Coronavirus Information

The latest news on Coronavirus and helpful guidance and resources can be found at www.bsia.co.uk/coronavirus

With the recent increase in the number of cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) reported, the BSIA has drawn up the following quick reaction plan/business continuity plan in line with the Association’s Business Continuity Requirements. This is in-line with the Association’s BCP and reflects the Good Practice Guidelines from the Business Continuity Institute.

Stage 1

A great deal of the BSIA’s work is around standards development, public relations and membership recruitment and retention which involves a lot of face to face meetings. Staff have been advised that in the course of their work they consider re-evaluating how these meetings are conducted and if alternative methods can be used, such as audio and video conferencing, and to reduce their travel commitments. We also recommend avoiding direct contact (handshaking), whilst taking on board information provided by Public Health England and gov.uk on the correct hygiene procedures. This advice has been circulated to all staff who work in both our offices and remotely.  We have also advised staff, where applicable, to reduce reliance on public transport and avoid meetings in public areas if viable.

At present, all our large-scale commitments in terms of attendance at major events later in the year are currently under review and we will keep our members up to date with this via our social media channels and e-bulletins as the situation evolves. 

In terms of traveling outside of the UK, for business or leisure purposes, we have advised staff that unless absolutely necessary, these trips should be re-arranged. If these trips are not within a tier 1 listed country then the above guidance and government advice should be followed. 

As an Association, we operate on a cloud-based ERP system and we have a robust digital communications system in place. 

Stage 2

In the event of a full pandemic and a UK government announcement regarding a full lockdown, Association staff will be instructed to cancel all face to face meetings and attendance at events and to work and conduct business remotely. This will also include our intelligence-sharing initiative SaferCash and SaferGems. 

The BSIA believes that given its IT cloud-based operating model and the plans in place that in the event of a full pandemic the Association could still operate on a ‘business as usual basis’ and the goal would be to be fully operational using this approach.

As the situation evolves, we will keep our members up to date with regular bulletins if a full pandemic is confirmed.

During a full pandemic, we will communicate what our BCP plan is via email to our members and post a notice on our website with a full list of email and mobile phone contact details for the BSIA team members. 

Mike Reddington

Chief Executive

British Security Industry Association