Ballistic Stab Vests

Do you own a ballistic (bullet resistant) or stab vest?  Does your staff wear them? Did you know that vests have a shelf life?

Security Officer Ballistic Vests

If you own one, or your staff wears them, insure that they are still under warranty from the manufacture.  Vests normally carry a five (5) year life to them, which means that after that the manufacture will not make any promise or guarantee that they will work.  The materials of the vest will breakdown over time, mainly the stitching of the panels.  What that means is that they could develop weak points.

Security Management Oversight

If you allow staff to wear their own vests, or you supply them, take a look at the date of manufacture on each panel.  If the vest is more than five years old you should call the company and talk about the safety of the vest.  Also consider consulting with your risk management or human resource departments to talk about increased risk that you may assume.

Security Liability and Ballistic Vests

Could your organization be subject to civil litigation even if the ballistic vest was the personal property of the security officer? Well in today’s world anything is possible, but if you knew that the officer’s job placed him/her in danger of being shot or stabbed, and you approved of them wearing an outdated vest while on duty, your risks will likely increase.

So if you supply the vests, or recommend them to be worn by the security officers working for you, it is wise to fully understand the risks that they face as well as the protection means that you approve of for them.

If you have a contract security company that handles your security needs you may not have any liability exposure. However, that does not mean that you cannot ask the contractor about the safety of the security officers.