Module 013 – Personal Safety Protocol and

Etiquette and Safety in the Use of Facilities and

Equipment

Personal Safety Protocol

Personal safety refers not only to physical safety (freedom from physical harm) but also to
psychological safety, which involves freedom from worry about physical safety as well as
being victimized by hostility, aggression, and harassment. Valuing physical and
psychological safety means emphasizing not only bright lights, but also a welcoming,
respectful environment
What is personal safety?
Personal Safety refers to the freedom from physical harm and threat of physical harm, and
freedom from hostility, aggression, harassment, and devaluation by members of the
academic community. Safety includes worry about being victimized as well as actual
incidents.
Everyone's right of access to education, academic excellence, and career achievement are
seriously compromised when physical and psychological safety are in question.
A positive, open and supportive climate can enhance learning and academic excellence.
Interactions with instructors, colleagues, co-workers, and peers which are cooperative,
friendly, helpful, focused, and trusting are important contributors to achievement and job
performance.
A substandard environment is bereft if mutual respect and compassion; it may be
characterized by differential treatment and devaluation of certain groups, usually women
and minorities. Such an environment can have a negative impact on the self-esteem,
academic achievement, career development, and income of targeted groups.
Safety when Working
1. Know employees in other offices and be aware of their schedules.
2. If you are suspicious of people hanging around or receive strange phone calls, notify
security.
3. If you feel uncomfortable about a person who has entered your workspace, trust
your instincts. Look directly at the person, making it clear that you are in charge and
cannot be intimidated. If you feel threatened, make a scene - YELL!
4. Know the nearest emergency exits. Be aware of nearby safe places and phones.
5. Use a buddy system when leaving work and stick to well-lit areas at night.
6. If you are working late, let security and someone at home know and tell them when
you expect to leave.

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 7. If you enter a washroom and suspect if is unsafe, don't call out. Back out, go to a safe,
lockable place with a phone and phone for help.
8. If you encounter someone unfamiliar when you are alone or working late, indicate
you are not alone. "(My supervisor) will be right here and will be able to help you."
9. If someone is abusive, violent, or threatens your personal safety, immediately report
the incident to your supervisor and to TRU Security.
Safety when Studying
1. Avoid studying in isolated classrooms in campus areas that are infrequently
patrolled, have little or no traffic, or are difficult to access.
2. Do not study in stairwells, doorways, and locker alcoves.
3. Study in groups; there is safety in numbers.
4. Set up a buddy system on the floor you are working on; keep in regular contact.
5. Try to work in an area where you have access to a phone in case you need to call for
assistance.
6. Do not use a personal stereo system or play music so loudly that you can't hear what
is going on around you.
7. Immediately report any suspicious individuals in the area to Security. If you are in
the library, tell a librarian.
8. If possible, lock the door of your work area to keep unwanted visitors out.
Safety in Residence
1. Do not prop open doors for any reason.
2. Do not lend out your residence keys.
3. Lock the door to your room at all times.
4. Close the drapes before you change.
5. Look out for one another. If you see someone suspicious on your floor, ask who they
are looking for, or call the Manager or an Advisor.
6. Remember that you have the right to question people's presence on your floor.
7. Set up a buddy system with others on your floor when you have to travel at night.
8. Never leave a fellow resident alone with a date if you know they are too intoxicated
to have control over their own actions.
9. Never ignore strange noises coming from someone's room. Call the RCMP
immediately.
10. If you are doing laundry, shopping, or photocopying late at night, let a friend know
where you are or have a friend go with you.
11. If a stranger asks to use your phone, do not let them in. Offer to make the call for
them.
12. Close your window shades or drapes after dark.
 Car Safety
1. Remember to keep your doors locked and windows rolled up.
2. If someone tries to get in, drive off immediately. If this is not possible, use your horn
to draw attention to what is happening.
3. As you approach your car, have your keys ready. Before entering the car, check the
back seat even if your car was locked.
4. Consider your surroundings. Well lit, busy places are obviously the best places to
park. If you have to park in a poorly lit area, or have to walk some distance to and
from the car, if possible have someone walk with you.
5. Report to Security any strange persons you see lurking around any parking lot or
vehicle.
6. Don't mark your key chain with your name, address, and/or license number.
7. On campus, arrange for an escort from Security or walk with a friend.
8. Report any tampering or other suspicious activity to TRU Security or the RCMP.
9. If you suspect someone is following you, drive to the nearest service station,
convenience store, or police station, and honk your car's horn until help arrives.
10. Keep valuables in the trunk, and credit cards in your purse or wallet.
11. Lock your doors as soon as you enter your vehicle.
12. Do not offer help to a stranded driver. Stop at the next phone and call for assistance
to be sent to them.
Personal Safety Awareness
 Do not walk alone. Instead walk in groups with co-workers as there is strength in
numbers.
 Convey a sense of confidence and do not present yourself as timid or lost while
walking.
 Dress appropriately, wear shoes that you can run in, if necessary.
 Do not display your valuables such as watches and jewelry in plain view. For
example, if you wear a diamond ring, turn the stone inward towards the palm of
your hand while walking.
 Always be alert to your surroundings. Look around and be observant and do not
become distracted by telephone conversations, window shopping, etc.
 Walk in well lit and high traffic areas where you can both see and be easily seen.
 Use sidewalks and stay near the street away from dark building entryways.
 Avoid shortcuts through alleys and wooded areas.
 Have a cell phone and keep it readily available such as in your hand (but again don’t
allow yourself to become distracted by texting, checking Facebook etc.) or in a
pocket.
 Immediately report all suspicious activities to the police and security.

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  Whether you are driving or walking you should always be cognizant of where you
are so that if you have to call the police or other authorities for assistance you can
quickly provide accurate information as to your location.
 If you are being followed by someone on foot, immediately cross the street and
proceed to a location where there are likely to be other people such as into a
business.
 If you are on foot and are being followed by someone in a vehicle immediately turn
and proceed in the opposite direction that they are traveling in and again go to a
location where there are likely to be other people.
 If you are driving in a car and think you are being followed immediately proceed to
the nearest police station, fire station or to a well-lit, high traffic area such as a
convenience store or gas station where you can blow your horn to get the attention
of others in the area.
 When going to your vehicle always have your keys ready in your hand.
 As you approach your vehicle in a parking lot glance underneath and around your
vehicle while still some distance away to determine whether anyone is lurking
around your car and if so, do not continue to proceed to your vehicle but instead
seek help.
 If you do become a victim of a crime, promptly report it to the appropriate law
enforcement authorities and your agency administration as soon as it is safe to do
so.
 Do not keep valuable items in your vehicle where they can be easily seen. Laptops,
briefcases, GPS systems, PDAs, etc., should be secured in your trunk whenever you
leave your vehicle unattended.
 GPS systems in particular are becoming a popular target of thieves as of late. Again,
these units should be secured in the trunk of your vehicle when not in use.
Furthermore, the suction cups or other similar devices commonly used to keep the
GPS unit on your windshield or dashboard also serve as a telltale sign that there
may be a GPS unit in the car so even if the unit itself is not visible thieves will break
into the vehicle to find it. Therefore, whenever you secure the GPS unit, also secure
its holder and in addition if it’s a suction cup be sure to always have wipes in your
car so that you can wipe the marks on the windshield left by the suction cup.
 Purses and other valuables should be tucked under the seat while driving so as to
avoid smash and grab thefts wherein someone will approach your vehicle at a sto p
light and upon seeing the purse or other potentially valuable item in plain sight and
easily accessible on the car seat will smash a window, reach in and take the item.
 Above all else always trust your instincts; they are usually correct, so if somethin g
doesn’t seem right, remove yourself from the situation immediately.

Personal safety awareness

The primary factors for causing “at risk” or unsafe behaviors are:
• Hurrying or rushing
• Annoyance or frustration
• Exhaustion or fatigue
• Satisfaction or complacency (attitude)
 These factors then contribute to certain potentially dangerous errors. These are:
• Eyes not on the job
• Mind not on the job
• In the line-of-fire
• Loss of control (balance/grip/traction)

Four Levels of Personal Safety Awareness:

Associated with unsafe or at-risk behaviors are various levels of personal

safety awareness. No mentally balanced person sets out to intentionally to
injure themselves or others; however, the following levels of safety
awareness precipitate actions or inactions that can lead to injury.
 Clueless. The first level of safety awareness, “clueless”, is when a worker
has no knowledge, training, or experience to realize that the task being
performed is unsafe or putting them at risk. Have you ever see this –
someone doing a job with no clue as to how to do it correctly?
 Realization without action. The second level is when the individual is
performing a task and realizes something has occurred to place them at
risk or in the line of fire but chooses to ignore the occurrence and
continues the task without any change in procedure. We’ve all seen this –
the person doing the unsafe act, knowing it’s unsafe and then, continuing
to do it!
 Realization with action. Realization with action is when the worker is
performing a task and becomes aware their actions are placing them at
risk and performs some action to keep themselves out of the line of fire
and safe. This is the person who sees the potential for injury while they
are doing the task, and then tries to correct the action.
 Proactive. A worker becomes proactive when they look at a task and
analyze before attempting the task, how the performance of that task
could put them at risk or in the line of fire. They then take steps to
remediate or eliminate the possibilities for the accident or injury to take
place. This is our goal – to be come pro-active – to try to prevent the
accident by eliminating the unsafe behavior before ever performing the
task.

Dance Etiquette
Introduction
Politeness is the lubricant that makes social interaction go smoothly. For a night of
dancing, or especially if you go back to the same place to dance more than once, a
little civility goes a long way. This is our view on the behavior which can make it
more or less likely that people want to dance with you more than once. If much of
this seems obvious, please bear with us, as we wouldn't mention it if we hadn't
experienced it.
The Golden Rule

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 This should be pretty obvious. Behave the way you would like others to behave. Or
to put it in a more selfish light, behave so that people would like to dance with you
(again). The evidence that you are doing things right is that people are willing to
dance with you more than once.
Before you arrive
Personal Hygiene
A partner who is clean, well-groomed, with fresh breath, is in our experience much
preferred to the alternatives. Think of the preparations for a date you want to
impress, and you will be in the right frame of mind.
 Avoid foods which may negatively affect the freshness of your breath (e.g., garlic,
raw onions)
 Go easy on the perfume, cologne, or after-shave
 Be clean
Clothing
Taste in clothing style is personal. Some aspects are very practical, however. You
may work up a sweat, and you will be touching, and be touched, by others.
 If you sweat a lot, multiple layers, and a change of tops, can mitigate the impact
of sweat.
 Gentlemen, please wear a shirt with sleeves.
 Ladies, if you sweat when you dance, a garment that covers your shoulder and
shoulder blade might be a good choice.
 Synthetics are a good choice, as they dry very quickly when you take a break
Jewelry
Your jewelry enhances your appearance, don't let it interfere with your dancing,
though.
 No pointy jewelry on the wrists.
 No necklaces that can fly up and hit someone when you do a turn
 No hair jewelry that can fly out when you turn quickly
When the music starts
Invitations to dance, accepting and declining
Everyone wants to feel they are special, no one likes rejection, and nobody wants to
be the second or third choice. The way you treat others will be there for everyone on
the dance floor to see and hear. Everyone wants to receive respect and
consideration.
 Just as you may have been taught by your parents or in kindergarten, it makes a
person feel better when they are asked nicely.
o Gentlemen, this means you walk up to the lady and ask her, don't just
wave her over from across the room.
  Don't assume that a dance invitation will be accepted.
 If your invitation is declined, and your second choice saw you invite and be
rejected, they will know they are your second choice. Be discrete.
 If you are asked to dance, and choose to decline, please do so politely, and
consider their feelings. And in case simple compassion is not motivation enough,
consider that they may influence the persons you do want to dance with. You
might offer to dance a later song, if you are declining just for the current song.
 If you have declined a dance invitation for a song, and then go and dance with
someone else during the same song, that has the same effect as a blunt refusal of
an invitation.
 There is value in being relatively blind to skill level and looks in inviting or
accepting an invitation.
o They might be a beginner who later becomes a fun dance partner, and
will remember when you were nice to them
o Somebody danced with you when you were a beginner, paying it forward
is good for everyone
o Treat others as you want to be treated
 Gentlemen, don't walk up to a group of ladies and ask if any one of them wants
to dance. No one wants to be treated like an interchangeable part. Pick one, and
ask her. If your first choice declines, you have a situation that calls for some
thoughtfulness and delicacy. If you ask another of the ladies in the group, she has
every justification to feel offended that she was not your first choice. However, if
you don't ask, the other ladies may get the impression that you don't consider
any of the rest of them worth asking. Either way, you lose.
 Ladies, the previous guideline highlights an important point for you. If you are
grouped together, besides making it more intimidating for a man who isn't very
self-confident, you put a considerate man in an awkward position if he chooses
to ask one of you, and that first choice declines. Some men may decide there is
too much risk of offending.
o It is easier for the man to ask if you aren't talking in a group
o If you are in a group, and the first lady asked declines the invitation,
either she may recommend one of her friends, or one of the party could
speak up and ask him to dance.
 If someone asks you to dance a dance you are not familiar with, or comfortable
with, you can politely decline on that basis. Or if not decline, at least warn them.
If you do decide to dance anyway, setting the level of expectations in this way
probably takes a lot of the tension out that might occur between dancers of
differing skill levels.
 If you don't know the dance, please, don't say that you do when asked to dance.
This makes for a very frustrating experience for both partners, and makes you
unlikely to be asked to dance by that person again, even for a dance that you do
know.

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  On monopolizing a partner: Sometimes someone will ask you do dance many
dances consecutively. If that's what you want, great for you. To the would-be
monopolizer, please consider that your partner may want to dance with other
people. This is where it pays to be very attentive to their reaction to a request for
another dance. If it's not an enthusiastic yes, be nice, they may be too nice to just
tell you no, and do you really want to dance with someone that is not happy to be
dancing with you? And to the person subjected to such attentions, you are within
the bounds of polite manners to say you'd like to dance with someone else for
the next song. Try to be gentle about the refusal, though. As to the effects of
unwelcome monopolization, you may very quickly use up any good will of that
person. We have seen a few cases where the victim will run away, and grab
anyone else to dance, when they see the would-be monopolizer coming.
Exceptions
 If you follow all these guidelines, it is quite possible for someone to keep you from
dancing with whom you would like, or at all. Use your judgement. Sometimes the right
thing to do is to just say "No, thank you." Treat others with respect, but do stand up for
yourself.
While the song is playing
 The most popular dancer on the floor is the one that makes all their partners look
good, including the beginners.
 Be gracious, accept your partner as they are, don't offer unsolicited advice,
instruction, or critical comments.
 Followers, please don't back-lead, its effect is a non-verbal criticism of the leader.
o Back-leading is where the "follower", usually the woman, tries to maneuver
the "leader", usually the man, into doing the pattern she wants the way she
wants it.
 Leaders, if the follower didn't do what you expected, this means you didn't lead it
properly. Leading means communicating to the follower what you intend for her to
do. A gentleman takes responsibility for whatever didn't go as planned in a dance.
Stick to patterns you can lead her in. To do otherwise is potentially rude and
embarrassing to all concerned.
 Followers, this may be unfair, but the leader is the leader. If the leader is not in time
with the music, the leader's timing is the correct one to follow.
 Dips: Leader, do not dip your partner without asking before hand. The same applies
to any aerial maneuvers, you swingers out there. Your partner may have physical
concerns or just plain nervousness about these moves.
 Smile: Unless the dance in question has other requirements, look at your partner's
face while you are dancing, and smile. If you make dancing with you an enjoyable
experience, people will want to dance with you.
 Physical closeness: whoever wants to stay furthest apart decides how close you
are when you dance. Normally, the gentleman puts his arms into a dance position,
and the lady walks in as close as she is comfortable. As your skill level increases,
 some dances work much better if you are dancing in contact, such as American
Smooth, International Standard, and Bolero. Some dances are difficult if you do not
dance in contact, such as Quickstep. Dancing in contact means that there is contact
between the leader and follower from about the hips to the ribs. If you haven't been
taught how to do this properly, expect to kick your partner or be kicked. The fact
that the follower usually decides is based as much on practical matters of technique
as it is on "respecting her space". She can use her left hand on the man's shoulder to
maintain a separation. The leader has no such leverage point, since his hand is on
her back.
 Don't hurt your partner
o Don't force a turn that isn't working.
o Don't intentionally touch your partner's hair (it may be unavoidable if your
partner has long hair and you are doing quick turns.)
 No inappropriate contact on the dance floor.
When the song is over
Thank your partner, and make any compliments that your are able to. The gentleman
should escort the lady back to where he brought her onto the dance floor.
Does any of this really matter?
Hopefully what has been said above is pretty obvious, at least in retrospect. Most of what
was said just goes back to applying the Golden Rule to the dance hall. Some of it is based on
direct experience. We have had dance partners we dance with for no other reason than that
they are nice people, and follow these guidelines. There have also been dancers who may
be considered very desirable dance partners, but who were in sufficient breach of these
guidelines that we preferred to avoid them.

Safety Management in Dance Schools and Studios

There are six elements to a comprehensive risk and safety management strategy for dance
schools and studios.
Preventative measures
Proper safety practice begins with risk identification and management. Wh en you
understand your risks, you can take preventative measures:
 Create a policy for proper footwear. Too much cushion, or barefoot, is an injury
risk. Display your footwear rules.
 Inspect floor daily for wet spots due to leaks.
 Waivers are important to safety in the sense that they help parents and adult
participants understand the importance of their own safety education and
measures. Consult an attorney on creating a proper, simple, yet effective waiver.
It is worth the minimal cost. You may even tailor waivers to participant skill
level.
Supervision of activity

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 Supervision is crucial, especially for studios that need a child and youth risk
management strategy:
 Have warnings and disciplinary actions in place to those who break policy.
 Ensure appropriate instructor to student ratios for various age groups and skill
levels.
 For any aerial activities, take extra precautions against falls.
Facilities and equipment
A fault in your facility can put you in the position as responsible party for injuries or
accidents. Take measures to be attentive to the condition of your facility and
equipment at all times:
 Slip-and-fall: keep floor clean of food, debris, and tripping hazards. Confetti or
other materials can make the floor slippery. Use recommended products to
clean/wax the floor.
 If you find a leak, determine the origin, and mark off the affected area until a
repair man arrives.
 Get any wall or ceiling discoloration inspected.
 Never touch sprinkler heads.
Staff education and instruction
Make sure everyone – head instructors, instructors, and students – know their
responsibility when it comes to facility rules and procedures.
Emergency response plans
Develop a plan specific to the activities your studio offers. Plan for all-studio
emergencies, such as a tornado, as well as individual medical emergencies.
A plan should have 3 basic elements: 1) tasks to execute, 2) people assigned to
execute them, and 3) a document that outlines 1 and 2 in a simple, concise format.
You can run it by the community’s emergency personnel for proofing and help you
identify what equipment you need (e.g., fire extinguishers). For instance, speak to
your local fire dept. for advice and guidance on your facility, such as making sure
emergency exit signs are clearly visible.

References and Supplementary Materials

Online Supplementary Reading Materials
1. Personal Safety; http://www.tru.ca/hsafety/workinglearningsafely/personal.html;
September 28, 2017
2. Personal Safety Tips;
http://www.ct.gov/insidedph/lib/insidedph/personal_safety_tips.pdf; September 28,
2017
 3. Personal Safety Awareness;
http://www.crsig.com/7TrainingResources/Topics/PERSONAL%20SAFETY%20AW
ARENESS.pdf; September 28, 2017
4. Safety Management for Dance Studios; https://www.jackrabbitdance.com/safety-
management-strategy-for-dance-studios/; September 28, 2017

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