
CCTV monitoring can be used in the workplace for a number of legitimate reasons such as:
· ensuring the safety of employees
· preventing theft, malicious damage or other misconduct
· to assess and improve productivity
· ensuring that health and safety procedures are being followed
· complying with legal and regulatory requirements.
If CCTV is installed the employer should make sure their employees are aware of it by displaying signs to say where the locations of the cameras are as well as having written policies and procedures in place regarding the use of CCTV at work.
Workers should also be given the reason for the monitoring. If the reason for the CCTV is to prevent theft for example, the employer cannot then use the footage for another reason such as recording entry and exit of workers from the workplace.
Employers should remember that workers are entitled to some privacy at work under the Human Rights Act 1998. Cameras should not be cited in areas where individuals have a heightened expectation of privacy, such as toilets and monitoring should be justified and not excessive.
Most uses of CCTV by organisations or businesses will be covered by the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) so employers are likely to need to register with the Information Commissioners Office and follow the ICO's code of practice
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