PSA study guide
PSA · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Private Security Authority (PSA) licence is the Irish statutory credential that allows a person to work in the private security industry, or a business to supply private security services, in the categories the PSA regulates. It is issued by the Private Security Authority, the State body established under the Private Security Services Act 2004. The PSA study guide has 10 sections and about 3,349 words.
01Private Security Services Act and the PSA Regulatory Framework
This domain covers the statutory backbone of Irish private security: the Private Security Services Act 2004, the Private Security Authority (PSA) it created, and how the licensing regime is policed. Questions are definitional (is this activity a designated service?), procedural (what may an inspector do?) and offence-based (who commits an offence when an unlicensed person works?).
351 words, about 2 min02Licensing Requirements for Contractors and Employees
This domain examines the conditions a person or firm must satisfy before a PSA licence issues, and the ongoing duties that keep it valid. Expect questions on training, vetting, tax clearance, the fit and proper person test, producing a licence on demand, and what happens at renewal.
358 words, about 2 min03Standards and Codes of Practice for Security Services
Licensing is only the entry ticket; this domain tests the service-quality and conduct obligations that sit behind the licence. Questions probe what a PSA standard requires of a contractor, what assignment instructions are for, and what professional conduct means in practice.
326 words, about 2 min04Legal Powers, Arrest, Detention and Use of Force
This is the highest-risk domain for both marks and real life. It tests whether you know that a security operative has no powers beyond any other citizen, how a citizen's arrest works under section 4 of the Criminal Law Act 1997, what amounts to unlawful detention, and when force is justified.
368 words, about 2 min05Criminal Law Relevant to Security Operations
You must be able to name the offence accurately and identify its elements, because reports, statements and court evidence all depend on correct labelling. Questions target theft, burglary, robbery, handling, public order and assault offences, plus actus reus and mens rea.
329 words, about 2 min06Health, Safety and Welfare at Work
This domain tests the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 as it applies to security work: employer duties, employee duties, risk assessment, and the hazards specific to guarding, door work and night shifts. Employer duties include safe systems of work, risk assessment, a written safety statement, information, training and supervision, emergency plans, and provision of personal protective equipment free of charge.
298 words, about 1 min07Fire Safety and Emergency Procedures
Expect questions on fire chemistry, extinguisher selection, occupier duties under fire legislation, and the correct sequence for discovering a fire or handling an evacuation as a warden in a building you do not control. Fire triangle: heat, fuel, oxygen.
332 words, about 2 min08Customer Service, Communication and Professional Conduct
This domain checks whether you can handle the routine and the confrontational with equal professionalism: first impressions, active listening, de-escalation, complaints handling, and the conduct standards expected of a licensed operative. First contact: correct uniform, visible ID, eye contact, a clear greeting, and a calm tone establish authority without confrontation.
315 words, about 2 min09Equality, Diversity and Human Rights
This domain tests the nine grounds of the Equal Status Acts 2000–2018 as they apply on the door and on site, the meaning of discrimination, and how human rights principles constrain security decisions such as refusal of entry, search and CCTV use. The nine grounds: gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race, and membership of the Traveller community.
344 words, about 2 min10Record Keeping, Reporting and Evidence Handling
This domain tests the paper trail: notebook discipline, incident report content, data protection obligations, and continuity of evidence. Weak records lose cases and lose marks, so expect questions on what belongs in a note and what must never appear.
328 words, about 2 min