Thankfully most property visits go ahead without incident. However it’s always sensible to take precautions and to bear personal safety in mind.
The Suzy Lamplugh Trust is a personal safety charity and stalking authority, established in 1986. They are regarded as a field expert in lone-working and personal safety training, working to empower people to take steps to avoid, mitigate or manage risks across all aspects of their life. The information provided below has been taken from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust’s website.
Lone working- out and about
- Ensure you have a means of communicating with others if an incident occurs, e.g. a covert panic button.
- Give some thought before you arrive as to what exit strategies you could use if you felt uncomfortable or threatened.
- Conduct your own risk assessment on the door step before you enter unknown places. If you feel at all uncomfortable or unsure, make an excuse and leave. Trust your instincts.
- Be mindful of the fact that if you are entering someone else’s territory, your presence there may be unwanted and/or pose a threat.
- As you enter an unknown location, make a note of how the door opens so that you can leave quickly, if necessary.
- Give the client an idea of how long the meeting will take and try to adhere to this.
- It is important that a tracing system is in place that enables your employer/colleagues to know where you are and who you are with at all times.
- Risk assessments should be carried out by your employer to identify any risks related to the people, environment or tasks involved in your job.
- You also need to be able to make quick risk assessments yourself, which can help you decide how safe a situation is and what action you should take to avoid danger.
Other advice includes:
- Do not visit a property where you don’t know who will be there.
- Have firm contact details and their address, not just a mobile number.
Lone worker apps:
There are many lone working apps that are available for you to download. A list of suitable apps can be found on the Suzy Lamplugh website.