WBCHSE HS Vocational Security key terms

A licensed commercial organisation that supplies trained guards, supervisors and equipment to protect people, property and premises for a fee, working alongside but not replacing the police.

A trained person employed to protect life and property at an assigned post by controlling access, watching for hazards, reporting incidents and responding to emergencies within the limits of the law.

The registration certificate issued under the Private Security Agencies (Regulation) Act, 2005, without which a private security agency cannot legally operate or supply guards in a state.

The assignment of a guard to a specific location, shift and set of duties, together with written instructions on what to protect, whom to allow and whom to report to.

A register kept at the guard post containing written orders, duty rosters, handover notes and special instructions, which every relieving guard must read and sign.

The formal procedure in which an outgoing guard briefs the incoming guard on incidents, keys, equipment and pending matters, and both sign the register to confirm the transfer of responsibility.

The system of procedures and devices that decides who may enter a protected area, where they may go and when, using identity checks, passes, registers, barriers and electronic readers.

The process of receiving outsiders at a premises: confirming identity, recording details, issuing a visitor pass, escorting or directing them, and ensuring they sign out and return the pass.

A numbered card or badge issued to an approved visitor showing name, host, purpose, date and permitted areas, which must be surrendered on exit so the register stays accurate.

Checking that a person is who they claim to be by examining a genuine photo identity document and matching the photograph, name and details against the stated purpose of the visit.

The outer boundary of a protected site, such as a wall, fence, gate or natural barrier, which marks the first line of defence and defines where intrusion must be detected.

A solid structure such as a wall, fence, grille, bollard or locked door that delays or prevents unauthorised movement into or within a protected area.

The principle of arranging several independent defences, such as perimeter, gate, building, floor and asset protection, so that a failure at one layer is caught by the next.

A sensor system, such as fence vibration, infrared beam, buried cable or microwave barrier, that raises an alarm when someone crosses or tampers with the site boundary.

Closed-circuit television: cameras that send pictures to a monitor or recorder for live watching and later review, used to deter crime and to provide evidence of events.

The area and field of view a camera actually captures, planned so that entries, exits, cash points and assets are visible without blind spots, glare or obstruction.

Digital video recorder storage of camera footage with correct date and time, kept for a defined retention period and preserved safely after any incident for investigation or evidence.

An arrangement of sensors, a control panel and a siren or signal that warns of intrusion, fire or tampering, and must be responded to promptly and recorded.

An alarm triggered without a real emergency, caused by equipment fault, environmental conditions or operator error, which must be verified, logged and reported so nuisance alarms are reduced.

The three elements needed for fire, namely fuel, oxygen and heat, which explains why removing any one of them extinguishes or prevents combustion.

Groupings of fires by fuel type, such as solid, flammable liquid, gas, metal and electrical, which determine the correct extinguisher to use and the wrong one to avoid.

Day-to-day measures that stop fire starting, including housekeeping, safe storage of flammables, electrical checks, no-smoking rules, clear escape routes and working detection systems.

A pre-arranged safe open area where occupants gather after evacuation so that roll call can confirm everyone is out and no one re-enters the building.

A planned practice run in which occupants leave a building by designated routes to the assembly point, testing alarms, wardens, exits and headcount procedures.

A written set of actions for foreseeable emergencies, naming who does what, which routes and equipment to use, and whom to call, so that response is quick and coordinated.

Immediate, temporary care given to an injured or suddenly ill person before professional medical help arrives, aimed at preserving life and preventing the condition from worsening.

The rapid first check of a casualty for danger, response, airway, breathing and circulation, done before any other treatment to find and treat life-threatening problems first.

A safe side-lying posture for an unconscious but breathing casualty that keeps the airway open and lets fluids drain, used while waiting for medical help.

The systematic spotting of conditions or acts that could cause harm at a workplace, such as wet floors, loose wiring or unguarded machines, before an accident occurs.

Judging how likely and how serious each identified hazard is, then deciding what controls to apply and in what order, starting with eliminating the hazard itself.

Wearable safety gear such as helmet, boots, gloves, goggles, high-visibility vest and ear protection, used as a last line of defence after other controls.

A chronological written record of events at a post, noting date, time, place, people involved, action taken and who was informed, kept factual and free of opinion.

Preparing clear, accurate, objective accounts of incidents using facts, times, names and sequence, avoiding guesswork or emotional language so the report is useful to management and police.

The documented record of who handled an item of evidence, when and why, from seizure to handover, which keeps it admissible and protects the guard from accusations of tampering.

A responsibility imposed by law, such as maintaining registers, reporting certain offences, protecting workers or obeying licensing conditions, which a guard or agency must perform.

A limited power under which a private person may detain someone caught committing a serious offence and must hand the person to the police without delay, using no more force than necessary.

The minimum physical force that is lawful and necessary in a given situation, judged by what a sensible person would consider proportionate, and never used as punishment.

The lawful use of proportionate force to protect oneself or another from an immediate attack, limited to stopping the threat and ending once the danger has passed.

A basic defensive technique using forearms, hands or body movement to stop or deflect a blow while keeping balance and distance, so the guard can withdraw and call for help.