BS 10119 explained: the standard against security labour exploitation

When a security company doesn't have enough of its own officers to cover a job, it often brings in additional staff from elsewhere. That is normal, and done well it is entirely legitimate. Done badly, it is one of the places where exploitation in the security industry takes root. BS 10119:2026 is the newly published British Standard designed to keep that supply chain honest, and it deserves to be far better known than it is.

What is BS 10119?

BS 10119:2026 is the code of practice for the provision of labour to the security and events sectors. It grew out of the National Security Inspectorate's earlier code of practice, NCP 119, and was developed by the British Standards Institution into a full British Standard, published in 2026. The NSI has confirmed a 12-month transition from NCP 119 to the new standard, with NCP 119 withdrawn on 30 June 2027. That evolution, from an industry code to a recognised national standard, is itself a signal of how seriously the sector now takes the issue.

The standard addresses a specific, common and often overlooked activity: sourcing additional labour to support delivery in security guarding and event management. Where that process is poorly managed, unvetted or unaccountable people can end up on a client's site, workers can be underpaid or exploited, and the public can be put at risk.

The moment a security firm can't tell you exactly who is standing your post, and how they're paid and vetted, you have a supply-chain problem, not a saving.

Why it exists

Buying in extra labour is where cost-cutting can quietly turn into corner-cutting. A provider under pressure to fill shifts cheaply may reach for informal, unvetted sources, the same cash-in-hand and WhatsApp-group practices that the industry is working hard to stamp out. BS 10119 sets out how to do it properly: with vetting, accountability, transparency and a documented chain of responsibility from the buyer through to the individual on site.

In doing so it protects three groups at once: the public, who are kept safe by properly screened and accountable staff; the workers, who are shielded from exploitation; and honest buyers and providers, who are no longer undercut by operators willing to cut those corners.

What it means for buyers of security

You don't need to memorise the standard to benefit from it. You just need to ask the right questions of your provider:

• Do you ever sub-contract or bring in additional labour to cover my sites, and if so, from where?
• Are those staff vetted to BS 7858 and employed on PAYE, exactly as your own officers are?
• Can you evidence a clear, documented chain of accountability for everyone who works on my premises?

A provider who takes the supply chain seriously will answer these confidently. BS 10119 gives that conversation a recognised benchmark to point to.

How Go Security approaches it

Go Security holds BS 10119 certification, and our starting point is simple: the people on your site should be our people. Around 300 officers work for us every month, and all of them, including our K9 dog handlers, are employed directly on PAYE and screened to BS 7858 before they ever attend a site. We keep transparent, auditable records of pay, hours, licences and right-to-work checks. And through our involvement in the S12 Leadership Group's Labour Exploitation Workstream, we actively support raising these standards across the whole industry, not just within our own business.

Sources include the National Security Inspectorate (NSI), including its July 2026 notice on the publication of BS 10119:2026 and the transition from NCP 119, and the British Standards Institution (BSI). This article is general information about the standard and does not reproduce its text; refer to BSI for the full standard.