The National Security Inspectorate (NSI), the UK’s premier specialist Certification Body within the security and fire safety sectors, announces the introduction of a new Code of Practice (NCP 119) for the ‘Provision of Labour in the Security and Events Sectors’, effective 1st April 2020. NSI is now accepting applications from labour provision and guarding services providers.
The new Code of Practice has been developed to enable companies providing labour to security companies to demonstrate best practice by holding independent certification in the scope of ‘provision of labour in the security and events sector’, having been audited against the requirements of NCP 119.
Protection and safety of public events
This operational procurement of additional, sub-contracted labour can pose a variety of risks
Commercial providers of guarding staff routinely scale up resources, when required, for a variety of duties involving the protection and safety of public events. This operational procurement of additional, sub-contracted labour can pose a variety of risks compromising the safety and security of the public, offering unwelcome scope for worker exploitation, and bringing the industry into disrepute if inadequately managed, prejudicing the integrity of the supply chain.
Such risks posed by guarding services organisations utilising agency labour were sufficient to warrant NSI developing this groundbreaking Code with the objective of helping mitigate these risks for the benefit of buyers of security services.
Regulated security and events sector
NCP 119 will become mandatory for NSI Guarding Gold and Silver approved companies from 31st December 2021, providing buyers with an important assurance that their security guarding providers are of a suitable standard, operate as responsible employers and so minimise the security risk associated with labour provision (sometimes referred to as agency labour).
The scope of NCP 119 covers all labour provision to companies operating in the regulated security and events sector. By definition, the term ‘labour provision’ used in the NSI Code of Practice applies to activities which are described as bought-in-labour, licensed or unlicensed, as well as labour employed and/or supplied by a third party to temporarily supplement the contracting company’s own workforce.
Safety and security of the public
The Code will help shield NSI approved companies and their clients from those risks"
NCP 119’s requirements include measures related to best practice in terms of organisational structure, finances, payroll, insurance and premises. They also include personnel, sale of services, operations and documentation and record-keeping. The personnel requirements cover recruitment, training, employee terms and conditions, and uniforms.
Margaret Durr, NSI’s Head of Field Operations (Services), commented: “NSI is pleased to be launching this new Code to which approval by supply chain partners demonstrates to buyers of services a commitment to meeting statutory and legislative requirements, as well as meeting certain relevant environmental, social and governance criteria in the provision of services delivered.”
“Companies procuring additional labour to support service delivery on their contracts can, in future, demonstrate commitment to best practice by being third party certificated to this Code, providing evidence for clients in their supply chain their provider has been independently audited against the requirements of NCP 119. The Code will help shield NSI approved companies and their clients from those risks, and contribute to the safety and security of the public.”