What is BS7858?
BS7858 is the British Standard for the screening of individuals working in a secure environment. Published by the British Standards Institution (BSI), it sets out the minimum requirements for vetting employees and contractors in roles where security, trust, and public safety are paramount. For UK security companies, compliance with BS7858 is not simply best practice — it is a contractual requirement for most SIA-licensed operations and a prerequisite for accreditations such as NSI Gold and ACS.
The current version, BS7858:2019, replaced the 2012 edition and introduced several important updates that security companies need to understand and implement.
What Does BS7858:2019 Require?
The standard requires that all individuals working in security roles undergo a structured screening process covering a minimum five-year employment history. Where gaps in employment exist, those periods must be accounted for and verified. The key components of a compliant BS7858 vetting process are as follows.
Identity Verification
Applicants must provide documentary proof of identity. Acceptable documents include a valid passport, a UK driving licence, or a national identity card for EU nationals. The standard requires that identity documents are verified as genuine — not simply photocopied — and that the person presenting them is the person named on the document.
Right to Work in the UK
Every applicant must demonstrate their legal right to work in the United Kingdom before employment commences. This is a legal requirement under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, and BS7858 reinforces it as a mandatory screening step. Failure to conduct a right to work check correctly can result in a civil penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker.
Five-Year Employment History
The standard requires verification of the applicant's employment history for the five years immediately preceding their application. Each period of employment must be verified directly with the employer or through a verifiable reference. Any gaps of 31 days or more must be explained and, where possible, substantiated with documentation.
Criminal Record Check
A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required for all applicants. For most security roles, this will be an Enhanced DBS check, which includes a check of the Police National Computer and, where relevant, the children's and adults' barred lists. The level of DBS check required depends on the specific role and the environments in which the individual will work.
Financial Background Check
BS7858:2019 introduced a stronger emphasis on financial background screening. Applicants with significant financial difficulties — such as county court judgments, insolvency, or bankruptcy — may present a higher risk in security-sensitive roles. The standard requires that financial background is assessed as part of the overall risk evaluation.
Character References
Two character references are required, at least one of which must be from a previous employer. References must be obtained in writing and must address the applicant's suitability for a security role specifically.
What Changed in the 2019 Update?
The 2019 revision introduced several notable changes from the 2012 version. The most significant updates include a greater emphasis on continuous screening — meaning that vetting should not be treated as a one-time event at the point of hire, but as an ongoing process throughout employment. The standard also placed greater weight on financial background checks and clarified the requirements around digital identity verification, acknowledging the increasing use of online verification tools.
Common Compliance Mistakes
Despite the clear requirements of the standard, many security companies fall short in their vetting processes. The most common mistakes include failing to verify employment gaps adequately, accepting photocopied identity documents without seeing originals, not obtaining written references, and failing to keep records in a way that can be audited. Each of these shortcomings can result in a failed audit, loss of accreditation, or — in the most serious cases — regulatory action.
How WFC Verify Simplifies BS7858 Compliance
Managing BS7858 vetting manually — through spreadsheets, email chains, and paper files — is time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to audit. WFC Verify was built specifically to automate and manage the entire BS7858 vetting workflow for UK security companies.
With WFC Verify, each new applicant is guided through a structured digital onboarding process that captures all required information, prompts for the correct documents, and flags any gaps or anomalies automatically. Employment references are requested and tracked digitally, DBS check status is monitored in real time, and all records are stored securely in a fully auditable format. When an auditor or client asks to see your vetting records, everything is available at the click of a button.
The platform also supports continuous screening — automatically alerting you when a document is approaching expiry, when a DBS reconsideration is due, or when a financial background check needs to be refreshed.
Getting Started
If your current vetting process relies on manual tracking, the first step is to conduct an honest audit of your existing records. Identify any employees whose vetting is incomplete, out of date, or inadequately documented. Then consider whether your current tools are capable of supporting a fully compliant BS7858 process at scale as your business grows.
WFC360 offers a free demonstration of WFC Verify for security companies looking to modernise their vetting process. Our team will walk you through the platform and show you exactly how it maps to the BS7858:2019 requirements.