PSARA Supervisor Exam key terms

An entity that supplies security guards or related services to clients for payment and must hold a valid licence from the designated regulatory authority before operating.

The formal authorisation issued by the controlling authority permitting a security agency to operate, recruit, deploy and manage security guards within the jurisdiction.

The periodic process of applying to continue a licence before it expires, including submission of updated records, fee payment and verification that operating conditions remain satisfied.

The government officer or body empowered by law to grant, refuse, suspend or cancel security agency licences and to hear complaints against agencies and guards.

A temporary withdrawal of an agency's authority to operate, imposed by the controlling authority pending inquiry into a breach or complaint.

The statutory minimum requirements a person must meet to be engaged as a security guard, covering age, education, physical fitness, character verification and training.

The background check of a guard applicant's identity, criminal record and references conducted before engagement and documented in the personnel file.

A person assigned to direct, monitor and evaluate the work of security guards, including checking attendance, conduct, post performance and readiness for duty.

A written instruction kept at a guard post describing duties, access rules, emergency contacts and reporting requirements specific to that location.

A document assigning a named guard to a specified post, shift and client site, with effective dates and any special instructions.

The structured transfer of duty information, keys, equipment and outstanding issues from an outgoing guard or supervisor to the incoming one, recorded and acknowledged.

The defined line of authority from guard to supervisor to agency management, specifying to whom problems are escalated and who may give orders.

The procedure for referring an incident, complaint or decision upward to a higher authority when it exceeds the responsibility or authority of the person handling it.

A systematic assessment of a site's assets, vulnerabilities and risks used to design the guard deployment, physical barriers and access controls needed.

A written document setting out how a site will be protected, including posts, patrols, access rules, equipment, emergency procedures and supervisory checks.

The process of identifying threats to people and property, estimating their likelihood and impact, and deciding which controls to apply.

A defined path and schedule for guards to inspect a site, often with checkpoints or recording devices to confirm that each point was visited.

A method or device that records the time a guard reaches each patrol checkpoint, providing evidence that patrols were actually performed.

A designated location such as a gate or reception desk where entry to a site or restricted area is authorised, checked and recorded.

A log recording each visitor's name, identification, host, purpose, time of entry and exit, kept for security and audit purposes.

A badge or permit issued to a visitor showing identity and authorised areas, and returned on departure to confirm the visitor has left.

Any zone of a site where entry is limited to authorised persons, marked by signage and controlled through passes, locks or guard checks.

A documented set of procedures telling guards and staff what to do during fire, medical, criminal or other emergencies, including roles and evacuation steps.

A planned practice exercise in which occupants rehearse leaving a site safely, used to test alarms, routes and guard performance under simulated conditions.

A pre-designated safe location outside a building where people gather after evacuation so that heads can be counted.

A written record of an unusual event describing what happened, when, where, who was involved, actions taken and witnesses, submitted promptly to the supervisor.

A bound, sequentially paginated log kept at a post in which guards record routine and unusual events during each shift.

The application of physical intervention by a guard, which must be lawful, necessary and proportionate to the threat and limited to what the situation requires.

The principle that a guard may use only the least amount of physical intervention needed to prevent harm or restrain a person, stopping once resistance ends.

Force that a court would consider appropriate to the circumstances, judged by what a sensible person would do to defend themselves or another from immediate harm.

The limited power of a private person to detain another who is committing or has just committed a serious offence, requiring immediate handover to police.

Holding a person against their will, which a security guard may do only in narrow lawful circumstances and for the shortest necessary time before police arrive.

The legal principle that an employer, such as a security agency, can be held responsible for wrongful acts committed by its guards in the course of employment.

Failure to exercise the degree of care a reasonable guard or agency would exercise, causing foreseeable loss or injury to another person.

The legal obligation of a security provider to take reasonable steps to protect clients, visitors and staff from foreseeable harm within the scope of its role.

The measures an agency must take to protect guards from workplace hazards, including safe equipment, training, welfare facilities and reporting of injuries.

Gear such as helmets, boots, reflective jackets or gloves issued to guards to reduce the risk of injury while on duty.

Provision for guards' basic needs during duty, including adequate rest breaks, drinking water, shelter, sanitation and timely payment of wages.

A periodic internal or external review checking that an agency's records, training, deployment and conduct meet licence conditions and legal requirements.

The individual record maintained for each guard containing identity documents, verification results, training certificates, duty history and disciplinary entries.