Workplace Intruders – What Should You Do?

Intruder Alert……Intruder Alert!

This is something that is unfortunately not just part of a television crime show or suspense movie, it can happen any day in any workplace.

An intruder is a person who is in a place where they should not be and, generally they will have a criminal intent in being there.  The intruder may be intent on stealing, causing damage to the property or even assaulting a person inside the premises.  An intruder may target residential homes or business premises.  In most cases the intruder will target premises when there is no one there to reduce the risk of being caught.

What can you do to minimise the risk of being broken into?

There are many things you can do to reduce the possibility of your premises being broken into.  This can include having good door locks on all access doors, security systems, sensor lighting surrounding the building especially at points of entry and CCTV cameras. It’s also recommended that you keep shrubs and bushes around the building trimmed and at a low height and employ security services to patrol your premises. Nowadays, many workplaces use passcodes or passkeys as an effective measure to restrict unwanted access to the building. Any one or more of these strategies will increase the security of the premises and reduce the risk of being a target for an intruder.

In all cases, employees should remain vigilant and question anyone in the workplace they don’t recognise or who is not wearing identification or a visitors pass. It is also important to ensure you don’t allow anyone to follow or “tailgate” you into your workplace if you don’t know who they are. When a visitor enters the building, ensure you determine who they are here to see and it is best not to leave them alone to wait.

You’ve arrived at work to find it has been broken into.

As soon as you realise the facility has been broken into, or something isn’t right, stop and assess the situation.  You need to consider any potential for danger.  If you think there may be someone still on the premises, or certainly if you see someone or hear something, you need to retreat to somewhere safe and call the police on triple zero.  Only enter the premises if you are sure it is safe to do so.  You might wait for a security officer or work colleague to arrive before you go inside.

It is important not to touch or move anything especially anything that has obviously been touched by the intruder as this may provide evidence as to the identity of the intruder.  Observe and take note of what has been moved, damaged or stolen.  When speaking to the police tell them what you have observed and follow advice from them.  Don’t start cleaning up the workplace until advised to do so by the police.

It is very important that every workplace has procedures in place for an intruder and this procedure should be included in your Emergency Plan.

What if you are confronted by the intruder?

Your safety is the most important thing.  If you are confronted by the intruder, try to remain calm and be compliant to avoid personal injury.  If you can retreat to somewhere safe, do so.  As soon as you are able, call the Police on triple zero or activate the alarm.

If you need help with your workplace emergency procedures. The Workplace Emergency Management team can provide guidance to your team. Call us on 1300 831 694.