Safety and Security Management

Personnel

Joel McNamara
 Personnel
Policies & Procedures
– Safety and security briefings
– Required training
– Health
– Personnel practices and records
– Cash management and transport
– Staff movement
– Use of guards
 Safety & Security Briefings
• A short, mandatory presentation on important
safety and security issues.
• Given to all new staff members and visitors.
• Some of the information can be emailed to new
staff members or visitors prior to their arrival
(avoid including any sensitive information).
• When you give a safety and security briefing, try
to tailor it to the staff member or visitor.
 What to include in a briefing?
• Primary office contacts and phone numbers
• Communication systems that are being used
• Current political situation and trends
• Conflict-related threats (if appropriate)
• Current criminal threats
• Natural hazards
• Health concerns
• Travel restrictions
• Summary of disaster, safety and security plans
• General procedures for responding to common threats
 Training
• Training is an essential part of a risk management
program.
– Gets staff members to think about safety and security
issues
– Enhances overall office safety and security
– Prevents or minimizes potential incidents.
• Training should not be a one-time event.
• Recurring training sessions are essential to
reinforce knowledge and give staff members the
opportunity to practice skills.
 What types of mandatory
training should be offered?
• Basic personal security
• Evacuation procedures
• Fire and electrical safety
• First Aid/CPR (CardioPulmonary
Resuscitation)
 Optional Training
– Anti-terrorism
– Landmine/UXO (UneXploded Ordnance) awareness
– Communication procedures
– Emergency preparedness procedures (storms,
earthquakes, etc.)
– Defensive/Evasive driving training and basic vehicle
maintenance
– Kidnap prevention and hostage survival
– Incident reporting
– Stress management
 Developing Training
• Determine needs.
• Use local resources (Red Cross/Red
Crescent for first aid, fire
brigade/departments for fire safety)
• Check the Internet.
• If you don’t have experience teaching, find
someone in the office who does and ask for
assistance.
 What makes good training?
• What participants should know or do better because of the training.
• Adults learn better from doing.
• Think about the best way to present the information. Examples include
a PowerPoint presentation, a discussion group, or a practical
demonstration.
• Keep training sessions short (typically under an hour).
• Avoid lecturing and “talking at” staff.
• Encourage discussion and questions.
• Use activities (such as practical demonstrations) to make things
interesting. The more hands-on activities, the better.
• Be sure to have an evaluation, so you can always improve your training
skills.
 Staff Health Policies
• Immunizations - Essential immunizations should
be identified based on your location, and staff
members should be up to date with their
vaccinations.
• First aid training - All staff members should
have basic first aid skills including CPR
(CardioPulmonary Resuscitation). In areas of
conflict or where landmines are present, a higher
level of trauma first aid training is recommended.
 Staff Health Policies
• HIV/AIDS training - HIV/AIDS is a global
threat, and all national and international staff
members should receive basic awareness training.
• Health awareness - Staff members should be kept
informed of local conditions that pose health risks,
including outbreaks of infectious diseases. A good
resource to periodically check is the World Health
Organization's Web site at: www.who.int.
 Staff Health Policies
• Local healthcare - Local facilities that provide good
healthcare should be identified (this information is
especially important for visitors and international or
new staff members). Many organizations provide staff
with medical insurance coverage.
• Medical emergency plans - Your office should have
emergency response plans to deal with local medical
emergencies or incidents where a staff member needs
to be evacuated to a larger city or another country for
treatment.
 Medical Emergency Plans
• Local - In areas where medical care is available, this plan
should include how a staff member will be transported for
treatment, which hospital or clinic he or she will be taken
to, and any procedures regarding treatment, reporting and
payment.
• Evacuation - In areas where there is limited medical or
specialized care, it may be necessary to evacuate a staff
member to a large city or even another country to receive
treatment. This typically involves using an aircraft (United
Nations, military or commercial) to transport the patient.
This is often called Medevac, for Medical Evacuation.
How do you review a medical plan?
• Think through the steps of the response plan to see if they make
sense.
• Visit the hospitals or clinics that are listed in the medical response
plan.
• Understand the types of medical care a hospital or clinic can provide.
• Talk to hospital or clinic management to ensure that any agreements
with your organization are current.
• Understand how long it will take to transport a patient to a medical
facility.
• Be clear with staff about who is covered, what is covered and what
procedures are in place to ensure a timely and effective response.
 Stress Management
• The reasons organizations need to be concerned
about staff member stress include:
– Stress can cause health problems, which leads to staff
members missing work.
– People under stress tend not to think as clearly and are
more likely to make mistakes or behave inappropriately.
– Staff members under stress are often quick to become
angry or irritated, decreasing their effectiveness in
working with others.
– Cumulative stress results in "burn-out," which can often
cause valuable staff members to leave their jobs.
 Stress Management
• It is impossible to eliminate all stress in life,
but there are ways in which it can be
managed.
• Your office should have a policy that
discusses stress management, not only for
emergency situations, but also for everyday
work. Stress management is something that
should be practiced all of the time.
 Personnel Practices
• Background checks - A useful security measure in
preventing potential problems; for example hiring a
driver with drunk driving convictions.
• Training records - Updated safety and security training
records should be included in each staff member’s
personnel file.
• Theft - Your office should have a very clear theft policy.
• Staff discipline and termination – In some cases,
disciplining or terminating an employee may pose a
security risk. You should have policies for dealing with
potentially hostile employees.
 Record of Emergency Data
• A Record of Emergency Data (RED) is an important
information source in the event of an emergency.
• During an emergency, having this information can speed up
response time and increase effectiveness.
• REDs should be stored in either the staff member’s personnel
folder or alphabetized in a separate notebook or file folder.
• A RED should be completed immediately upon hire and
reviewed and updated at least once a year or as required when
staff member information changes.
What do you include in a RED?
• Nationality
• Passport number and expiration date
• Visa information and expiration date, including Personal
health information (existing conditions, medications,
allergies, blood type, vaccinations and prohibitions on
medical treatments)
• Home country address
• Family contact information
• Vehicle information (type, license plate number, radio call
sign, and channel)
• Religious affiliations and restrictions
 Staff Movement
• Your office may have security policies in place that
restrict staff movement. These could include:
– Limiting travel to daylight hours
– Identifying and avoiding certain areas with high levels of
risk
– Restricting international staff from driving organization
vehicles
– In certain high-risk environments, restricting staff to a
compound or office and residence
• The purpose of staff movement policies is to reduce
risk.
 Staff Movement
• At times these policies may be difficult for some
staff members to accept.
• Your office’s senior management team has
implemented staff movement policies for good
reasons, which are in the best interest of all staff.
• Management should be aware that strict staff
movement policies might have an affect on morale.
• You should understand the reasons the policies
were instituted and be able to communicate why
they are a good security measure.
 Cash Management/Transport
• If known about, the presence of cash can
make a tempting target for criminals.
• Good cash policies and procedures decrease
the risks of cash being stolen and staff
members being harmed.
 How do you ensure cash safety?
• In the event of a robbery, staff members should not risk their lives to
protect cash.
• Information about the presence of cash and details about storage,
distribution and transport should be kept as confidential as possible.
• Designate two or three staff members to withdraw and transfer cash.
Ensure they are covered by the office insurance policy.
• Staff members should never discuss transporting cash with others.
• Conduct large cash transactions in a private room at the bank. Limit
the number of bank employees who have knowledge of the transfer.
 Cash Management Guidelines
• When transferring cash, consider dividing it up between
several different staff members, each using a different route.
• Do not consistently use the same route and time for cash
transfers. Schedules and routes should vary.
• Never use public transportation when transferring cash. Use a
reliable staff driver who is not aware that cash is present.
• Use different drivers and cars so a pattern is not established.
• Incoming cash should immediately be put in the office safe.
 Guards
• Deciding whether to use guards, especially
armed guards, can be a very complicated
choice based on image and perception.
• Clearly understand the benefits and
drawbacks to using guards.
 How do you best use guards?
• Ensure the guards have the necessary equipment to
perform their duties (flashlight/torch and batteries,
whistle, radio or telephone, etc.).
• Ensure guards have the most recent and accurate office
management contact information.
• Check that guards have been provided with basic first aid
and fire safety training.
• Ensure guards have access to shelter and toilet facilities.
• Make sure guards are wearing a uniform or some form of
identifying clothing.
 Guard Guidelines
• Perform random inspections (sometimes before or after
office working hours) to see if guards are on duty.
• Be sure there are office policies and procedures that
clearly describe guard duties and the levels of force
guards may use under certain circumstances.
• Ask guards how they would respond to certain situations.
• Incorporate guards into office emergency drills. (Be
extremely careful that if armed guards are used they
know it is a training exercise.)
 Questions?
More information at:
http://ngosecurity.googlepages.com/