Blogs

As we approach the festive period, organizations with dispersed estates and operations and limited safety and security teams face a unique set of challenges. Ensuring the safety of staff and students becomes paramount, yet the reality of being understaffed can compromise effective response and incident management. In such scenarios, SafeZone by CriticalArc emerges as a force multiplier, revolutionizing safety and security measures for organizations with constrained resources.

As universities grapple with the increasing complexities of mental health crises, integrating SafeZone offers a beacon of light—a beacon that customizes the support services for staff and students, transcending the limitations of conventional approaches.

Watch the recording of this webinar to gain insights from industry leaders on the delicate balance between campus safety and inclusivity. Discover best practices from HBCU's nationwide. Learn how to create a welcoming and secure campus atmosphere. Understand the strategies employed to ensure the safety of all community members.

It’s great to confirm that a brand-new set of security management standards is being introduced for the UK healthcare sector, following news that NHS England has been engaging with the National Association for Healthcare Security (NAHS). This is a major development. The new standards haven’t been published yet and more details will be announced at the NAHS annual conference this week. What’s already clear is that these new standards will have a very positive effect.

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill has just moved a step closer to becoming law, with inclusion in the King’s Speech (November 2023). The government’s intention is clear; it wants ‘Martyn’s Law’ to be enacted as part of its upcoming 2023-24 legislative programme. This means that, within the next 12 months, universities and hospitals could find themselves subject to new security and safety requirements. They’ll have to comply with whatever inspection and enforcement regime is introduced after the law is passed. That may not happen immediately, but it is now looking much more likely, so preparing early is advisable. It’s also not hard and will deliver immediate benefits.

In today's fast-paced and competitive work environment, organizations know that it’s important to take seriously various aspects of employee well-being, such as physical health, mental wellness, and work-life balance. However, in wellbeing programs, there's an essential aspect that often takes a backseat, even though it can have a major impact – safety, and feelings of safety. The connection between an individual's sense of safety and their ability to thrive within an organization is profound.  So, safety should be a cornerstone of any well-being program.

In the fast-paced world of healthcare, ensuring the safety of patients and staff is paramount. Workplace violence (WPV) poses a significant and growing threat to the sector, affecting not only the physical and mental wellbeing of personnel but also the quality of patient care. In their strategies for reducing these risks, healthcare organizations, and those who advise them, have traditionally looked to a familiar and long-established range of protective measures. These solutions cannot solve the problems now being faced by the sector: they are largely reactive, and as a result they can only provide limited benefits. 

We know that workplace violence in health settings is mostly patient-generated, and we know that the problem is getting worse. It’s impacting employees and employers, as well as costs and the quality of services. In a groundbreaking new white paper on this topic by Eric Clay, president-elect of IAHSS (the International Association of Healthcare Security and Safety), the violence statistics from the last decade, drawn from a variety of credible sources, all point steadily upwards.

Increases in workplace violence and aggression are being reported in sectors ranging from healthcare and social care to education and corporate campus settings. At most risk are staff in public facing roles, those working in the community, and those in isolated settings. But all workers are vulnerable and, with an increase in remote working, risks have spread beyond traditional boundaries.

As universities gear up for the new academic year, it’s a timely moment to focus on mental well-being, and the serious difficulties that some young people face in their first weeks and months living away from home.

Most major impact events have ripple effects and consequences. Sometimes these ‘aftershocks’ are predictable sometimes not. Organizations should plan for both. We’ve focused on hurricane and tornado risks in our two recent insight pieces, and these are both good examples of dynamic risk situations, with the potential for catastrophic ripple effects.

Millions of Americans are under heat advisories, and temperature records are being broken globally from Canada, to Europe, to Japan. China has just recorded its highest ever temperature (52.2C/126/F). The World Meteorological Organization reminds us that extreme weather is “becoming the new normal”.