Domestic staff are often home alone for hours a day.
General manager of ADT Inland Region, Theunis Kotze said, for this reason, it is important that they are empowered with knowledge to ensure their safety and to know what to do in an emergency. “Talk about security matters and encourage your staff to talk to you about issues, whether they be in your home or in the neighbourhood. Open dialogue creates greater awareness,” he emphasised.
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Kotze gives safety tips for domestic staff:
- Encourage domestic staff at adjacent and opposite properties to get to know one another and, where possible, walk from and to public transport together.
- It is also a good idea for them to exchange cellphone numbers so that they can alert one another of suspicious people or vehicles in the streets they work in.
- Keep security gates and doors locked at all times. Busy domestic workers may not hear an intruder over the noise of the vacuum cleaner or know that someone has entered the house while they are in the backyard. The alarm system must always be armed when they leave the house; even if it is only for a few minutes.
- Teach domestic staff how to arm and disarm the alarm system, they should ideally have their own code and password.
- Have a list of emergency contact numbers, including your mobile number, stuck on or near a phone and make sure the domestic worker has access to a landline or cellphone with sufficient airtime in case of an emergency.
- Anyone who arrives at the gate or door should not just automatically be let inside. If uncertain about the individual’s identity, advise the domestic worker to ask for proof that they are who they claim to be while they wait outside. The domestic worker can then contact the employer or the company the person says they are from immediately.
- Domestic staff should also carry a panic button on their person at all times.
Kotze advised, “It’s also important to encourage them to press the panic button if they feel threatened in any way. Often domestic staff are afraid to press the panic button because they believe it may cost their employer a call-out fee. Assure them that the panic button is there to be used for emergencies.”
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Details: www.adt.co.za
