Suzy Lamplugh Trust is the UK’s leading personal safety charity. For over 30 years we have worked to reduce the risk of violence and aggression through campaigning, education and support, ensuring that personal safety is recognised as a life skill and public policy priority.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust was formed after the disappearance of Suzy Lamplugh, an estate agent working in London.

On 28th July 1986, Suzy had left her office to meet a man (presumably the “Mr Kipper” she had written in her diary) to show around a property.  At 1.00pm she was seen with a man and minutes later they were seen walking away from the property. Suzy’s disappearance was not reported to the police until 6.45pm that day and Suzy’s body has never been found. She has been presumed murdered and was legally declared dead in 1993.

For the last 32 years we have worked with a large variety of organisations and industries as expert consultants and trainers, with a particular focus on ensuring that those working by themselves without close or direct supervision (lone workers) are safe from risk, danger or harm caused by the behaviour of others.

Our consultancy and training work seeks to create a culture of personal safety within organisations, ensuring that both frontline staff and managers understand the importance of recognising the risks that lone working brings and the best way to mitigate these.

Working alone is not in itself against the law and it will often be safe to do so. ​However, the law requires employers to consider carefully, and then address, any health and safety risks for people working alone. ​ The safety of lone workers is a dual responsibility of both the employee and employer. For example, while the employer has a duty to provide a safe working environment and to create workable policies to ensure safety, it is the employee’s responsibility to follow these policies and inform the employer if any part of it is not working.

We have developed Suzy’s Code for Personal Safety to provide organisations with simple changes that they can implement to adopt a higher standard of personal safety amongst their employees, particularly those who work alone for all or part of their job.

Signing up to Suzy’s Code is the start in recognising that anyone can experience aggression and violence in the workplace and as an organisation you are taking steps to reduce the risk and create a safer environment

Suzy’s Code

1. Implement a buddy system (so colleagues always know each other’s whereabouts and contact details. This should include checking in and out when meeting arriving at and leaving the property, including out of normal office hours) ​
2. Have a system in place for colleagues to raise the alarm back at the office in case of an emergency while working alone​
3. Have a clear procedure to follow if ​someone does not return or check in when​ they are expected​
4. Where possible arrange for people to visit the office before meeting them outside the office so colleagues can also meet them​
5. Offer all staff a personal safety alarm and have discreet lone worker devices available​
6. Before conducting an external meeting, find out who else will be present at the meeting 
7. Finally, make sure all staff are aware of, ​and have access to the personal safety​ measures available

To find out more about how we can help your organisation, or how you can sign up to Suzy’s Code, get in touch with our training team at [email protected] or call 0207 091 0014.

“Personal safety is common sense, but common sense needs to become common practice”