Good Practice Guidelines: Accountability and Reporting

Launched in June last year, the NZSA’s New Zealand Security Industry Good Practice Guidelines provides guidance on a range of topics. In this excerpt we step through its section on accountability and reporting.

Accountability Your security company is answerable for its delivery of contracted property security guard and mobile security patrol services. This delivery includes achieving the objectives and results in performing the service and reporting on the service delivered in a transparent, fair and accurate way.

We strongly discourage engaging in conduct that is misleading or deceptive, or is likely to mislead or deceive. Such behaviour is completely unacceptable. It would have serious consequences for both the security company and its staff.

Your security company must share its accountability policy with the guard(s) in a timely manner. It must also ensure that the guard(s) understand training on and use of the policy and consult with them on anything that affects their health and safety.

Customer communication Your security company should establish a policy for communicating with the customer on the delivered or contracted property security guard and mobile security patrol services. This customer communication policy should be in writing and set out your security company’s commitment to customer communication. It should include:

• what property security guard and mobile security patrol services will be delivered

• how the services will be delivered

• who internal and external stakeholders are

• contract reporting requirements

• communication method

• communication frequency

• communication format

• details of the task to be delivered and what constitutes completed or non-completed service delivery

• what services will not be delivered

• the process of remediation if the service is not delivered.

Record keeping and reporting

Proof of service Credibility of the delivery of both property security guard and mobile security patrol services to a customer’s premises is a professional responsibility. Your security company should document this in the form of performance criteria.

Your security company should provide proof of service, or be able to provide proof of service, digitally and/or in hard copy, for all attendances at a customer’s site by property security guards and mobile security patrols.

Digital proof of attendance may include:

• GPS locator record – including smart device records (e.g. mobile phones, smart devices, tablets)

• geo-tagging – including smart device records (e.g. mobile phones, smart devices, tablets)

• on-site digital recording devices (site electronic buttons, access control and/or alarm deactivation or activation)

• digital record of communicating site attendance to an operations centre.

Your security company may use a guard tour management system (GMS) if the system meets proof of service requirements.

Providing digital proof of attendance is a requirement in addition to meeting any customer requirements or process for making entries of attendance in an on-site manual log book.

Your security company must keep records confirming proof of service for the period required in any relevant legislation or, where legislation does not specify a time period, for three years.

Reporting

Your security company should establish a reporting system that records, and is capable of reporting, the delivery of all property security guard and mobile security patrol services in a transparent, fair and accurate manner.

Record keeping and management

Your security company must keep records to comply with all legislative and licensing requirements.

These records must include details of all attendances by property security guards and mobile security patrols and their response to customer premises. This includes identifying each attending or responding security guard.

Privacy of the data is an important consideration. Your security company must manage data and critical customer information in line with the Privacy Act 1993.

Documentation

To ensure it has an accurate and reliable record of all the actions and communications it makes to manage the health and safety risk to property and mobile security patrol guards, your security company should document all of these actions and communications and keep this documentation as evidence if it is required.

Use of technology

We encourage your security company to use technology to provide the greatest possible protection to its people and assets.

Technology can provide accurate, reliable and timely protection for property and mobile security patrol guards. It also has value as highquality evidence if it is required.

Your security company should proactively seek out technology products and services that enhance safety in the workplace and dedicate time to encouraging innovation within the company.

Subcontracting

Where a security company subcontracts another business (including a related entity) to carry out property security guard or mobile security patrol services, the security company must ensure that the subcontractor carries out the work in line with these guidelines.

The security company and the subcontractor should agree on safe work procedures, including

arrangements for managing health and safety incidents. The security company should monitor the subcontractor’s activities regularly.

The subcontractor is responsible for reporting, recording and communicating proof of service to the security company. The security company is responsible for reporting on proof of services and for communicating this to the customer.

A security company that provides mobile security patrols by subcontract should advise the customer that a subcontractor is providing or may provide the service.

Due diligence

When considering a subcontractor relationship or service, your security company should conduct due diligence on the subcontractor. This due diligence should cover the subcontractor’s:

• legal structure and financial health

• management structure – showing control and accountability at each level of its operations

• evidence of business licences

• evidence of individual security licences

• evidence of service-level agreement

• evidence of insurance and certificates of currency

• compliance with policies, laws and regulations, including those related to health and safety

• document exchange and review

• evidence of handling procedures

• right to audit

• evidence of its membership of a recognised security industry association.

The New Zealand Security Industry Good Practice Guidelines can be read or downloaded from the NZSA website www.security.org.nz