The latest version of BS 7499 was devised in a year-long project with security organisations including the BSIA and the NSI, and heralds several significant changes for guarding companies.
Firstly, the new edition aims to recognise the increasing use of technology in control rooms. As a result, companies who use computers to store data will now be expected to make contingency plans. The guidelines say that companies should have access to an alternative power source or hard copies of documents in the event of a power failure.
Increasingly companies are using automated systems for receiving check calls, and the revised standard insists that these systems are checked daily. IPSA say companies can choose how they do this but each check must be documented.
To perform simple checks, control room operators can telephone a random site a few minutes ahead of a check call, asking them to ignore the scheduled call. The operator can then check that the missed call was notified by the system.
The BS 7499 standard now states that the control room manual should include guidance on what to do if a check call is late or missed. While this was forgotten in previous editions of the standard, IPSA hope most companies already have a policy for dealing with this kind of event.
IPSA say the standard has been amended to improve the welfare of security officers. Managers will now be expected to discuss welfare and training needs with staff when they pay visits to sites, and security officers should receive annual performance appraisals.