tech bench area	Safety glasses, hi-vis vest
Data destruction area	Authorized personnel only — no visitors
Weighted materials / scrap	Safety glasses, hi-vis vest, steel-toe, gloves
CRT / hazmat storage	Authorized handlers only — no visitors
Outbound dock	Hi-vis vest, steel-toe shoes

Scott Recycling provides temporary PPE (safety glasses + hi-vis vest) at reception. Visitors are expected to wear their own closed-toe shoes — we do not provide loaner boots. Flip-flops, sandals, and open-toe shoes are a hard no for any warehouse access.

Restricted Areas (No Visitors)¶

Regardless of who they are, visitors cannot enter:

Data destruction secure area — chain of custody concern
High-value inventory cage — theft concern
Cat converter cage — TN compliance + theft concern
Hazmat / battery storage — safety concern
Server / IT closet — security concern
HR / records room — privacy concern
Employee break room — personal space

Auditors are an exception for the zones relevant to their audit (e.g., an R2 auditor can enter data destruction, a DOT auditor can enter fleet records).

Visitors Explicitly Not Allowed¶

Unescorted children (under 16) — liability and safety
Visibly impaired persons — intoxicated, on drugs — refuse entry politely
People who refuse to sign in — no exceptions, politely refuse
People without appropriate PPE in warehouse/yard areas
People who refuse the safety briefing — indicates they won't follow rules
Former employees who have been terminated for cause — consult with Dan before admitting
Persons with outstanding disputes or threatening behavior

Denial of Entry Procedure¶

If a visitor cannot be admitted:

Be polite but firm. "I'm sorry, I can't let you in without [requirement]."
Offer an alternative if possible. "Can we meet at the front counter instead?"
Do not argue or debate the policy — it's not up to reception
Escalate to a supervisor or Dan if the visitor becomes agitated
Document the denial in the daily log — who was denied, why, any issues
If the person refuses to leave after being asked, call police non-emergency line

Emergency During a Visit¶

If a facility emergency occurs while visitors are on-site:

Escort gets the visitor to safety — the assembly point for their visit zone
Count visitors at the assembly point — reception maintains the count based on sign-in sheet
Do not leave visitors alone during the emergency
Do not let visitors re-enter the building until cleared
Document the incident — the visit is now part of any incident report

If a visitor is injured on-site:

Treat as any other injury per Emergency Response Procedures
Notify Dan immediately
Document thoroughly — witnesses, nature of injury, PPE compliance, preceding events
Contact insurance agent (visitor injuries may trigger liability coverage)
Do not admit fault or speculate about cause

Customer Drop-Off (Special Case)¶

The most common visitor type: a customer bringing e-waste to the yard for drop-off. Simplified procedure:

Greet at the front counter
Ask: "What do you have to drop off today?" — check material acceptance
Determine if it fits acceptance criteria:
If yes → proceed
If no → politely decline with a referral
Ask about data-bearing devices: "Any laptops, desktops, hard drives, phones, or anything that had customer data on it?"
If yes → determine if they want a destruction certificate (document accordingly)
Direct them to the drop-off area — they do NOT enter the warehouse, staff retrieve the material from their vehicle
Weigh the material at the drop-off weigh station
Generate a receipt with weight, items (basic category), date, customer name
Customer signs the receipt acknowledging chain of custody (if data destruction)
Thank them and direct them out

Estimated time per customer drop-off: 5-15 minutes depending on volume.

No sign-in required if they stay in the drop-off area — that's the "public" side of the counter.

Vendor Delivery (Special Case)¶

Vendors delivering supplies, parts, packaging materials, etc.:

Greet at receiving dock (not front counter)
Check the delivery against the PO or order
Sign the BOL (bill of lading) for the delivery
Direct the vendor to the delivery zone — they do NOT wander the facility
Supervise unloading if needed
Sign out and send the vendor on their way

Vendors with recurring delivery schedules (weekly office supplies, fuel delivery, etc.) may have pre-established procedures — note any deviations in the daily log.

Metrics to Track (optional)¶

If management wants to track visitor activity:

Visitors per day (all types) — baseline for staffing the front counter
Customer drop-offs per day — trend for drop-off vs. scheduled pickup mix
Vendor deliveries per day — logistics efficiency
Contractor visits per month — maintenance activity
Compliance / audit visits per quarter — regulatory exposure
Any denied-entry incidents — safety / security concerns

These feed into the sr_operations_kpi dashboard if integrated.

Training¶

All staff who interact with visitors should be trained on:

Greeting procedure
Sign-in process
Safety briefing delivery
Escort responsibilities
Denial of entry (when and how)
Emergency procedures during visits
Photography policy

Annual refresher for all staff, initial training during new hire orientation.

Review Schedule¶

Annually — review visitor categories, restricted areas, PPE requirements
Triggered — any security incident, customer complaint, or near-miss involving a visitor
After facility changes — new zones, new restricted areas