| Owner | Health and Safety |
| Last Reviewed | June 2020 |
| Version | 1 |
Conduct Vehicle Search
Definitions
| SOP | Standard Operating Procedure |
| Shall or Will | Mandatory or must do |
| Recommended | Not mandatory however, should do |
| KPI | Key Performance Indicator |
| Prohibited | Not allowed onsite. Unless written permission given by the SSE |
| SSE | Site Senor Executive. Statutory position for the most senior person at a coal mine. |
| CMW | Coal mine worker |
| Site contact | Person responsible for the authorised persons whilst onsite |
| GDA | Goods Dispatch Advice. Only applicable to delivery vehicles |
| Property | Anything owed by Richo’s Mine. That is a tangible, intangible, object or item of any value that is real or personal |
| PTR | Permit To Remove. Applicable to all persons & vehicles including deliveries |
| Vehicle | Any device or structure for transporting persons or things; Any attachment to the vehicle ie: a trailer is deemed to be part of a vehicle |
| Deprivation of liberty | Any person who unlawfully confines or detains another in any place against the other person’s will, or otherwise unlawfully deprives another of the other person’s personal liberty, is guilty of a misdemeanour, and is liable to imprisonment for 3 years |
| Obstruction | Any person who either directly or indirectly obstructs an OZ SECURITY officer to make progress difficult by way of physically blocking, hinder, bribe, corruptly or by threatens to use force, threatening letter or communication, influences, shut out from view or get in the way so as to hide from sight is said to have caused obstruction |
| MRU | Mutual Recognition Unit |
| SDS | Safety Data Sheet for Chemical handling and storage |
Legal Compliance & References
| Legislation / Recognized Standards | Coal mining safety and health act 1999 Coal mining safety and health regulations 2017 Criminal Code Act 1999 |
| Australian / International Standards | |
| Risk Assessment | RIcho’s Mine WRAC 04.230.05 |
| Other References |
Purpose
The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that officers conduct searches of vehicles in a lawful & professional manner. To prevent the unlawful removal of property and the seizure of dangerous goods and contraband. This shall be done to meet Richo’s Mine business & legislative requirements.
Scope
This procedure applies to OZ Security personnel at Richo’s Mine.
This procedure shall be maintained as a living document for continual improvement.
To demonstrate due diligence throughout the vehicle search and traffic management to ensure that safety of all road users whilst selecting and performing random vehicle searches.
Procedural Requirements
When conducting vehicle inspections be aware of your legal rights, responsibilities & accountabilities. Remember that you require the co-operation of the person whose vehicle you are searching. There is no absolute legal right to search a person or vehicle unless they are under arrest.
As you won’t be arresting the driver, be polite and efficient when conducting the search.
Remember: Unless a person consents to a search, you have no legal right to search a person’s bag, vehicle or pockets regardless of signs erected or employment agreement.
Best Practice for conducting searches at Richo’s Mine.
- Where possible have a witness present. Another officer is preferred or if necessary a Richo’s Mine manager, delegate or representative.
- Ask permission of the person/driver to be searched before the search starts.
- No person/body or crib bag or pocket searches are permitted.
- No internal body searches, which includes the mouth.
- Ask the person to open, lift or move their items. Never touch anything on or inside the vehicle.
- Ask the person to remove any items in question from the vehicle.
- If they refuse to participate. Don’t force them, don’t argue. Collect details and report the “failure to participate” immediately.
- Once finished, always thank the driver and other persons for participating in the inspection.
Traffic Control.
- Officers shall be dressed in full PPE. Hi-Viz vest or shirt, hard hat and safety glasses
- Utilise the boom gate to manage the flow of traffic while conducting vehicle searches.
- If you are conducting vehicle searches at a different location traffic cones or bollards shall be used.
- Vehicle searches shall be done off and clear of the road when and where ever possible. This may be difficult for trucks to park fully of the roadway.
- The guard is to use best judgement in relation to safe pedestrian and vehicle movement through the boom gates.
Selecting vehicles to be searched
- Deliveries, contractors (Priority) and visitors (not a priority).
- It is recommended that you seek authorisation from OZ SECURITY management to search a Richo’s Mine employee or managers vehicle, well in advance of a search.
Witness
- Anyone can be a witness. Ensure that you ask the person to consent to being a witness prior to the search being conducted.
- If a 2nd officer is present you may not wish to have another person (CMW) present as a witness.
- It is at the discretion of the officer conducting the search weather they believe it is necessary to utilise a witness.
- It is recommended to have a company representative present if you have reason to believe that the situation could get nasty or abusive etc.
Consent and Drivers declaration.
- Prior to conducting the search, you must have consent from the driver. Officers shall verbally obtain consent from the driver prior to conducting the search. Be polite.
- Officers shall also ask the driver if they wish to declare anything that they shouldn’t have in their possession:
- Ie: unauthorised chemicals, property belonging to Richo’s Mine.
- Officers shall log anything the driver declares
Reasons for conducting a search may include:
- Duty sheet random.
- Confirming GDA.
- Confirming PTR.
- Acting on information of prohibited or stolen items
Searching Vehicles Entering site:
- It is preferred that light vehicles, light rigid and medium rigid vehicles be directed to car park area in front of the gatehouse.
- It is preferred that vehicles be searched under recorded CCTV.
- In relation to searching trucks for prohibited chemicals. It is preferred that searches be done on the roadway before entering through the boom gate. This will depend on the traffic flow at the time.
Searching Vehicles Exiting Site:
- Firstly, ask the driver to participate in the inspection.
- It is preferred that searches be done before they exit through the boom gate. Depending on traffic flow, you may need to direct vehicles into the car park area in front of the gatehouse. Ensure you have his/her name, company and rego. Number before opening the boom gate
- It is preferred that vehicles be searched under recorded CCTV.
- Officers discretion is advised when searching trucks exiting site to ensure that they have GDA for any item leaving site.
Prohibited Items:
Security shall be proactive and vigilant to ensure that any of the “banned” items are not brought to site. These may include but not limited to:
- 9″ angle grinders
- Flat-type synthetic slings
- Elastic-sided safety boots
- Exemptions may include:
- Admin office areas
- Warehouse admin areas
- Operations admin areas
- Change rooms.
- Chemicals not approved by the Richo’s Mine
- Alcohol beverages of any kind
- Hard faced hammers 4-pound and heavier.
- (Unless written permission has been obtained from a company MRU manager)
- Firearms or purpose-designed weapons of any description. Incl Flares
- Explosives of any kind other than those being delivered under official Company purchase order by an authorised carrier.
- LPG, Unleaded fuel, Av Gas (Unless written permission has been obtained from the SSE or their delegate)
- Asbestos
Other Items of interest being removed from site.
- Property belonging to Richo’s Mine. (excluding PPE for home use)
- Data Projectors
- Tools
- Ladders
- Milk
- Incomplete or NO PTR
- Incomplete or NO GDA (It is preferred that GDA issues be sent back to the warehouse)
Non compliance issues
Non compliance issues identified by security officers shall be recorded on a non compliance report and emailed to OZ SECURITY management.
Issues may include but not limited to:
- Talking on Mobile Phones.
- Not wearing a seatbelt.
- Failure to wear PPE.
- Unauthorised chemicals or no SDS onboard.
- NO PTR for items being removed.
- NO GDA for items leaving site.
Officers shall ask for compliance. If compliance is observed a non compliance report is still required.
Where compliance is not observed access is denied and an incident report for denying access shall accompany the non compliance report.
Obstruction of a search
- If a person (the obstructing person) obstructs a security officer conducting a lawful search of a vehicle, a security officer must, if reasonably practicable:
- Warn the obstructing person it will be recorded and used against them if the person continues to obstruct a security officer during a vehicle inspection; and
- Give the obstructing person a reasonable opportunity to stop obstructing the search.
- Examples of when it may not be reasonably practicable for a security officer to comply with points (i) and (ii) above include:
- There is an immediate or sudden need to use force because, for example, the person has decided to physically engage and struggling with a security officer; or
- There is a reasonable expectation that, if warned, the person may immediately dispose of, or destroy, evidence; or
- An immediate search is necessary to protect the safety of any person.
Taking Photos
- Being discreet is the key.
- By all means take a photo. If the items are still onboard the vehicle and the driver is present, officers shall obtain consent from the driver before taking any photos.
- Whenever possible, it is recommended that photos accompany the search reports.
- The reason you are taking photos is to cover you both
Forms
- Search Record
- Seized Items
- Incident Report
- Non-Compliance Report
Reports
As each form is completed it will be automatically sent to
- Health and Safety systems manager
- Oz Security Supervisor
- Oz Security manager
Incident Reports.
An incident report will be required in but not limited to the following cases
- If an item needs to be seized that is believed to belong to Richo’s Mine and the officer believes that, a person in the vehicle intended on depriving Richo’s Mine of the thing.
- If a drivers refuses to participate.
- Obstructing the officers performing the search.
- If a driver first agrees to a search prior to going through the boom gate then drives off.
- Any person who is obstructing the search in any way.
- Poor behaviour or Poor language or other behavioural safety issue displayed from anyone during a search either directly or indirectly.
Documentation of items seized
If the person requests a receipt for the item or thing seized. To be checked and verified with Richo’s Mine management.
If at a later date the item being removed was found to be lawful. Return it the owner ASAP within 7days where practicable. Apologise to the owner and thank them for their co operation.
Training
Officer Training to conduct searches
- All officers must have read and understood this document.
- Each officer must demonstrate a professional approach to a mock/Role Play search assessed from either a supervisor, leading hand or OZ SECURITY authorised trainer assessor.
- Conducted no less than 10 vehicle searches under direct supervision from either a supervisor or authorised trainer assessor. This may need to be done over a period of days if required.
- Each officer shall be re assessed by way of a task observation at least once every month for the 1st six months then twice annually from either a supervisor, leading hand or OZ SECURITY authorised trainer assessor.
- Officers shall be trained and assessed to demonstrate competence in maintaining an electronic register of searches and items seized for night shift.
- Training Records and Task observations shall be kept by OZ SECURITY management.
Manage Records
As each inspection is submitted it will be automatically be logged and recorded into a spreadsheet.
Supervisors shall inspect each inspection submitted each Monday morning before 0900hrs for the past 7 days and sign off on each entry.
The records shall be stored in a reputable cloud storage system.
Reporting
Must notify OZ SECURITY management ASAP via phone of the following circumstances.
- Access denied.
- Items seized.
- Incident Reports.
- Non Compliance
- Any other issue that you believe should be reported as an incident.
Accountabilities
All officers
May be personally held accountable in a court of law for any unlawful directions, statements or actions (including assault or deprivation of liberty). If you do not follow this procedure.
Whoever pushes the button to open the boom gates is accountable for what comes in and out. If any vehicle or equipment comes in contact with a vehicle whilst the boom gate is in motion, the guard shall be drug & alcohol tested and a Richo Mine incident report completed.
Supervisors & Leading Hands
Shall actively support officers decisions and discus options when necessary, directly monitor officers performing searches and ensure compliance with this procedure to protect all staff.
Trainer Assessors
Shall ensure officers are aware of their accountabilities and that officers are trained to an appropriate standard that exceeds our clients expectations.
Collect and record evidence of all training in relation to this SOP.
Managers
Shall ensure this SOP is valid and appropriate to the task as well as communicated and available to all officers.
Review
This document shall be reviewed every 2 years and no more than 5 years.