Security Risk Management Ltd (SRM), operational risk management consultants, have been appointed by the International Professional Security Association (IPSA) as administrators and custodians of the new IPSA BS7858:2004 accreditation programme.
The new scheme is aimed at businesses that need to prove compliance with new international standards of operational risk and employee vetting practises, the firm reports.
Stephen Brown, Managing Director of Slough-based Security Risk Management Ltd, said: “In today’s increasingly regulated environment, demonstrating corporate compliance while simultaneously reducing operational risk is a difficult but necessary goal to achieve. This new accreditation service provides the evidence – to customers, stakeholders, and auditors – that best practice has been applied. Any credible business needs to take responsibility not only for the staff and managers that they hire, but also for the partners and suppliers that they choose. I predict that it will not be long before any professional company will insist on only doing business with firms that can prove compliance to the BS7858:2004 standard."
The criteria set out under BS7858:2004 provide a screening standard suitable for any employee involved with the custody or care of persons or property, of critical data or information, and/or in a position where integrity and reliability are considered crucial. Under the new scheme, businesses will be able to check whether an individual has achieved the IPSA/BS7858:2004 standard through a search of the IPSA database. Security Risk Management has been IPSA inspected, holds an ISO:2001 award in relation to Pre-employment Screening Services, and is the only company authorised to issue IPSA BS7858:2004 Certificates.
About the British Standard
BS 7858:2004 includes current address verification, a Credit Check (including County Court Judgments, Insolvency, and a Bankruptcy search), a ten-year written employment verification, and two personal written references. For greater security, certification to an enhanced version of BS7858:2004 is also available, as is certification to a level deemed acceptable by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The new accreditation programme improves on the standard that is accepted by industry inspectorates and commercial companies, it is claimed, since current standards simply require companies to provide evidence of steps taken to ensure the integrity of contractors’ staff and managers. Much like British Standard BS 7799:2000 – the Code of Practice for Information Security Management – the new IPSA BS7858:2004 scheme highlights the need for screening to be carried out not only at the recruitment stage, but also at intervals throughout the period of employment.
"This IPSA-accredited BS7858:2004 Certification Scheme will provide employers with a credible, independent report on an individual’s integrity and reliability, and we are therefore recommending the scheme to any organisation that seeks to promote an environment that will protect its clients, property, and staff from intrusion or risk caused by inadequate personnel screening," says Patrick Somerville, Chairman of the International Professional Security Association (IPSA).
