Processing Plant Security Design
A gold processing plant presents security exposure well beyond the gold room. The gravity circuit, loaded carbon, elution, electrowinning, sampling points and the wider circuit all concentrate value and require routine human access. Hartley Garland Consulting (HGC) provides independent processing plant security design, integrating physical security, electronic security, CCTV, access control, alarm systems and security procedures across the whole circuit.
Good processing plant security design protects value at every transformation, from crushing and leaching through the gravity circuit, carbon handling, elution and electrowinning to the gold room, without impeding production. It works hand in hand with gold room security design and wider project security design.
Physical security
Physical security secures the high-exposure areas of the circuit, the gravity circuit, loaded carbon storage, elution columns, electrowinning cells and sampling stations, with barriers, restricted zoning and secure sampling arrangements, so value is protected where it concentrates rather than only at the perimeter.
The gravity circuit: a high-exposure area
The gravity circuit is one of the highest-exposure areas in any gold plant and demands specific attention. Gravity concentrators (such as Knelson and Falcon units), their feed lines, and intensive leach reactors (ILRs) concentrate free gold into very high-grade material that is handled in small, easily diverted quantities. Concentrator cleanout and discharge, feed-line tap points, ILR charging and discharge, and the gravity gold room are all critical control points. HGC designs restricted access, secure concentrate handling, hardened enclosures, dedicated CCTV and strict cleanout procedures around the gravity circuit so this high-grade stream is protected end to end.
Electronic security
Electronic security provides intrusion detection on restricted process areas and after-hours protection of high-value zones such as the gravity circuit and the elution and electrowinning circuit, integrated with monitoring for a real-time, recorded response.
CCTV and surveillance
CCTV is designed to cover the points where gold-bearing material is handled or could be diverted, the gravity circuit (concentrator discharge and cleanout, ILR charging and discharge), loaded carbon, elution, electrowinning, sampling and transfer points, with blind-spot-free, evidence-grade coverage that supports both deterrence and investigation.
Access control
Access control zones the plant into security tiers, restricting entry to high-value process areas such as the gravity circuit and gold room, managing contractor and maintenance access, and logging movements so access to sensitive areas of the circuit is always authorised and auditable.
Alarm systems
Alarm systems provide process-area intrusion and duress alarms with defined escalation, integrated with access control and CCTV so any breach of a restricted area triggers an immediate, recorded response.
Security procedures
Procedures make the design work day to day: gravity concentrate handling and concentrator cleanout, sampling and assay protocols, carbon accounting and reconciliation, maintenance and shutdown access control, contractor management, and chain-of-custody for metallurgical samples, so accountability holds across every shift and handover.
Processing Plant Security Design: Common Questions
What is processing plant security design?
Processing plant security design is the discipline of protecting the whole gold processing circuit by integrating physical security, electronic security, CCTV, access control, alarm systems and procedures across every stage where value concentrates.
Which parts of a gold processing plant are most exposed?
The highest-exposure points are the gravity circuit (gravity concentrators, feed lines and intensive leach reactors), loaded carbon storage, the elution and electrowinning circuit, sampling stations, and the gold room, along with the transfers between them.
Can security be designed into an existing plant?
Yes. HGC assesses the current circuit, finds the gaps across all six control areas, and designs proportionate upgrades that strengthen protection without disrupting production.
Ready to strengthen your processing plant security?
Speak with a specialist about independent processing plant security design.