Base Building Security/Roles and responsibilities

Roles and Responsibilities for the The Base Building Security Standard

Roles and Responsibilities

Planning and day-to-day operations:

For custodians, this responsibility does not apply in spaces assigned to tenant departments. Within the PSPC office accommodation program, such spaces are assigned to tenants through Occupancy Instrument Agreements. In such spaces, the Deputy Head and their CSOs have the responsibility to safeguard employees, assets and service delivery. Tenants are also responsible for controlling accesses to occupied building areas, normally starting at their Security Operations Zones, either through the use of turnstiles or floor level access doors, into spaces where access is restricted to those with proper authorization or escorts.

For assets under the PSPC portfolio, common areas normally fall under the management of PSPC. PSPC, as the custodian of the asset, is the responsible authority to ensure activities or threats do not pose health and safety risks to occupants, asset or service delivery. When PSPC becomes aware of real or imminent threats, PSPC’s CSO and properties management liaise with tenant to ensure integration of approaches.

In exceptional circumstances, for instance where there is single occupancy in a building or a specialized security requirement, the responsibility for the management of those spaces could be a shared (jointly managed) or transferred responsibility after negotiations with the tenants. Given their higher security requirements, many departments within the security portfolio have taken on security for common areas and grounds adjacent to buildings. Where there is a joint responsibility, in the event of low to medium security related incident or threat, those would be discussed with the occupying tenant to ensure coordination of approaches and response.

Building management during emergency events:

Under the TBS Standard for Fire Safety Planning and fire emergency organization, the main tenant(s) are responsible for leading the emergency response at the building level, including common areas such as lobbies, with PSPC undertaking a supporting role. This includes appointing the most senior Civil Servant of the largest occupying department as the Responsible Building Authority (RBA) who is accountable for building-centric emergency plans and for the overall health and safety of all employees in the building. As such, the RBA is empowered to make building wide decisions.

The RBA is supported by a Building Emergency Organization (BEO) that is trained to ensure quick and efficient evacuation of a building if required. This BEO is governed by Health and Safety regulations and the RBA retains the authority to close buildings for various health and safety issues such as high temperature, potable water, etc.

Security related incidents and authorities:

Public Works Nuisances Regulations under the Department of Public Works and Government Services Act, “no person shall loiter or commit nuisance in, on or about any public work and no person shall occupy, reside, camp or sleep in or upon any public work or use any vehicle for the purpose of occupying a public work or residing, camping or sleeping thereon”. The regulations also state that “no person shall erect, use, occupy or maintain any structure in or upon any public work except by or under the authority of the Minister”.

Further, under the Trespass act (provincial definition varies), the Crown has the authority to ensure the lawful use of its custodial space. At the government’s request and after consultation between the custodian and the RBA, this would be enforced by the local police authority or the RCMP. It should however be noted that where a PSPC base building element is made unsafe by the actions of private individuals, PSPC has the responsibility.

Should there be a significant risk to an asset(s), these specific clauses would be pertinent. However, as is the case of the recent protests, the most senior Civil Servant of the largest department in a building is the Responsible Building Authority (RBA) and remains the authority for emergency plans and overall health and safety of all federal employees in the building. Further legal analysis and consultation would be required to ascertain the applicability of the Public Works Nuisances Regulations or Trespass Act for use by other Deputy Heads in exercising their own custodian responsibilities.

Next Steps

For incidents developing in assets where exceptional agreements are in place, it is understood that the RBA exercises its authorities over the jointly managed spaces, as evidenced by the Department of Justice’s decision to allow the protest to continue and their staff to continue to work. In a multi-tenant space, the same approach would be undertaken, however, this type of situation would require formalization through the Building Security Committee.

Incident reporting:

PSPC actively monitors and reports incidents at the building level through its Real Property Services Operations Centre, in close collaboration with PSPC’s CSO and the Government Operations Centre. Through this established communications framework, PSPC ensures related health and safety concerns are brought to tenant departments. Close collaboration between PSPC and client departmental security organizations ensures integrated approaches and response plans, ensuring situational risks to government programs and services are widely communicated and mitigation strategies are in place.

Enterprise-wide response:

For events where more than one department and/or multiple assets are affected, such as an active shooter for example, guidance is provided to the CSO community from PCO and TBS. PSPC actively monitors and reports security related incidents through its Departmental Emergency Operations Centre, in collaboration with its CSO, the Government Operations Centre, leveraging the Real For events where more than one department and/or multiple assets are affected, such as an active shooter for example, guidance is provided to the CSO community from PCO and TBS. PSPC actively monitors and reports security related incidents through its Departmental Emergency Operations Centre, in collaboration with its CSO, the Government Operations Centre, leveraging the Real Property Operations Centre communication channels, particularly where there are potential threats to human health and safety.

Base Building Security

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