How to choose construction site turnstiles.

Write the site brief

Before choosing construction site turnstiles, define who will use the entrance, when they arrive and how the fence line will change during the project. A marked-up site plan helps the supplier price the work that actually needs doing.

• Site location, opening date and expected operating period.
• Worker arrivals during the busiest 15 minutes, plus exit patterns.
• Visitors, subcontractors, deliveries and people carrying tools.
• Available footprint, adjoining pedestrian route and vehicle separation.
• Who supplies the footing, fencing connections, power and communications.

Bring this brief to each supplier. It gives you a consistent basis for comparing the complete site access package.

Plan the whole entrance

A full-height turnstile controls a pedestrian passage. Its installation also depends on the approaches, fence connections and adjoining access. Check the configuration drawing against the actual site opening before ordering.

Ask for overall width, depth and height, fixing locations, service clearances and reader positions. Consider ground levels, drainage, weather exposure and how the entrance will move as construction progresses. Confirm the finish and maintenance requirements for your environment.

Review the adjoining route for people or equipment that cannot use the turnstile, and agree how it is controlled. Have the responsible site team review accessibility and emergency arrangements. A turnstile purchase alone does not establish that the entrance is suitable for those purposes.

See turnstile specifications and installation and fence-line planning.

Size lanes around the morning peak

Total site headcount does not tell you how many lanes you need. Ask the supplier to assess your busiest arrival period, identification process and expected queues.

Ask for a demonstration using your proposed reader and access rules. Check how simultaneous entry and exit will work, where a person with an access problem can step aside, and how another lane could be added later. Compare single and multiple lane arrangements against the same brief.

Test the approval-to-entry workflow

Construction access control needs a clear link between the worker’s identity, their permission to enter and the gate response. Ask the supplier to demonstrate the complete process with your site manager.

1. Register a worker and complete the required induction steps.
2. Have the responsible person approve their site access.
3. Present the proposed credential at the reader.
4. Check the gate response and resulting attendance event.
5. Expire or revoke permission and test the next access attempt.

Ask how quickly changes reach the reader and who can override access. Check what happens when a phone is flat, a credential is lost or a visitor arrives without prior registration.

PLEXA connects worker registration and induction approval with site permissions, the configured entrance and attendance records. Confirm the reader method, approval rules and reporting scope in your proposal. Explore construction site access control, inductions and the mobile app.

Get outage and support answers in writing

Power loss and loss of connectivity are different scenarios. Ask how the proposed gate, controller and software behave in each, and have the responsible installer demonstrate the agreed procedures during commissioning.

• Does passage remain locked, release or require a manual procedure?
• Which permissions remain available without a network connection?
• Are events stored, and what happens when the connection returns?
• How are permission changes handled during an outage?
• Who can respond on site, and who provides remote support?

Record support hours, escalation contacts, maintenance tasks and warranty exclusions. Do not assume every turnstile or reader has the same failure behaviour. Confirm the final configuration with the supplier.

Compare quotes line by line

Request itemised proposals over the same operating period. A hardware-only price cannot be compared directly with a price that includes installation, software and support.

For each line, record the amount, who supplies it and whether it is included or excluded. Add all relevant costs for the same period before comparing totals. See what affects turnstile pricing.

PLEXA supplies a purchased package. When comparing ownership with hire, allow for software and services under either arrangement, plus future-site costs. Our hire-versus-buy guide sets out the comparison.

Check attendance records and data access

Ask what an attendance record represents: a credential read, authorised access, confirmed passage or a manual adjustment. The distinction matters when you use reports to review who is recorded on site.

See the actual attendance view and any export you need before signing. Check entry and exit coverage, timestamps, time zones, correction permissions and what happens when someone uses another entrance. Agree how exceptions are handled in your site procedures.

Witness the handover tests

Agree the acceptance checks before installation, then witness them with the site manager and installer. Keep the results with the configuration drawing and support details.

• An approved worker can enter and the expected event appears.
• An unapproved or expired worker receives the agreed response.
• Revoked permission takes effect within the agreed update time.
• Entry and exit operate in the intended directions.
• The agreed power-loss and network-loss procedures work.
• Adjoining access, fence connections and site procedures are reviewed.
• The site manager can manage permissions and escalate a fault.

Safe Work Australia’s Construction Work model code discusses securing workplaces against unauthorised access and coordinating responsibilities. Use the guidance applicable to your jurisdiction and project when planning the entrance.

Take the checklist to your next supplier meeting

Send your site plan, entrance photographs, peak arrival demand and required operating date with your enquiry. Ask the supplier to return a configuration drawing, itemised scope and responsibility list.

Use the checklist to record what is included, what still needs a decision and who owns each task. It covers the project brief, quote comparison and commissioning checks.