Publication of British Standard BS 8418:2021

6th August 2021

The 2021 edition of British Standard Code of Practice BS 8418 – Design, Installation, Commissioning and Maintenance of Detection-Activated Video Surveillance Systems (VSS), was recently published by the British Standards Institution (BSI).

The British Standard gives guidance and best practice recommendations, including operation of VSS.  The revisions incorporated into the 2021 edition (previous edition dated 2015) include references to a wider range of VSS and reflect changes in legislation and technology.

There will be a 12-month transition period ending on 31st July 2022. During this period, installations can comply with either the 2015 or 2021 edition. Companies will be able to transition to the 2021 edition at any point during this 12-month period.

Key changes:

BS 8418:2021 simplifies the technical requirements of the standard with the introduction of a tiered approach:

  • Type A (base recommendations)
  • Type A+ (enhanced recommendations for higher risk sites)

In addition:

  • The removal of RVRC (Remote Video Response Centres) recommendations (these have been moved to British Standard BS 9518)
  • For a VSS to be eligible for police response, it must have a Unique Reference Number (URN) and comply with the recommendations in BS 8418. In order for a VSS to have an allocated URN, it must be installed and maintained by a company independently approved by a UKAS-accredited Certification Body, such as NSI

How do I obtain a copy of BS 8418:2021?:

BS 8418:2021 is available as an outright, individual purchase directly from BSI at a discounted rate via NSI’s Access to Standards service.

NSI regularly updates its approved companies on all new or revised standards relevant to their scope of activity and a Circular Letter and Technical Bulletin 0060 outlining all the changes to this Standard have been issued.  NSI approved companies can access these via the Approved Company Login area of the website in the first instance.

Please contact our Head of Approval Schemes, Matthew Holliday, with any queries.

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