When Suzy Lamplugh disappeared in 1986, it soon became obvious that unsafe work practices had put her in danger and that the tragedy could most likely have been avoided if there had been certain safety procedures in place. However no-one blamed her employers because in those days, whilst health and safety was very much on the agenda and there were already strict guidelines and legal requirements in place to protect employees from machinery or dangerous substances, the very notion of personal safety (safety from other persons), was not even considered in the workplace.

Over the last 20 years the Suzy Lamplugh Trust has worked hard to change this situation and has provided consultancy and training services to thousands of private and public organisations and companies throughout the country. At the beginning of this, their anniversary year, the charity decided to find out what improvements, if any, had been made to the industry that caused them to be established in the first place. They joined forces with the NAEA and commissioned a survey of their membership to find out if estate agents are safer now than in 1986.

The results of the survey show that half of all NAEA members are indeed safer; that approx 50% are being looked after by their employers and that their safety is being taken seriously – and that’s a major improvement. Sadly however, it also means that approximately half of all estate agents are still facing unnecessary risks.

Chief Executive of the charity, Julie Bentley, says “We are delighted that so many estate agents now have policies and procedures in place to protect their staff but obviously we are disappointed that such a high percentage of employers within the industry still don’t appear to take the safety of their staff seriously enough. These employers need to be reminded that apart from the moral responsibility towards their employees, they also have a legal responsibility.”

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 dictates that employers have a duty to ensure the safety and welfare of their employees (so far as is reasonably practicable)

Every organisation with five or more employees is required to have a Health and Safety Policy.

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 (updated 1999) requires every organisation in the UK to undergo a pro-active process of risk management. Organisations must assess risk, create safe systems of working, communicate these to their employees and monitor and review their systems on a regular basis.

She continued “And there is no point in an employer saying they are too small or they can’t afford to implement procedures - If an incident does occur, the courts will take the resources available to the organisation into consideration but it is no defence for an employer to say that they did not have the time, money or resources to do anything to mitigate risk.”

What Can Employers Do?

If you do not have policies and procedures in place already, you need to identify the risks your employees might face and implement systems to reduce or eliminate those risks. These needn’t be complicated or expensive but basically the whereabouts of all staff should be known at all times, as should the identity of who they are with.

Experience has taught the Suzy Lamplugh Trust that the single most important factor when tackling the issue of personal safety for employees is communication; making sure that everyone is aware of the risks, processes and procedures that are in place to deal with these risks. Involving the staff in establishing and instigating those procedures is essential – as is making sure all staff are encouraged to discuss any issues they have or report any concerns. With the right long-term policies and procedures in place and fully operational, estate agents can be confident that every precaution is being taken to ensure their safety. This will benefit the health and well-being of both the employees and the organisation.

Safer But not Safe Enough

Are estate agents safer now than they were twenty years ago? In general, yes, but in too many cases this is due to increased awareness by the employees rather than any safety systems being implemented by employers. Employers of estate agents should never forget that they are in the very unusual position of sending individuals – and in many cases young women – to empty buildings to meet complete strangers and they should always consider the possible implications of this. Sadly there are still too many employers out there who need to reconsider their attitude to the personal safety of their staff before another tragedy happens.

Further personal safety guidance can be downloaded for free at www.suzylamplugh.org

LONE WORKING: GUIDANCE FOR THE ESTATE AGENCY PROFESSION

This 24 page booklet gives excellent detailed advice concerning every aspect of safety when working as an agent. The risks are very different from those for workers in other fields and the step by step risk assessment procedure will set you on the right road to developing a sensible safety policy.

Prevention and avoidance of problems plays a major role in operating safely and careful planning of your office’s workload should ensure that you are doing everything possible to protect your staff. Two case studies ably demonstrate what can happen, what did happen and how the incidents could have been avoided.

First class advice that everyone should read and take on board.
Personal Safety at Work Policy & Personal Security and Lone Working Policy

We all know that we should ‘keep safe’ and ‘look after ourselves’. How often do you say to someone as they leave the office/house/pub – ”take care!”

These vague and fleeting expressions do not always register; so the NAEA has gone a step further and published simple and effective guidelines for agents to ensure there own personal safety and that of their employees.

The two policies are combined in one leaflet which is downloadable from the NAEA website for you to print out as you require.

The Employers Personal Safety Pledge

Announcing your commitment to a policy is a great way of concentrating the mind and demonstrating to clients and visitors that you take the issue seriously.

The NAEA Employers Personal Safety Pledge states that the employer takes seriously the personal safety of their staff, that the company will carry out risk assessments to identify potential risks, that they implement suitable working policies and procedures regarding safety and that they will provide personal safety information to their vendors. This personalised document will be available from the NAEA for £5.00, £3.00 of which will be donated to the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

Guidelines for Vendors

This is another one of those simple but effective documents that makes you think: “Why didn’t we do that before?”

Short and concise, the advice given in this leaflet is – of course – common sense; but it will act as a reminder and perhaps a ‘wake up call’ to vendors who may not have sold a property before.

When you put a property on the market it will inevitably lead to the need to admit strangers into your home. Keys are always a high security issue, information on the times when your home is unoccupied is very useful to potential burglars.

The NAEA leaflet is downloadable so that you can add your company’s contact details to it and have them printed as a corporate leaflet. Another great idea for member support!