Standards Australia publishes terrorist risk management handbook

With Australia's current National Terrorism Threat Level labelled as “probable”*, meaning there are individuals or groups that may have the intent to cause harm in Australia, Standards Australia has published a new handbook, SA HB 188, Physical protective security controls for buildings, to guides best practice processes for protecting assets from physical terrorist threats and other acts of extreme violence.

The handbook, developed with Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation (ARPC), the Australian Security Intelligence Agency (ASIO) and other industry stakeholders, explains how to identify and assess threats, develop strategies and implement appropriate plans of action.

The handbook also leverages international standard ISO 31000:2018, Risk management - A practical guide. The ISO standard stipulates foundational concepts and principles of risk management and outlines a framework for identifying and managing risk.

Introducing the handbook, Roland Terry-Lloyd, Head of Standards Development at Standards Australia, stated “while attacks are few and far between in Australia, it’s important that there are proactive security measures in place. Standards Australia is proud to have published a guiding document to support risk management that could positively benefit Australians.”

Dr Christopher Wallace, Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation Chief Executive, added “the Handbook will help owners and operators of commercial buildings to identify and assess building risks linked to terrorism and other acts of extreme violence, and to apply suitable controls to mitigate the risks.

“It was a privilege to work with Standards Australia on the Physical Protective Security Controls for Buildings Handbook (HB-188). The Standards Australia team guided ARPC and our stakeholders effortlessly through the process, producing a high-quality result.”

Click here to access the recently published standard SA HB 188, Physical protective security controls for buildings.

* Australian National Security, Current National Terrorism Threat Level | Accessed: 10th December 2021