Guard Select

Standard Operating Procedures

Version 1.1 (Oct 2026). Guard Select Limited, PSPLA company licence 26-141664.

These procedures apply to every guard working through Guard Select. They follow the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, the Private Security Personnel and Private Investigators Act 2010, the New Zealand Security Association's Security Services in New Zealand: Good Practice Guidelines (developed with E tū and WorkSafe), and the training in the Guard Select Academy.

1. Purpose and principles

  • A guard’s job is to detect, deter, observe and report. Guards have the same legal powers as any member of the public. They are not Police.
  • Nobody is expected to put themselves at risk of injury or death at work. If a task is not safe, stop, get to a safe place and report it.
  • Guard Select, the client and the guard each have duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Where those duties overlap we consult, cooperate and coordinate. That is what the booking briefing, hazard alerts and shift reports are for.
  • These SOPs apply to every guard on every Guard Select job. Site-specific instructions from the client sit on top of them, as long as they are lawful and safe.

2. Before you accept a job (pre-deployment briefing)

  • Read the site safety briefing in the job offer: the risk level (low, medium, high or extreme), the hazards ticked by the client, health and safety notes, the emergency procedure, required PPE, uniform, the client’s health and safety policy and previous incidents at the site.
  • Accept only if you are trained, licensed and fit for the job, you have the required PPE, and the risk is acceptable to you. If not, decline. Declining an unsafe job never counts against you.
  • Tick each acknowledgement before accepting. Your acknowledgement is recorded against the booking with the policy version and SOP version you agreed to.
  • If the client uploads a new version of their policy or sends a hazard alert before your shift, read it and acknowledge it in the app before you start.
  • Guard Select reviews every high and extreme risk booking. A guard who does not yet hold a full Certificate of Approval should not work alone on high or extreme risk sites.

3. Fitness for work

  • Arrive rested, sober and drug-free. Do not work if you are unwell, impaired, or too fatigued to stay alert.
  • Have at least 8 hours off work before every Guard Select shift. This includes work for any other employer or client.
  • Do not work more than 60 hours in total in any 7 days, counting Guard Select shifts and all other work.
  • You confirm both of these on every job before you accept it.
  • Plan enough rest between shifts. Long or back-to-back night shifts increase fatigue risk: tell Guard Select if a booking pattern is making you tired.
  • Tell Guard Select about anything that affects your ability to do the job safely.

4. Uniform, identification and PPE

  • Uniform is the Guard Select general black uniform unless the client asks for tidy blacks or a suit. Clean, tidy and appropriate for the weather.
  • Never wear another security company’s uniform, logo, badge, insignia or ID on a Guard Select job. Never wear anything that looks like a Police uniform.
  • Display your Certificate of Approval (COA) at all times while on duty, and show it when asked.
  • Bring every item of PPE listed for the job. If you do not have it, do not start: tell the client and Guard Select straight away.
  • Minimum kit on every job: a charged phone with the Guard Select app (emergency button), a torch of at least 250 lumens, a notebook and pen, and weather-appropriate clothing.
  • Use client-supplied PPE as instructed. PPE is the last line of defence, not a substitute for removing or controlling a hazard.

5. Arrival and signing on

  • Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early. Check in through the app at the site so there is a GPS proof-of-service record.
  • Meet the site contact and get a site induction: walk the site, hazards, emergency exits and assembly point, fire and evacuation procedure, first aid kit, toilets and water, a safe place to go if threatened (safe haven), alarms, keys and access.
  • Do your own risk check on arrival (Perceived Cumulative Assessment). If the site is different from the booking, or a hazard was not disclosed, report it in the app before you start.
  • Sign out any keys, radios or equipment and sign them back in at the end of the shift.

6. On duty

  • Stay visible and alert. Vary patrol times and routes where the client allows, so your routine cannot be predicted.
  • Greet and check visitors and record who comes and goes when the site requires it.
  • Keep notes of times, people, vehicles and events as they happen. They become your shift report.
  • Use radios using correct procedure and the phonetic alphabet (Radio Communications for Security). Keep calls short and clear.
  • Stay within your role and the law (New Zealand Security Industry Law). Do not follow an instruction that is unlawful or unsafe: tell Guard Select.

7. Conflict, use of force and withdrawal

  • Assess first (Perceived Cumulative Assessment), then decide with TENR: Threat, Exposure, Necessity, Response.
  • Talk first. Use AWOCA: Ask, Why, Options, Confirm, Act. Most situations end at this step.
  • Use force only when it is lawful, necessary and the minimum reasonable for the situation. Never pursue offenders off site or into danger.
  • If the threat is too high, withdraw: MOVE to a safe place, HOLD there, TELL (call 111 and press the emergency button in the app).
  • Record every use of force in your shift report using Tactical Options Reporting (TOR).

8. Hazards found during a shift

  • Stop, make it safe if you can do so without risk, and keep people away from it.
  • Report it straight away with "Report a hazard" on the booking. The client and Guard Select are notified at the same time. Choose Urgent if it needs action now, then phone Guard Select.
  • The Health and Safety at Work Act lets you stop or refuse work you believe would expose you to a serious risk. Tell Guard Select and the client when you do.
  • Clients use "Tell your guard about a new hazard" to send you updates. Read and acknowledge them as soon as they arrive.

9. Emergencies

  • Danger to life: call 111 first. Then press the emergency button in the Guard Select app, which sends your location to Guard Select.
  • Follow the site’s evacuation plan and assembly point. Help others only if it is safe to do so.
  • Give first aid within your training. Do not move an injured person unless they are in further danger.
  • Preserve the scene after a serious incident. Guard Select notifies WorkSafe of notifiable events (death, notifiable injury or illness, dangerous incidents).

10. Escalation plan

  • Level 1, information (minor issue, no risk): note it in your shift report.
  • Level 2, hazard or service problem: "Report a hazard" in the app. The client and Guard Select are notified and respond.
  • Level 3, urgent risk to you or others: urgent hazard report in the app, then contact Guard Select straight away using the Support page in the app.
  • Level 4, emergency: 111, then the emergency button. Guard Select calls you back and, if it cannot reach you and believes you are in danger, calls 111 with your location.
  • After any Level 2 to 4 escalation, Guard Select follows up with you and the client, records what happened and updates the site’s risk information before the next booking.

11. Working alone

  • Most Guard Select jobs are lone work. Keep your phone charged and on you, check in and out in the app, and know your nearest safe place.
  • On high or extreme risk lone shifts, agree check-in times with Guard Select before the shift.
  • If you cannot get phone coverage on site, tell Guard Select before you start so another way to stay in contact can be arranged.

12. Reports and records

  • Submit your shift report in the app at the end of every shift. Answer the safety questions honestly: undisclosed hazards, violence, injuries and emergency services. These are escalated to Guard Select automatically.
  • Write facts: what, when, where, who, what you did. Use TOR for incidents and use of force.
  • Records (check-ins, acknowledgements, alerts and reports) are kept so they can be produced as proof of service and for incident follow-up. Personal information is handled under the Privacy Act 2020.

13. Client responsibilities

  • Tell us about known hazards, site risks, emergency procedures, access and PPE requirements when you book. Upload your health and safety policy if you have one.
  • Tell your guard straight away when something changes, using the hazard alert on the booking.
  • Give the guard a site induction, access to first aid, toilets, drinking water and a safe place, and act on hazards the guard reports.

14. Guard Select responsibilities

  • Verify every guard’s identity, right to work and Certificate of Approval before approval, and track COA expiry.
  • Train guards through the Guard Select Academy and brief them on every job before they accept.
  • Review high and extreme risk bookings, route hazard alerts in real time, follow up every safety escalation and notify WorkSafe of notifiable events.
  • Review these SOPs at least once a year and after any notifiable event, and tell guards and clients when they change.

Questions or a safety concern: admin@guardselect.co.nz. In an emergency call 111.