CCTV Installation standards in the UK

by | Nov 5, 2013 | Articles, CCTV articles

CCTV installation standards in the UK

In this article we will discuss about the British standard BS50132-7 and other acceptable practices in CCTV designing, installation, commissioning and maintenance.

Written specification of CCTV system:

Before you install CCTV system, there should be a written specification about the proposed system. This should be signed by all relevant stakeholders. This includes customers, installers, insurance company and etc. This should be recorded and documented for future use.

Any changes to the specification should be signed and approved by all relevant individuals.

A typical CCTV specification includes

  • Risk assessments e.g. identified risk, involved personals, proposed system, and outcomes.

 

  • Type of CCTV system required e.g. 24/7, only daytime or only out of office hours.

 

  • Purpose of each cameras e.g. monitoring, observation, identification

 

  • Video transmission e.g. via LAN, 3G or local storage

 

  • Level of surveillances

 

  • Is physical protection required? e.g. case for CCTV cameras

 

  • Nature of the CCTV system, e.g. Is it to monitor a building or people or unattended items – environment of the camera should be taken in to consideration. What is the minimum and maximum working temperature of the CCTV system? e.g. -20 C to + 50 C. If the cameras are installed in a server room, kitchen or cold room, cameras should be able to work in those conditions.

 

  • Lighting levels e.g. Lux level and required lux level by cameras, auto and manual Iris lens

 

  • Are additional lights required? – Camera installation position should be appropriate, it should not be easy to vandalise it.

 

  • Maintenance of the system – System should be checked periodically to avoid malfunctioning. Camera lens need to checked, signal strength should be checked and etc. Staffs should wear ID cards when performing maintenance and CCTV system log book should be updated.

 

  • Safety of maintenance staffs – staffs should wear appropriate personal protective equipment’s. e.g. goggles, safety foot wear, head protection, high visibility clothing and etc.

 

  • Alarm signals e.g. Police response via ARC

 

We will discuss about each of the above in detailed in another article. I trust this article is useful for you, please let us know your comments.

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British standard BS50132-7