to think this woman is a bit crackers?

[Kladdkaka]

I'm wasting time on MN working very hard on my next assignment in my husband's office and a lady comes in from a firm of decorators who are repainting all the windows in the university. She asks nicely for all the stuff around the windows to be moved so the painters can crack on when they've finished the ones further along. Fair enough.

Then she asks my husband to unlock the door in the corridor so they can get access to the remaining windows. Husband politely tells her no, because they don't have security clearance. She gets rather insistent and again he tells her that it's a high security area and only people with clearance are allowed in there. She then starts arguing with him on the basis that the maintenance department have authorised her team to paint all the windows and therefore he MUST let her in. He responds that she may well be authorised by the maintenance guys to go in, HOWEVER, he is authorised by the National Security Services to ensure she stays out.

She's stomped off now to report him to the maintenance manager

We need a thread about parking wars at GCHQ.

Does it not have a big 'Restricted Area' sign with the atomic triangle of death on it (little yellow one)?

Narked, yes it does, but so does my daughter's bedroom. :o

Carded access and security cleared are 2 different things.
I could see a chemical area being of restricted access but security cleared, I doubt it.

Equally dangerous to enter without permission if she's 12 or over

No my husband doesn't work there, he's on the other side of the door
What? . One of you has obviously far less right to be there than the woman contracted to paint the windows...

There was no need to be so arsey in real life, and even less need to start a thread about it poking fun at someone doing what they had a perfect right to do.

To be fair to the OP, I do agree that it is somewhat bonkers to find oneself outside a secure area and think that the best way to get in it is by arguing with a random person who happens to be nearby, rather than asking what is the procedure for obtaining the necessary clearance.

I'm with you op, I think she does sound crackers

Imagine going up to a high security jail or military base and saying 'but you have to let me in, I've got a paintbrush look' I wonder how far that would get you

Any particular reason your husband didn't helpfully point her in the direction of where she could get clearance from, if he isn't authorised to give it? Such an obstructive attitude would annoy me tbh.

I could see a chemical area being of restricted access but security cleared, I doubt it.

The chemistry department at Imperial College has a small nuclear reactor in it.

Porton Down chemical area has miltary protection. It's not that unusual.

Besides, she had authorisation to paint the windows, not authorisation to access the building in which the windows were situated. Although you can't do the former without the latter, the latter is a necessary and logical step that has to be performed in sequence in order to complete the task. It's like hiring a team of decorators to do the painting, but failing to buy them any brushes. As much as you might urge them to get painting, it ain't going to happen!

It depends on the level of restriction, doesn't it?

But if you work in a place which has security restrictions it is pretty obvious, they don't just let you in the front door and then announce 'aha but the rest of the doors are shut'

She must have known really that your DH couldn't just say 'oh go on then, in you go'

So I've managed to avoid doing any work the whole time I was here. Am off to pick my daughter up from hospital (I've been killing time while she's been having a training afternoon on transitioning from school kid to adult responsibilies when you have ASD). As you were.

"Pah ha ha, security clearance at a university, I've heard it all now"

My university had a security cleared area - because of animal rights terrorists - it isn't uncommon.

Had this recently with a council project in a school.

Headteacher " No you can't come in until you have a CRB clearance "

Pendeen: "But the council have sent me, I'm the architect. I only want to take a few measurements for the alterations and the classroom is empty and the caretaker is with me."

Headteacher " No, it says here on this policy - no contractors allowed on site without a CRB "

Pendeen. "Oh well, sod it then. Your alterations project will have to wait a few weeks until I can get one."

Headteacher

oh & the human dissection rooms in the medical school - they actually had a security guard. There was a porter who restricted access to the (pathology) library too, otherwise you'd just get gawpers giggling at the human specimens. I suppose neither of those is at the level of national security but it was more restricted than just card entry & random maintenance people who not have been admitted.

Hell even the philosophy department at my old uni you had to be buzzed in by the receptionist. Probably to stop crazy professors from other unis coming to steal our crazy professors' ideas. Crazy philosophy professor catfights are not pretty.

I reckon you were being entirely reasonable. "Window Painter" my arse. She was definitely an international spy trying to steal intell. I bet if you inspected their paint cans and brushes you'd find they were little cameras and microphones. I think you might just have saved the day there! Well done, you .

Was it beyond your husband to use his common sense and ring to check?