BS7858 Screening for businesses
BS7858 Screening (full title BS 7858:2019) is a standard set by the British Standards Institute (BSI), the UK’s national standards body. This standard outlines the types of background checks that need to be run on individuals who are working in the security industry or other secure roles.
What is BS7858 Screening?
BS7858 Screening is a combination of different checks used to vet people working in secure roles.
BS7858 screening must include:
ID Verification Checks
Right to Work Checks
5- or 10-year Occupational History Check – This should include an analysis of any periods of self-employment and employment gaps of more than 31 days.
Financial Checks – These should cover bankruptcy, IVA and insolvency, CCJ’s and any other relevant adverse financial information.
Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) & Sanctions Checks. These should search for the individual's name(s) against various national and international sanctions, watchlists and fraud databases.
Who Needs BS7858 Screening?
BS7858 screening is a mandatory type of vetting for people wanting to join the Security Industry Association’s (SIA) Approved Contractor Scheme.
Whilst it is not a legal requirement, it is a regulatory requirement for anyone wanting to join the SIAs Approved Contractor Scheme.
Please note, if you require screening to the BS7858 standard, for the purposes of becoming an SIA Approved Contractor, your organisation must apply with the SIA directly.
Why is the BS7858 Benchmark good for business?
Although mandatory for those in the security sector, the BS7858 standard is still recommended for any business where security is paramount. The BSI recommend BS7858 for:
“Any organization outside of the security sector which wants to screen people employed in sensitive areas such as critical infrastructure sites and those with access to sensitive information, materials or technology.”
Outside of SIA regulated firms, the most common industries where BS7858 is followed, are:
Facilities management companies
Human resource departments
Retail sector
Sports/entertainment sector
Local government
But any organisation working with confidential information or working in highly secure environments will benefit from BS7858 screening.
If you are wanting to complete the checks recommended in the BS7858 standard, Personnel Checks can help. We can support your recruitment with all of the background checks listed above.
Why choose Personnel Checks?
Personnel Checks are one of the top-ranked DBS Umbrella Bodies in the country and the only one to achieve a 5-star rating on Trustpilot. Our mission is, and will always be, to provide quality service and a seamless checking experience for our clients.
We process tens of thousands of checks each year and maintain an error rate of less than half a percent. Thousands of businesses across the UK already trust us to manage their screening process. Why not join them? There are no set-up fees, and you could be running your first checks in under 30 minutes! Click the link below to get started.
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BS7858 Screening FAQs
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BS7858 screening is not the same as BPSS.
Some of the same checks are used to screen people against both standards. But the standards differ when it comes to the overall information needed.
You can find more information about BPSS Checks here.
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Due to the different checks involved, the screening time can vary significantly.
Basic DBS Checks, ID Verification Checks and Right to Work Checks can all be completed in less than 24 hours.
Occupational History Checks can take significantly longer as they need to verify with other employers about the time an individual spent working there.
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BS7858 is not a legal requirement, but this doesn’t mean it isn’t mandatory.
Anyone vetting staff under the SIAs Approved Contractor Scheme must have BS7858 screening as part of the recruitment process.
You can find out more on the SIA website here.
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You can’t fail BS7858 Checks.
However, based on the information provided revealed by the background checks, the SIA could prevent you from becoming an approved contractor.
