GDPR is just two months away and your business’ CCTV signage could be affected. Find out how to avoid the fines by correctly signposting your CCTV in this blog from FASTSIGNS® Leeds.
There are an estimated 6 million CCTV cameras in operation across the UK. CCTV is a fantastic way to protect your business and often the presence of CCTV signage alone is enough to deter would-be criminals from trying to gain access to your premises.
A lesser-known fact about this type of surveillance is that it comes with specific responsibilities around data protection. Images that are captured on CCTV cameras are classified as personal data, in the same way, that customer or employee data is.
In May 2018, government legislation around this is set to drastically change. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will come into force and your business could be affected.
If your business owns CCTV cameras, you will need to label them clearly with the correct signage in order to let members of the public know they are in operation. Businesses who are found in breach of this policy could be fined up to 4% of their annual turnover.
Don’t risk the penalties – check your CCTV is signposted correctly
It’s the obligation of the business to notify the public where they may be exposed to CCTV monitoring. All of your employees should be informed of this and prepared to explain your activity and policy to anyone who asks about it.
To stay compliant, your CCTV signage should be:
- Clear and easy to read from a reasonable distance.
- Legible in context i.e. larger where people in moving vehicles will need to read it.
- Visible anywhere where people can appear on camera, even if this is slightly outside your grounds.
- Labeled with the organisation that’s operating the system, including the contact details for them.
- Labeled with the name of your company or the authority who manages the camera (in public places).
You need to be particularly careful where your cameras are discreet or in places where people might not be expecting to be filmed. In instances like this, take extra measures to make sure your signage is visible.
Another important feature of the GDPR legislation is reasoning. You need to be able to justify why you need cameras and why you are filming people. This is particularly important if you are filming employees.
Filming unnecessarily is seen as an invasion of privacy. And in the case of employees, your justification must be on the grounds of health and safety, with proven instances of accidents in the past. Your signage needs to make employees aware they are on camera and give them a number to contact if they have any queries or concerns.
Are you prepared?
It may be that your CCTV signage already ticks all of these boxes. In which case, great! But if you’re at all unsure, it’s worth double-checking. We can help by providing you with CCTV signage design templates, as well as cost-effective signage production and installation. Our team will be able to conduct a site survey and offer advice for safely installing clear, compliant signs.
Do you need help preparing your signage for GDPR? Get in touch with our team, who will be able to carry out a site survey.
Please note: This article has been written in relation to the signage criteria of GDPR only, there are further clauses relating to the handling of CCTV footage that hasn’t been covered. This article should not form the basis of your company’s entire CCTV policy.