In the field of Occupational Health and Safety (OHS), security managers shoulder much of the responsibility in ensuring that a workplace is a secure space for employers and employees. It’s a big responsibility, but a satisfying one too! Read on for our breakdown of a day in the life of a security manager.

 

But first, what responsibilities does a security manager have?

Security managers have the overall responsibility of creating a stable and safe work environment where employees are protected from the risk of injury, and they also ensure that organisations are protected from threats to security.

Job tasks could include:

  • Identifying and protecting against safety hazards.
  • Recruiting or provision of armed response, armoured delivery vehicles or bodyguards.
  • Implementing IT security to protect against cybercrime.
  • Conducting drug tests, psychological stress evaluations or polygraph tests.
  • Supervising security personnel and training new staff.
  • Investigating incidents and writing up reports.

Security managers are commonly employed by companies to protect buildings, assets and staff, or are contracted to work at crucial facilities such as schools, hospitals, sports stadiums, and airports, to name but a few.

 

Taking a closer look – A day in the life of a security manager

This is an example of what a typical day could look like for a security manager at a corporate building:

  • 07h00 – Your day begins before anyone else gets to the workplace. You are tasked with unlocking access points to buildings, deactivating alarms and checking that all security systems are working properly.
  • 07h30 – You meet with your team to discuss things like rotas for the day, general procedures or any other important security matters. Throughout the day, you will be ensuring that staff stick to their rotas.
  • 08h00 – The workplace opens. You are in constant interaction with your security team to ensure that everything runs smoothly, and that you can respond to any problems as people arrive at work.
  • 09h00 – Your company is expecting an important delivery and you have to ensure that armoured vehicles can safely enter and exit the premises.
  • 10h00 – You have been asked to deal with a potential safety hazard in the workplace. You assess the situation and make arrangements with maintenance for the problem to be fixed.
  • 11h00 – You have a team session to present some new security measures that are being introduced and you’ll also train your team members on how to use them.
  • 13h30 – After lunch, you have a meeting with IT to discuss ways to strengthen the company’s cybersecurity.
  • 14h00 – You need to attend to some important admin work. You respond to a few emails from your employer and begin compiling a security report that has been requested from you to update the company on any incidents and overall security.
  • 15h15 – Your admin work is interrupted when you receive a report of a suspicious car parked outside your property. You ask the security guard at the gate to take down the details of its number plate and monitor the situation. The vehicle drives away, but you tell the guard to keep an eye out for it in future.
  • 16h30 – Office hours are ending and you brief the security team for the last time. Some staff members are working overtime, but you have secure systems in place to allow them to exit the property safely. The premises has 24-hour security, so you hand over to the night shift team.

This is only an example of what a typical day could look like; what you do on a daily basis, will vary. Also remember that your tasks will differ according to the type of company you work for. An airport security manager’s job, for example, will be different from that of a security manager working at a school.

 

Does the job of a security manager sound like something you would enjoy?

Start working towards a career in this field with these security management courses from Oxbridge Academy.