82 • SECURITYSYSTEMS
PROUD SPONSORS
OF THIS PAGE
Best Practice
Third-party certification, a guide, by SSAIB
» » IN A CONSTANTLY EVOLVING
competitive market, installers need to
know how they can best demonstrate their
credentials, expertise and adhere to best
practice – all while trying to win business
in the security systems sector.
Also, how can specifiers and end-
users safeguard the highest protection
levels for their staff, facilities, visiting
customers and on-site contractors?
And are their implemented measures
meeting insurance requirements by being
compliant with all legislation and any
imposed response criteria by, for example,
the Police?
With countless online
recommendations, Government-backed
initiatives and ventures such as Which?
Magazine, Checkatrade and Trustatrader,
it’s surprising that the benefits of third-
party certification aren’t commonly
recognised – as they can put installers
ahead of their competitors and reassure
customers that firms are working to the
very highest of standards. procedures they operate. Having said that,
we’re friendly, approachable and non-
bureaucratic.
“Certification means you can be
confident in the quality of service you
provide. Insurers increasingly require
evidence that all steps have been taken
to mitigate risk and ensure the safety
of personnel, and assets, within the
workplace.
“SSAIB-certificated companies meet or
exceed insurers’ requirements, meaning
customers ensure that their work has
been completed to all relevant standards,
by a provider that is competent in all its
working practices.
“Having accreditation brings value to a
business, demonstrating that the company
has been independently inspected and
that it can and does meet relevant industry
standards. It also demonstrates the firm’s
expertise and professionalism and gives
the customer peace of mind that they’ve
chosen the right company to whom to
entrust their systems.”
‘SSAIB tries its hardest
to ensure that the
process is as far from
daunting as it can
be for applicants’ ALARMS AND STANDARDS
Should a ‘Type A’ (remote-signalling)
intruder alarm system be activated within
a facility, for example, an alarm receiving
centre (ARC) would need to confirm it
before the Police would be alerted to it.
In the case of CCTV surveillance systems,
a remote video response centre (RVRC)
would need to perform the same action as
an ARC.
Because of this, it’s essential – under the
Security Systems Policy of the National
Police Chiefs’ Council – that these types
of systems are installed by a certificated
provider. System providers that install,
maintain and monitor security systems
that require Police response are, therefore,
audited for compliance by a third-party
certification body – such as SSAIB – who
are accredited by the United Kingdom
Accreditation Service (UKAS.)
Level one Police response (immediate)
is simply not available without third-party
certification and the associated Unique
Reference Number (URN) assigned by the
Police.
INSPECTION INSIGHT
A popular topic from firms looking for
Security Systems Alarms and Inspections
Board (SSAIB) approval is the certification
process and what it involves. Installers
often want to know if it’s difficult and/or
time-consuming and sometimes ask if it
really does provide customers with further
reassurance.
SSAIB auditor Peter Cowell believes
the bar is set at a high level for third-party
certification, but adds that SSAIB tries its
hardest to ensure that the process is as far
from daunting as it can be for applicants.
Cowell revealed: “We’ll only certificate
companies that can demonstrate technical
and managerial competence through
an inspection of the processes and
LOCKSMITHJOURNAL.CO.UK | MAY/JUN 2018
Sponsored by Insafe | Loksafe.co.uk | Insafe.com
Failure to provide this level of protection
will leave the facility widely exposed to a
range of potential risks.
The Security Systems scheme is also
dependent on British Standards being
achieved. This means, for instance, that
ARC or RVRC-monitored systems must
confirm to BS EN 50518.
Most importantly, all relevant standards
are incorporated within the certification
auditing process; whether the audit is held
to cover an intruder alarm system or any
other type of equipment.
‘Having accreditation
brings value to
a business’
PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS
Commercial, domestic and
professional investigative services have
also come under UKAS certification in
recent times, through the BS 102000 code
of practice.
Under the surveillance camera
commissioner’s (SCC’s) code of practice,
public-sector camera schemes now also
require third-party certification. Set in the
context of a draft national surveillance
camera strategy for England and
Wales, the aim of this is to give system
operators the opportunity to demonstrate
compliance with the surveillance camera
code of practice and other guidance.
Commissioner Tony Porter has
ambitious plans for the code, describing
it as a “universally accepted example of
good practice.” However, he’s also warned
those operating the scheme must comply
with the 12 guiding principles of the code
– in accordance with the Protection of
Freedoms Act 2012.
www.ssaib.org
The Security Systems Alarms and
Inspections Board (SSAIB) will be at
Lockex 2018 – Security & Fire Safety
(8th-10th June) at the show’s brand
new ‘Pavilion of Trade Bodies’. More
information – and free registration – is
available at www.lockex.org