Hiring A Contract Security Company

Most businesses/companies hire contract security to oversee and protect their properties thinking it absolves them of any liability.  Well, it doesn’t.  If a Security Officer is injured while on patrol or doing his/her job, you the company that hired the contract security company can be at risk of being sued.  It is up to you to oversee the security company and to be sure they are doing what you hired them to do in a safe working environment.  Example:  Patrol tags; these tags serve more than one function.  1.) To insure the security officer does his/her patrol.  2.)  To place the tags in areas you feel are important and want to ensure the officer checks it out.  3.)  Placing them so the officer has to cover as much real estate as possible while patrolling.  Now here is a problem.  4.)  Place the tags to be scanned in an area that is safe for the officer to scan.  If the security company places a tag in an unsafe area, and the officer is injured while trying to scan it, you can be sued for negligence.  You are the one that told the security company the hot points and should have checked them out.  The security company may have placed the tags by looking at a map that is one dimensional and have never physically patrolled the area to see if it is going to work year round in all types of weather without putting an officer in harm's way.  You have to keep an eye on the security company that was hired .  When the tags are placed both companies should be involved.  This is for both indoors and out.  It is also a good idea to have the patrol officers take part, and be shown / trained in the areas.  All posts are different in hazards.  This is why you want one of your people, along with the security company showing the officers the way.  

The Officer:::  In some cases a security company may not have the manpower to fill your post so they hire an  officer off the street or from another company without knowing the work habits of that person.  This is why you may want to ask to see the employees records, and request their most long time officers until the new hires are trained and have time to see the new hires' work habits.