BS 7858 Screening Explained: Process, Requirements and Checklist for Security Employers

BS 7858 screening is the British Standard process for vetting people before they work in a secure environment: you verify their identity, right to work, address and activity history, criminal record and financial background, and their SIA licence where the role needs one, then record a clear decision. The current edition is BS 7858:2019, and SIA approved contractors must screen to it to keep their approval.

This guide is for HR and operations managers at security companies and security labour providers. It explains what BS 7858 asks for, the screening process step by step, what is allowed while screening is still running, what auditors sample, and how BS 7858 links to SIA ACS, COP 119 and the new BS 10119:2026. For the wider labour-provider picture, start with our COP 119 and BS 10119 support page.

What is BS 7858?

BS 7858 is the British Standard code of practice for the screening of individuals working in a secure environment. A secure environment is any workplace where the security or safety of people, services, personal data or property matters to the employer: manned guarding, door supervision, CCTV control rooms, key holding, cash handling, events, facilities management and critical sites.

The aim is simple. Before you trust someone with access, you gather enough verified information to make an informed decision about them, and you can show how you made it. BSI describes the standard as applying equally to everyone in relevant employment, including part-time, temporary and contract staff and directors.

In the security industry BS 7858 is not optional in practice. GOV.UK guidance for approved contractors says: “Your pre-employment screening must conform to BS 7858 for you to remain an SIA approved contractor.” Many insurers and buyers also make BS 7858 vetting a contract condition.

Which version of BS 7858 applies?

The current edition is BS 7858:2019, which replaced BS 7858:2012. BSI’s catalogue lists the 2019 edition as current, and we found no newer edition or public draft when we checked in October 2026.

The 2019 revision changed several things that still catch employers out:

• The scope widened beyond the security sector, and the title changed from “security environment” to “secure environment”.
• Risk assessment runs through the whole process, and top management is responsible for screening decisions, including accepting any risk.
• Character references are no longer required, because they were easy to abuse.
• Organisations remain responsible for any screening they outsource.
• Screening files can pass between employers, but the receiving employer must still confirm the standard’s requirements were met.
• Social media and open-source checks are mentioned but are not a requirement.

If your screening policy still quotes BS 7858:2012 or asks for a character reference, update it. An assessor will notice.

The BS 7858 screening process step by step

The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) summarises BS 7858:2019 as covering proof of identity and address, education and employment details, a criminal records check, a financial check, and confirmation of a current SIA licence where the role needs one. In practice, a sound bs7858 screening process runs in this order:

1. Application and consent. The applicant completes a screening form covering their history for the screening period and signs consent for the checks. Tell them clearly what you will check and why (UK GDPR applies).
2. Identity. See original identity documents, ideally photographic, and record who checked them and when.
3. Right to work. Complete the Home Office right-to-work check before employment starts, using the correct method for the person’s status (manual document check, online share-code check or an identity service provider). Keep the evidence the Home Office prescribes, not just a photocopy.
4. Address history. Confirm current and previous addresses across the screening period with documents or data checks.
5. Activity history. Verify employment, education, self-employment, unemployment and time abroad across the whole screening period, normally with written confirmation from employers or other independent evidence.
6. Gaps. Investigate and evidence any gap. NPSA’s summary of the standard says there should be no unverified gaps greater than 31 days.
7. Criminal record. Obtain the applicant’s declaration of unspent convictions and carry out the criminal record check appropriate to the role. For licensed roles, the SIA licence check is a separate step, not a substitute.
8. Financial check. Run a credit or financial check (for example for county court judgments and insolvency) and assess anything adverse against the role.
9. SIA licence. Where the role is licensable, check the licence on the SIA register: right sector, valid, not suspended or expired. Record the date checked and set an expiry reminder.
10. Decision and sign-off. A named, competent person reviews the evidence, records any risk accepted and signs the outcome. That signed decision is what auditors look for first.

What is the BS 7858 screening period?

NPSA’s guide states that the standard sets the minimum screening period at three years, with no unverified gaps greater than 31 days, and it refers to longer checks of five years or more. Many security employers and screening providers screen five years of history as standard, and some contracts ask for longer. Set your period in your screening policy, base it on risk and your clients’ requirements, and apply it consistently. If you need the exact clause wording, buy the standard from BSI.

Can someone start work before screening is complete?

Yes, but only on limited, conditional terms, and only after the checks the standard requires before a start have been completed and recorded. Employers often call this provisional or conditional employment. NPSA’s summary says full screening should be completed no later than 12 weeks after employment starts for checks totalling five years, or 16 weeks where the checks cover more than five years. NPSA itself recommends completing screening before employment begins wherever possible.

Some things can never wait. A right-to-work check must be done before employment begins, and a licensable role needs a valid SIA licence before the person is deployed, unless an SIA licence dispensation applies to your company. If you use conditional employment, an auditor will expect to see:

• a written risk assessment and sign-off for each conditional start
• which checks were complete at the start date and which were outstanding
• restrictions on the person’s duties or sites until screening finished
• a tracker showing the deadline, and evidence that screening finished on time or the employment ended

Record keeping: what will an auditor sample?

Assessors rarely read your screening policy for long. They pick names from your payroll, rota or deployment records and ask for those people’s files. Each file should tell a complete, evidenced story without anyone having to explain it.

A typical sample on a BS 7858 audit covers new starters, a long-serving officer, someone who started on conditional terms, a director, and anyone supplied through a labour provider. They check that dates line up, that gaps were followed up, that references were genuine and verified, and that the person who signed the decision was authorised to.

Keep files secure, access-controlled and for the retention period set by the standard and your data protection policy. Electronic files are fine. Gaps in the audit trail are not.

Outsourcing screening does not outsource accountability

Many companies use a screening provider, and that is allowed. The SIA’s guidance is blunt: “Outsourcing your screening does not outsource your responsibility.” It also notes that some elements of BS 7858 cannot be outsourced at all.

The same guidance tells approved contractors to:

• state in the contract that the provider must follow BS 7858, and confirm they understand it
• audit the provider’s process so you can show it followed BS 7858
• check whether the provider holds BS 7858 certification, or check the competence and training of the individual screeners if it does not
• ask for a full screening file that accounts for every stage, not just a certificate saying screening is complete
• check how electronic references were verified, and that any online data bank used is lawful and consented to

A screening portal screenshot is not a screening file. If your supplier only gives you a pass or fail, ask for the evidence behind it before your next audit.

Checklist: a compliant BS 7858 screening file

Use this as a quick self-check against a handful of real files. For a fuller labour-file audit, see the BS 7858 vetting section of our COP 119 guide.

• Screening form and signed consent covering the full screening period
• Identity evidence with the name of the checker and the date
• Right-to-work evidence in the prescribed form, dated on or before the first day of work, plus any follow-up check date
• Address history confirmed for the screening period
• Activity history verified with employers, education providers or other independent sources, with any electronic references verified
• Gap evidence for every period over 31 days, with notes on how each was resolved
• Criminal record declaration and the result of the criminal record check, assessed against the role
• Financial check result and any risk assessment of adverse findings
• SIA licence check (where licensable) with the sector, expiry date and the date checked
• Conditional employment record (if used): risk assessment, restrictions and completion date
• Final decision signed and dated by an authorised, competent person

Common BS 7858 audit failures

These are the non-conformances that come up again and again in worker-file samples:

• Unexplained gaps. A three-month gap with no note, or a note that just says “between jobs” with no evidence.
• Right-to-work checks done late or kept as a photocopy without the prescribed check record.
• Conditional starts with no control. No risk assessment, no deadline tracking, and screening still open months later.
• Unverified or fabricated references. Emails from personal addresses accepted as employer references with no call-back or record of how they were verified — see our guide on SIA prosecutions for fake references and BS 7858 vetting checks.
• Outdated policy. The policy still quotes BS 7858:2012 or requires character references.
• Supplier files missing. Labour supplied by a subcontractor or labour provider, with no screening evidence held or audited.
• No decision record. All the checks are there, but nobody signed off the outcome.

How BS 7858 fits with SIA ACS, COP 119 and BS 10119

BS 7858 is the screening layer that sits underneath the main security accreditations. You will be tested on it whichever one you hold.

BS 10119 has replaced COP 119

If you supply security or events labour, this is the important change for 2026. BSI published BS 10119:2026, Provision of labour to the security and events sectors. Code of practice, on 30 June 2026. It is now the standard for security labour provision and replaces NSI Code of Practice 119 (NCP 119, usually called COP 119).

NSI has set these dates for its approved companies:

• From 1 July 2026: new applicants are audited against BS 10119:2026.
• Until 30 June 2027: existing COP 119 certification continues, subject to audits, during a 12-month transition.
• After 30 June 2027: NSI withdraws NCP 119.

Other certification bodies may use different transition dates, so check with yours. Screening is one of the first areas a BS 10119 auditor will sample, so getting your BS 7858 files right now is the quickest way to prepare. Read our BS 10119:2026 guide for the full transition picture, our step-by-step guide on how to get a COP 119 or BS 10119 certificate, and the COP 119 and BS 10119 certification cost guide. If you hold SIA ACS, our guides to SIA ACS assessment preparation and SIA ACS payroll compliance (Indicator 4.2.1) cover how screening files, PAYE records and vetting deductions are sampled on assessment day.

Frequently asked questions

What is BS 7858?

BS 7858 is the British Standard code of practice for screening individuals working in a secure environment. It sets out how to verify a person’s identity, right to work, history, criminal record and financial background, and how to record a screening decision. The current edition is BS 7858:2019.

How long does BS 7858 screening take?

It depends on how quickly employers, schools and the applicant respond. Straightforward files can be finished in days, and files with overseas history or many short jobs take longer. Where someone starts on conditional terms, NPSA’s summary says screening should be completed within 12 weeks for five years of checks, or 16 weeks where checks cover more than five years.

Can someone start work before screening is complete?

Yes, on conditional terms only, once the checks the standard requires before a start are done and recorded. The right-to-work check must be done before employment begins, and a licensable role needs a valid SIA licence before deployment unless an SIA licence dispensation applies. Record a risk assessment, any restrictions on duties and the completion deadline.

Is BS 7858 the same as a DBS check?

No. A DBS check is only one possible part of the criminal record element. BS 7858 screening covers the whole process, including identity, right to work, activity history, gaps, financial checks, the SIA licence check and a signed decision.

How far back does BS 7858 screening go?

NPSA’s summary of BS 7858:2019 gives a minimum screening period of three years with no unverified gaps over 31 days, and many security employers screen five years as standard. Your policy should state the period you use and why.

Does BS 10119 require BS 7858 screening?

BS 10119:2026 covers selection, right to work and screening of supplied workers, and BS 7858 vetting applies where the role requires it. In the security sector most licensable roles do. Check the standard and your certification body’s guidance for your workforce.

Sources: BSI: BS 7858:2019 Screening of individuals working in a secure environment; NPSA: Employment screening, a good practice guide (April 2023); GOV.UK: SIA approved contractors and outsourced pre-employment screening; GOV.UK: Check a job applicant’s right to work; NSI bulletin: BS 10119:2026 publication and NCP 119 transition. Last checked: October 2026.

Moving from COP 119 to the new standard? See our BS 10119 consultancy support.