Ontario Security Guard key terms

Services provided by non-government organizations or individuals who are paid to protect people, property, or information. Private security guards work for a client under contract or as employees of the organization they protect.

A security arrangement in which a company hires an outside security firm to supply guards at a site. The guards are employees of the security firm, not of the client they protect.

Security staff who are direct employees of the organization they protect, such as a hospital or manufacturer. They are paid by that organization rather than by an outside security contractor.

Policies and practices aimed at reducing theft, fraud, vandalism, and other losses of an organization's assets. It includes deterrence, detection, investigation, and recovery of stolen property.

Discouraging criminal or unwanted behaviour by making it appear risky or likely to be detected. Visible guards, lighting, cameras, and signage are common deterrent measures.

Designing and managing the physical environment, through lighting, sightlines, access points, and landscaping, so that crime and disorder are less likely and people feel safer.

The reasonable steps an organization or guard takes to anticipate harm and prevent it. It shows that care was taken, and failing to take such steps can create liability.

Ontario's law governing private security and investigation. It sets the rules for licensing, training, identification, conduct, and enforcement for security guards and private investigators in the province.

A credential issued by Ontario's Ministry of the Solicitor General that allows a person to work as a security guard. It must be carried while on duty and produced on request.

A regulation under the PSISA listing the standards of behaviour required of licensed guards and investigators. Breaching it can lead to licence suspension or revocation and fines.

The official appointed under the PSISA who administers licensing, issues and renews licences, and can refuse, suspend, or revoke a licence and impose conditions on it.

The duty not to reveal client or employer information learned during work, except as required by law or authorized by the client. It applies during and after employment.

A situation where a guard's personal interest, relationship, or outside activity could improperly influence their duties. Guards must avoid such situations and disclose them to their employer.

Holding oneself out as a security guard, or using a title, uniform, or badge suggesting guard status, without a valid licence, which is an offence under the PSISA.

Written instructions prepared for a specific site describing a guard's duties, routines, reporting requirements, and emergency procedures. Guards must read, understand, and follow them.

Managing who and what may enter a protected area, and under what conditions. It involves checking identification, issuing passes, controlling doors, and recording entries and exits.

The process of screening, registering, badging, and directing visitors on a site, and tracking when they leave. It protects people and property and supports accountability during an emergency.

Procedures for issuing, signing out, storing, and recovering keys so that only authorized people have access. Good key control includes record keeping and prompt reporting of lost keys.

A planned, systematic walk or drive through an area to observe, deter, and report security problems. Patrols may be interior, exterior, fixed-time, or random.

An Ontario law that lets an occupier or authorized person direct someone to leave property and arrest a person who trespasses. Guards must identify themselves and state the reason.

The power under section 494 of the Criminal Code for any person to arrest someone found committing an indictable offence, or a criminal offence on or in relation to property the person protects.

Searching a person or property only after they voluntarily agree, knowing they may refuse. Guards generally have no power to search without consent or specific legal authority.

A guard's bound, chronological record of duties, observations, and events, written in ink at the time or as soon as possible. It may be used as evidence in court.

A written record of an unusual event such as an injury, theft, or altercation, describing who, what, when, where, and how. It must be factual, objective, and completed promptly.

A running record of routine events during a shift, such as patrols completed, doors checked, and visitors admitted. It shows what was done and when it happened.

The documented, unbroken record of who handled an item of evidence, when, and where, from collection to court. Gaps can make the evidence unreliable or inadmissible.

Fully concentrating on a speaker, hearing both content and feeling, and confirming understanding by paraphrasing and asking questions. It reduces conflict and improves the accuracy of reports.

Using two-way radio with brief, clear, standard phrases, identifying yourself and confirming each message. It keeps guards connected and safe during patrols and emergencies.

Site-specific procedures telling guards and occupants what to do in fire, medical, security, or weather emergencies, including alarm response, evacuation, and notification steps.

Moving people out of a building or area to a safe location in a controlled, orderly way. Guards direct traffic, check accessible areas, and report when the area is clear.

A pre-designated safe outdoor location where evacuees gather so they can be counted and accounted for after leaving a building.

A fire response sequence: Remove people in danger, Alarm activation, Contain the fire by closing doors, and Evacuate or Extinguish if trained and it is safe to do so.

The amount of physical control a guard may use, which must be necessary, reasonable, and proportionate to the threat. It ends when resistance stops and must be reported.

Canada's Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System: labels, safety data sheets, and training that warn workers about hazardous products. Guards may encounter such chemicals in workplaces.

Gear such as gloves, safety footwear, eye protection, and high-visibility vests worn to reduce the risk of injury on the job. It is the last line of defence after other controls.

Ontario's law setting employer and worker duties, the right to know, participate, and refuse unsafe work, and requiring workplace harassment and violence policies and training.

An item that looks unusual or out of place, such as odd markings, wires, stains, or odour. Guards should not touch it; they isolate the area, keep people back, and call police.