Personal Safety Procedures

To ensure your own personal safety when visiting participants or colleagues off site and when working late or at weekends onsite a set of procedures have been developed in collaboration with the CUL Security Office. You are required to ensure that these are followed.

When organising meetings and interviews both on and off site, think about your personal safety when considering times and locations. Try to conduct these in public locations, within office hours as much as possible. If interviewing offsite, the gold standard is to go to interviews in pairs – however this may be impractical, so it becomes essential that you consider personal safety.

Procedure

  • Record the name of the person you are meeting and location in your Microsoft Outlook Calendar(which should be shared with all members of the team). If you are meeting a patient and do not want to put personal details into your diary ensure that you have communicated the details of your meeting with your research group and/or line manager (who will act as your Safety Contacts)
  • Ensure that you have provided your mobile number to your Safety Contacts
  • If you are meeting a colleague or patient off-site call your safety contact before you enter andagain when you leave, give them a rough estimate of how long the meeting should be.
  • If you are meeting with someone alone arrange a code word with your safety contact – which can be used to alert them to high risk situations and the need for assistance.
  • If there is no one from the team at your location always let people on site (e.g.Nurses or Security in a hospital, the Security Office at CUL) know the details of the interview or meeting
  • Arrange the layout of the meeting room so that you have easy access to exits and telecommunications – avoiding obstacles
  • Know the relevant security numbers for your location. On your phone have these calls on quick dial
  • Take a personal alarm with you
  • Always behave in a professional manner (see BPS and HPC codes of Conduct)
  • If you feel that a situation is becoming unsafe, immediately extract yourself from the meeting/interview. Personal Safety is priority over study data. Remember to then report back to security contacts, so this information is shared and risk assessments in the future can take this information into account.
  • Feedback after an interview is important to get a picture of the individual for the next occasion. We may keep a register of visits.
  • If you need to take a cab, use a registered company such as CABWISE or AddisonLee

Working late or at weekends

  • Consider if it is absolutely necessary to work at the office past your usual times or at weekends. Can this work be completed at home?
  • If you need to be in the office please ensure the security office know that you are in the building and which room you are in
  • If you are working at weekends ensure that you sign in and out at the entrance
  • Try to leave the office before it gets dark
  • Carry a personal alarm with you at all times

Additional Caution

  • Unless necessary for the meeting, try to avoid taking expensive equipment / valuables to meetings
  • Don't advertise laptops by carrying them in a laptop bag - use something nondescript.
  • Remember computer equipment (Laptops, USB Keys, Portable hard Drives) need to meet relevant Data Protection and Encryption levels (further documentation is available)
  • Don’t advertise valuables – (e.g. keepthem in deep pockets, keep passes or emergency money in separate pockets)
  • If you are working late night (beyond 7.30pm) or weekends in the office inform the CUL Security Office and your Line manager. Similar procedures should be followed to those for interviews (e.g. know the relevant security numbers for the room; if alone, keep a personal alarm close by).

If you are setting up studies, formal risk assessments can be conducted via CUL Health and Safety and Security Teams. These can help you correctly address costings for safety concerns, which should be built into budgets for research proposals.

Important Contact Details

  • Richard Mansfield

City University Security Services Manager

0207 040 8045

07812 671 916

  • Mohammad Torabi

City University Safety Manager

020 7040 8009

07970831247

If you are worried about someone who is acting suspiciously, ring the main security desk on ext. 3333 or University Duty Manager ext. 1011

For further security advice contact the Security Office on ext. 8045 or the main Security Office on ext. 5581.

REPORT ANY ASSAULT TO THE POLICE - CALL 999and if near to the University, speak to the University Security Staff who will provide assistance.