TMA Needs Feedback on Revised UL Virtual Workplace Guidelines

Industry stakeholders that rely on UL certifications as part of their risk management programs are asked by TMA to review the updated guideline revisions.

McLEAN, Va. — In response to a request from The Monitoring Association (TMA), UL published a statement March 16 on monitoring station certifications as TMA members worked to minimize the impact of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

An initial set of guidelines for virtual workplaces was included for monitoring stations considering at-home operators as part of their contingency planning.

In an announcement, TMA explains in the time since UL published its statement it has become clear that health risk mitigation measures will likely be required for longer than what was originally anticipated. UL now seeks feedback from industry stakeholders that rely on UL Certifications as part of their own risk management programs to review the updated guideline revisions, which are intended to better define virtual workplace security measures.

Security professionals are asked to review the revised draft of Virtual Workplace Guidelines that incorporate some initial suggestions. Questions and comments can be sent to Steve Schmit, senior staff engineer at UL ([email protected]).

A statement by UL was included with the virtual workplace guidelines:

In the current COVID-19 mitigation environment, central stations may be challenged to operate in complete compliance with UL Standards. UL expects that stations will make every reasonable effort to exercise options available in UL standards. However, in cases where delivering ongoing monitoring services requires alternate procedures, we request that stations document those procedures and be prepared to share them with UL if/when necessary as a basis for maintaining their UL Certification.

As a last resort, some stations may be considering use of home based operators to process signals. Based on input from industry, UL recommends considering the following guidelines.

Note – For U.S.-based stations monitoring National Industrial Security System accounts, any deviations from UL827 language need to be discussed with and approved by the relevant US federal security agency with jurisdiction.

These guidelines are designed to provide procedural guidance to monitoring station management and operators who perform job duties at alternative work sites, most specifically at home offices.

Go here to view the virtual workplace guidelines draft document. The TMA website also includes a curated repository of reference materials.

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