AOG Resource Glossary

Access control covers the systems and processes that control who can enter or leave a site, building or restricted area, ranging from a simple sign-in and pass process at a gatehouse through to electronic card or biometric systems on a permanent building. On a construction or industrial site, access control is often a manual process managed by a gatehouse team; on a completed building it is more likely to be an electronic system integrated with the fire and security infrastructure.

Why it matters: Access control is the point at which a site enforces who is authorised to be present, so it is a frequent focus of both security and health and safety audits.

Active fire protection covers systems that detect, warn, suppress or otherwise respond to a fire once it starts, such as fire detection and alarm systems, sprinklers or other suppression systems, depending on the specific system installed. It works alongside passive fire protection, which contains a fire physically rather than reacting to it, as part of a building's wider fire strategy. Which active systems a building needs depends on its use, layout and the building-specific fire strategy developed by competent fire engineers.

Why it matters: Active systems only add value if they are correctly maintained and tested, so a maintenance and testing record is as important as the initial installation.

Pending Fire safety competent person review — treat as a working definition, not yet signed off as final.

Alarm response is the process of attending a site following an alarm activation, assessing the cause and either standing the site down or escalating to the client, police or another agreed contact. The detail of an alarm response arrangement, including the response time, the geography the responder covers and the escalation steps, is set out in the site-specific service level agreement rather than being identical from one contract to the next. A response time quoted for one site should never be assumed to apply automatically to another.

Why it matters: Response time and escalation authority are the two details buyers should check before relying on an alarm response service for an unattended site.

An asset register is a central record of equipment or assets, including identifiers, location, status, inspection history and custody information, used to track what a client's assets are, where they are, and their maintenance and compliance status. A digital asset register, as used within AOG Ops, links each asset directly to its PPM schedule and inspection history, so its maintenance record is available immediately rather than needing to be pieced together from separate paper files.

Why it matters: A current, accurate asset register is the foundation a PPM schedule is actually built on, so gaps in the register usually mean gaps in maintenance coverage too.

Assignment instructions are the site-specific operating instructions given to security personnel covering their duties, the escalation procedure, access arrangements, emergency contacts and post orders for that particular site. They are the working reference an officer follows on shift, distinct from the general company policy documents that apply across every contract. A well-written set of assignment instructions is specific to the site, kept current, and covers what to do in the situations that actually occur there.

Why it matters: Ask to see a sample set of assignment instructions during procurement; a generic, undated document is a sign the provider has not tailored the post to the site.

An audit trail is the recorded history showing what action occurred, who completed it and when, providing evidence that can be checked back through if a question arises about how a task, inspection or decision was actually carried out. A strong audit trail is timestamped, attributed to a specific individual or system, and difficult to alter retrospectively. This term links strongly to AOG Ops, the digital platform that generates an audit trail automatically as inspections, work orders and sign-offs are completed in the field.

Why it matters: An auditable, timestamped record is often what actually settles a dispute or satisfies a compliance check, rather than relying on someone remembering what happened.

A banksman is a person who guides or directs the reversing or manoeuvring of vehicles or plant where a driver's visibility is restricted, using an agreed set of hand signals or radio communication. The role overlaps with, but is not identical to, a traffic marshal, and the terminology and precise competencies required can vary between sites and sectors. What matters in practice is that the person performing the role has been trained specifically for guiding the plant or vehicle involved.

Why it matters: Buyers should check what training a supplier's banksmen actually hold for the plant types on their site, since "banksman" and "traffic marshal" are sometimes used loosely to describe different levels of competency.

BICSc, the British Institute of Cleaning Science, is an industry body focused on training, standards and professional practice in the cleaning sector. It runs recognised training and accreditation programmes for cleaning operatives and supervisors and publishes cleaning standards used across the industry. A provider referencing BICSc training is pointing to a recognised, external benchmark for how its cleaning staff are trained, rather than an in-house-only induction.

Why it matters: BICSc accreditation is a useful, independently verifiable signal of training quality when comparing cleaning suppliers in a tender.

BS 7858 is a British Standard covering the security screening of individuals employed in an environment where the security of people, property or information matters, including employment history verification, identity checks, financial checks where relevant and reference checks over a set period. It is an industry vetting standard, not a government licence, and it sits alongside SIA licensing rather than replacing it. A provider working to BS 7858 will have a documented screening process for every operative, not just a policy statement.

Why it matters: Procurement teams ask for BS 7858 screening as evidence that a supplier vets staff to a recognised standard before they are placed on a client site, which matters most on sites holding sensitive assets or vulnerable people.

Pending Security/compliance lead review — treat as a working definition, not yet signed off as final.

A builders clean is a specialist clean carried out after construction or refurbishment work, removing building dust, adhesive residues, protective film, labels and other construction-related contamination before the space moves toward its handover stages. It is a heavier, more industrial clean than a routine contract clean, often involving specialist equipment for dust extraction and surface preparation. A builders clean typically comes before the final sparkle clean, not instead of it.

Why it matters: Getting the sequence and standard of a builders clean wrong is one of the most common causes of a delayed or disputed handover on a fit-out or refurbishment project.

A caretaker, sometimes called a security caretaker, provides an on-site presence and monitoring role at a vacant or under-used property, deterring unauthorised entry and reporting issues such as damage or intrusion. Where the role involves carrying out a licensable security activity, an SIA licence is required, and buyers should check exactly what the caretaker's duties involve rather than assuming the term always describes the same arrangement, since caretaking models vary in how much active security responsibility they carry.

Why it matters: Whether a caretaking arrangement legally needs an SIA-licensed individual depends on the specific duties performed, so this should always be confirmed rather than assumed either way.

A cavity barrier is a passive fire protection measure installed within a concealed cavity in a building's construction, such as behind cladding or within a roof void, to restrict the hidden spread of fire and smoke through that cavity. Because cavities are, by definition, hidden from view once construction is complete, missing or poorly installed cavity barriers are a fire safety risk that is not obvious from a routine visual inspection and needs a targeted survey to identify.

Why it matters: Cavity barrier defects have been identified as a factor in a number of serious UK fire incidents, which is why they are a specific focus of post-Grenfell fire safety remediation work.

Pending Fire safety competent person review — treat as a working definition, not yet signed off as final.