BS 7858 is the British Standard for screening people who work in a security environment: identity, right to work, a five-year career history with gaps explained, references, financial checks and a criminal record declaration. BOOK ON tracks that process per officer with a documentation and vetting checklist, a telephone screening stage, references, P-File progress rings and HR dashboard lists of every officer whose screening is still pending, with the days it has been pending.
The screening workflow in BOOK ON
Officer registers
An invitation link brings the officer into BOOK ON; registration date starts the clock that the pending lists count from.
Documents are collected
Identity, right-to-work and address documents are uploaded to the officer’s P-File and ticked on the documentation checklist. Questionnaires and forms capture declarations.
Telephone screening
The Pending Telephone Screening list on the HR dashboard shows every officer not yet screened and how many days they have waited.
References and history
Reference checks and employment history are recorded on the officer record against the five-year requirement.
BS 7858 status set
The Pending BS 7858 list clears as each officer is marked screened; the Form BS 7858 Status chart shows the proportion of the workforce complete.
Evidence for the assessor
Compliance and ACS Evidence reports and HR reports draw on the same records, so an ACS or client audit is answered from the system.
P-Files: the personnel file that shows its own gaps
Each officer has a P-File with progress rings for the sections of the file. A compliance manager can sort by completeness rather than opening 300 folders, and the HR dashboard’s pending lists are the queue to work from each morning. Right to work sits on the same checklist, with share codes and visa and passport expiry tracked so that right to work does not lapse after screening is complete.
- Progress rings per officer and section
- Pending Telephone Screening and Pending BS 7858 lists with days pending
- Right to work, visa and passport expiry alongside screening status
- Additional certifications register for NASDU, first aid and other courses
Screening status across the workforce
The HR dashboard charts Form BS 7858 Status, employment type, licence type and banned status for the whole workforce, and lists every pending officer below. For a company bidding for an ACS-scored contract, the percentage of officers screened to BS 7858 is a number the bid team needs on demand.
BS 7858 elements and where they are recorded
| BS 7858 element | Recorded in BOOK ON |
|---|---|
| Identity verification | Identity documents on the P-File and documentation checklist |
| Right to work | Share code, visa and passport details with expiry tracking |
| Five-year career history and gaps | Employment and education history on the officer record |
| Character and employment references | Reference checks on the officer record |
| Telephone screening interview | Pending Telephone Screening list, screening record |
| Declarations and consent | Questionnaires and forms, disclaimer report |
| Screening completion | BS 7858 status flag, Pending BS 7858 list, status chart |
| Ongoing checks | SIA licence, visa and passport expiry tables; banned status |
BS 7858 questions
Does BOOK ON run the checks itself?
BOOK ON tracks the process and holds the evidence. Credit checks and criminal record checks are obtained from the relevant providers and recorded against the officer.
Can officers be deployed before screening is complete?
BS 7858 allows conditional deployment under defined controls. BOOK ON shows the officer’s pending status on the HR dashboard and compliance reports so the decision is visible and recorded.
How is the five-year history collected?
Employment and education history are captured on the officer record during registration and reviewed at telephone screening.
What about subcontractor officers?
Subcontractor officers have records in the same structure, and their screening and licence status appear in the sub-employee tables.
Does it produce a screening certificate?
The officer record and HR reports show the completed elements and their dates, and the questionnaires and forms in administration hold the signed declarations. That is the evidence set a screening certificate is written from.
Related features
Clear your pending screening list
On the demo we show the HR dashboard’s pending lists and the P-File for one officer end to end.