Page 1 of 5 Dated: 14 th August 2014 To: Companies who wish to gain NSI approval for the scope listed below TECHNICAL BULLETIN No. 0027 Keyholding and response services Part 2: Lone worker response services BS 7984-2 2014 shows an effective date of 31 st July 2014 and is now available through licensed outlets, including NSI who can supply copies at a discounted rate. NOTE REGARDING THE STATUS OF THE NEW BS: Although issued by the British Standards Institution (BSI) as a Code of Practice, it is important to note that we regard compliance with the recommendations given in the new BS as mandatory (except for variations accepted by the client with the concurrence of other interested parties where relevant) for all organizations wishing to obtain or maintain an NSI approval; subject to any additional clarifications and guidance included within this Technical Bulletin or issued subsequently. Therefore you must regard the recommendations given in the new BS as requirements of the relevant NSI approval schemes. Foreword BS 7984-2 is intended to be read in conjunction with BS 8484. Introduction The introduction details where the request for a lone worker response service will come from i.e. from a BS 5979 or BS 8591 Alarm Receiving Centre certificated to BS 8484 to monitor and manage lone worker alarms. The lone worker response service might include: provision of assistance to the lone worker where the contracted response service might be able to attend to the emergency quicker than the emergency services; an information source providing information as to a user’s safety when it cannot be ascertained in any other way; and support in situations where use of the emergency services might not be appropriate. NOTE Examples of this would be where an individual feels threatened but the threat is unsubstantiated, or where a lone worker alarm cannot be verified and the available evidence is insufficient to call out the emergency services. Page 2 of 5 1. Scope This British Standard gives the recommendations for the provision of a lone worker response service on a commercial basis. 2. Normative references BS 7984:2008, Keyholding and response services – Code of practice BS 8484:2011, Provision of lone worker device (LWD) services – Code of practice BS 7858 Security screening of individuals employed in a security environment Therefore it will be a requirement for companies to also meet the requirements of these standards listed. 3. Terms and definitions Terms and definitions The majority of the terms and definitions are self explanatory; those that require additional commentary are listed below: 3.1.1 accurate location location, typically to within 10 metres of the lone worker device, in the horizontal and vertical plane 4. The organisation 4.1 Structure The organisation should operate a complaints management system. This includes the note: Guidance is given in BS ISO 10002 . BS ISO 10002 (guidelines for complaint handling in organizations) is a comprehensive document presenting nine guiding principles. It speaks of the company’s commitment to effective and e fficient complaint handling and recommends that top management should establish an explicit customer-focussed complaints-handling policy. This policy should be made available to (and known by) all personnel and also that the policy should be made available to customers and other interested parties. NSI is not necessarily looking for companies to adopt all of the guidelines given in BS ISO 10002. For NSI Gold approved companies, procedures within their ISO 9001 quality management system should be sufficient (although the criteria for Silver companies does not include the need to satisfy ISO 9001 there is still a requirement to maintain a basic supporting management system that includes a procedure for management of complaints). The prime requirement in both cases is to ensure that all complaints are captured, investigated and actioned as appropriate and subject to subsequent analysis to verify whether there is a need for any further change to procedures, processes or activities. Further information on ISO 10002 can be obtained from NSI if required. 4.2 Finance The organization should be able to present two years’ audited trading accounts, except if it is starting as a subsidiary of an established business, and adequate financial backing is evident, or in the case of a new start up business where management accounts should be made available to show that the organization can demonstrate it has the funding available to achieve its plan for the business. Page 3 of 5 We have always considered applications for approval from new start up businesses on a case by case basis and we have required the applicant company to demonstrate that sufficient funding is available to support the business plan. As per paragraph two of finance, the auditors may ask to review your certified accounts. 4.3 Insurance This section is self explanatory, although it is recommended that the organization considers if any additional insurance is required for the lone worker response service. 4.4 Documentation This section is self explanatory, however, in addition the documentation may need to be used as evidence in court, therefore needs to be completed and retained correctly. 5 Resources 5.1 Premises The administrative office and or operational centre should be commensurate to the size of the business. 5.2 Staff 5.2.1 Selection and screening This section is self explanatory; however the organisation must satisfy itself that the lone worker response officer is capable of undertaking the duties. There is a possibility that the response officer will have to deal with a serious incident and therefore should be suitable for that role. 5.2.2 Health Prospective employees should be sent an employment medical questionnaire, with questions that relate to, or are intrinsic to, the job function; this can be sent with the offer of employment. NOTE 2 Attention is drawn to the Equality Act 2010. In general terms, the Equality Act aims to ensure that all individuals who are capable of doing a job are given a fair and equal opportunity of obtaining the job should they wish to apply. Where health and safety risk or medical concerns of personnel are raised, it is reasonable for a company to ask the applicant to undergo a medical examination to ensure fitness for duty or provide details of any conditions that would inhibit their ability to do a particular job. The employment medical questionnaire should not be required to be completed until after an offer of employment has been made. The job offer can of course be conditional on the results of the medical questionnaire in the sense that if the results reveal circumstances that genuinely inhibit the employee from carrying out the job then for logical reasons the employment may need to cease. 5.2.3 Terms and conditions This section is self explanatory 5.2.4 Disciplinary code The list in this section is not exhaustive and the organization should consider adding their own disciplinary codes, where necessary. Page 4 of 5 5.2.5 Identification This Identification is in addition to the SIA licence and should be carried at all times whilst on duty. If an SIA licence is required, this should be worn at all times whilst on duty unless conducting covert operations. 5.3 Equipment and uniforms 5.3.1 Uniform This section is self explanatory; however the organisation should consider supplying the correct uniform and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the response service that may be undertaken i.e. wet weather gear and sturdy boots may be required. 5.3.2 Vehicles If the vehicle is being used as a secure facility or storage for keys, the vehicle should meet the requirements of BS7984 Keyholding and response services. 5.3.3 Other equipment Any additional equipment required may be decided via a risk assessment. The organization may wish to consider ropes, torches, emergency foil space blanket, first aid kits etc. Additional training may be required to ensure the response officer knows how to use the equipment. 5.3.4 Equipment record This section is self explanatory 5.4 Training 5.4.1 General This section is self explanatory 5.4.2 Induction for a lone worker response officer This section is self explanatory 5.4.3 Lone worker response training This section gives suggestions of additional training that could be undertaken. The training will be decided by the level of risk and the potential areas that the response officers could cover. Therefore it is recommended that after each incident or event the training is reviewed to ensure that any issues are covered in future training courses. 5.4.4 Continuation and refresher training This section is self explanatory 6 The contracted response service BS 8484:2011 states in 7 c) the following: contracted response: 1) where the supplier is contracted to provide the response service then this response service should conform to BS 7984 (guarding company, etc.); 2) where the customer directly contracts the response service, they should be advised to ensure that the response service conforms to BS 7984. Service certification . Where response services are contracted, users of this British Standard are advised to consider certification to BS 7984 as part of the NSI Silver or Gold Scheme. NOTE: This will now include BS7984-2 Page 5 of 5 6.1 communications When a lone worker alarm is activated it is usually sent via an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). The ARC will then contact the organization who will despatch a lone worker response officer, where required. After communication has been received it is likely that the ARC will deal directly with the responding officer. Other forms of communication should be considered to ensure that contact is always possible with the responding officer. 6.2 Responsibilities 6.2.1 ARC This section is self explanatory 6.2.2 Organization This section is self explanatory 6.2.3 Lone worker response officer This section is self explanatory 6.3 Incident reports Incident reports may be required for evidential purposes and therefore should be completed correctly, including accurate timings, witness information, where relevant and locations etc. 6.4 Assignment instructions As the response officer’s duties can be varied, it is recommended that the Assignment Instructions (AIs) cover as many aspects of the service as possible. However, there will be an element of flexibility required which will be established via the dynamic risk assessment. Any regular and common elements should be included in the AIs. For additional information or clarification please contact Head of Operational Development at NSI.