Health and Safety at Work
Health and safety at work is a shared duty: the employer must provide a safe workplace, safe systems of work, training, information, and supervision; the worker must take reasonable care of themselves and others, follow instructions, use equipment properly, and report hazards and accidents. As a guard, your specific risks include slips and trips, manual handling, lone working, violence and aggression, adverse weather, and working at height or with equipment.
Know the practical controls. Risk assessment identifies hazards and controls before work starts. Manual handling - assess the load, use aids, keep the load close, bend the knees, do not twist; if in doubt, get help. Slips and trips - keep walkways clear, clean spills promptly, report damaged flooring and poor lighting. Lone working - follow check-in procedures, keep communications, and report if you feel unsafe. PPE is the last line of defence, not the first. COSHH covers hazardous substances: read labels and safety data sheets, never decant into unmarked containers. Report all accidents, near misses, and dangerous occurrences in the accident book.
Traps: candidates think PPE removes the need for other controls, skip near-miss reporting because "nothing happened," or lift loads alone to avoid looking weak.
Rule of thumb: If you would not let a colleague do it that way, do not do it that way yourself - and report it.
Worked example: A spill in a corridor. Cordon or guard the area, put up a wet-floor sign, clean or arrange cleaning, record it, and report the cause so it does not recur.
Customer Service, Communication and Professional Conduct
Security and service are not opposites. A guard who is approachable, calm, and consistent gets more cooperation and fewer incidents. Professional conduct means being punctual, correctly dressed and identifiable, sober, honest, impartial, and discreet. You represent the client and the company; your conduct off-post and online can matter too.
Communication skills matter more than most candidates expect. Active listening - let the person finish, check understanding, reflect back. Plain language - avoid jargon and confrontation. Non-verbal communication - open posture, appropriate distance, calm tone. Assertiveness, not aggression - state the request clearly, explain the reason, offer an alternative, and give the person a way to comply with dignity. De-escalation techniques include lowering your voice, slowing down, acknowledging feelings, offering choices, and giving space.
Handling complaints: listen without interrupting, apologise for the inconvenience (not necessarily for fault), take details, explain what will happen next, and record it. Handling difficult people: stay calm, do not take it personally, do not argue in front of others, and call for support early. Never discuss one person's business with another; confidentiality is part of professionalism.
Traps: candidates think being firm means being rude, or that apologising admits liability (it does not - you can apologise for someone's experience without admitting fault). Another trap is arguing to win a point; the goal is compliance and safety, not victory.
Rule of thumb: Explain the rule, offer a choice, and let the person keep their dignity - most conflicts end there.
Worked example: A visitor is angry about being refused entry without ID. Acknowledge the frustration, explain the policy briefly, offer options (call the host, wait while it is checked), and record the interaction.
Physical Intervention, Use of Force and Personal Safety
Use of force is lawful only when it is necessary, reasonable, and proportionate to the threat, and only to prevent crime, protect yourself or others, or effect a lawful arrest. Force must stop as soon as the threat stops. It is never punishment, never to enforce a house rule, and never to save face. The minimum force needed is the maximum permitted.
Physical intervention should be a last resort after communication and de-escalation have failed or are unsafe. If you must intervene, prefer non-restrictive options, keep it brief, keep talking, and hand over to police as soon as possible. Certain techniques (neck restraint, pressure to the throat, prone restraint held too long, strikes to the head) carry high risk of serious harm and are generally prohibited or heavily restricted. Positional asphyxia is a real danger: never leave a restrained person face-down and unattended.
Personal safety comes first. Maintain distance and an escape route, use barriers (counters, doors, vehicles) as protection, keep your hands free, watch for weapons, and avoid entering confined spaces alone. Trust your instincts and call for backup. After any use of force, record it fully and immediately: what happened, what you did, why, and what injuries resulted. Report to your supervisor and complete an incident report.
Traps: candidates believe force is justified to enforce policy, or that "he started it" makes any response lawful. Proportionate response to a shove is not a strike to the head.
Rule of thumb: Step back, talk down, call for help - force is the last option and the shortest option.
Worked example: A person pushes you. Stepping back and calling police is proportionate. Striking them is not. If restraint is unavoidable, use the briefest, safest hold, keep talking, monitor breathing, and hand over to police.