Observation, Reporting and Documentation
What this domain tests
Whether you can notice what matters, describe it without distortion, and record it in a form that stands up to a supervisor's or a court's scrutiny.
Observation discipline
Know the normal baseline of your post - who belongs, which doors are locked, where vehicles park - so that a deviation stands out. Use all senses; note the time immediately; do not assume motive. Record into a notebook as soon as possible; memory reshapes detail within minutes.
Report content - 5W1H
Who was involved, What happened, When (24-hour clock), Where exactly, Why if known, How it occurred, plus what action was taken and who was informed.
Report discipline
- Facts, not opinions: write "the shutter lock was broken", not "the shift is careless".
- Chronological order, correct names and designations, no exaggeration and no omissions.
- No erasing or overwriting: a single line through the error, initials and date beside it.
- Sign, date and time every entry; never leave a blank register or pre-sign one.
Documents a guard keeps
Visitor register, material gate pass, key register, occurrence book or night report, incident report, equipment check log, fire-safety log, handover register.
Worked example
At 02:15 a guard on round finds the rear shutter lock broken but no entry. He writes: "02:15 - rear shutter lock found broken, shutter closed, no person inside, no goods disturbed. Informed supervisor at 02:18 on radio. Police not called. Area cordoned by shifting the trolley." Then he signs. Reasoning: every sentence is checkable - time, exact condition, action, and who was informed; there is no guess about who did it.
Traps that cost marks
- Writing opinion or speculation in an incident report.
- Erasing, using whitener, or leaving undated and unsigned entries.
- Filing the report at the end of the shift instead of immediately.