PSA31:2014 is the standard required by the PSA for new entrants into the manned guarding sector. This standard outlines the procedures and systems which are needed before a company can begin offering services for Manned Guarding.
The PSA have issued the standard (Link) and the guidelines for certification (Link) which are available free of charge from the PSA and EQA websites. PSA 31 is required for all new entrants into the Manned Guarding sector, including companies who already hold a PSA license in another sector.
PSA 31 is also the standard used for entry into the Door Supervision and Event Security sectors. An organisation can look for certification to cover 1 or more sectors.
All PSA 31 audits are carried out by the PSA and once a company has been certified to PSA 31 they are then required to contact a certification body to register and book in their PSA 28 audit.
Once all other requirements for licensing have been met (see PSA website), the PSA will issue a 2 year license following successful certification to PSA 31. This is conditional upon having an audit to PSA 28:2013 within 6 Months. The PSA 28 audit includes a visit to an active site, EQA recommend having a PSA 28 audit as soon as a site becomes available.
All PSA 31 audits are carried out by the PSA and once a company has been certified to PSA 31 they are then required to contact a certification body to register and book in their PSA 28 audit.
PSA 28:2013 is the standard required by the PSA in order to retain and renew a Manned Guarding license. It includes sections on the Organisation (including Tax Clearance and Insurance), Staffing (including employee selection and screening), Training (including induction training, refresher training and requirements for trainers) and Operations (including Risk Assessments, Command and Control Systems and site activities). PSA 28 (Link) and the auditing guidelines for PSA 28 (Link) are both available free of charge from the EQA and PSA websites.
PSA 28 is also the standard used for Door Supervision. The certificate issued by EQA will indicate if the audit was conducted for Manned Guarding only or Manned Guarding and Door Supervision (Door Supervision cannot be added to a PSA 28 certificate without first obtaining a PSA 31 certificate for Door Supervision and obtaining a PSA license for Door Supervision)
Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic all PSA 28 audits for the foreseeable future will be conducted remotely. No site visits will be required and upon successful completion a one year certificate will be issued. Please see the EQA PSA 28 remote auditing guideline checklist for information on what is required from your company on the day of the audit.