BS 7858 security screening

BS 7858 is the British Standard for the security screening of individuals employed in a security environment. It sets out what an employer must verify before someone starts work, how the verification is recorded and how long the record is kept. We apply it to every security officer we deploy, and we use the same framework, in proportion to the role, for staff we place in private households where the client asks for it.

Screening to the standard covers identity and address verification, the right to work in the UK, a documented career history for the preceding five years with any gap of more than a month accounted for and checked, a criminal record check at the level the role requires, a financial probity check for bankruptcy, insolvency and county court judgments, and references from previous employers or, for periods of self-employment or study, from suitable referees. Where a role calls for it, this is combined with a check of the individual's SIA licence and, for work around children or vulnerable adults, an enhanced disclosure.

Screening is completed and signed off before anyone is deployed to a client. The screening file is held for the duration of the engagement and for the retention period the standard and data protection law require, and a client may ask us to confirm that a named individual has been screened to the standard.