Golden Rules of Safety

Implementation Guide

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1 Introduction
G4S has 12 Golden Rules of Safety; these cover the key areas in our business that are
most likely to injure or seriously harm people if they are not properly controlled. The
rules are simple, easy to understand and are not negotiable.
The rules apply equally to everyone working for or on behalf of G4S and failure to follow
these rules could result in the termination of the contract or employment or indeed the
termination of a contract with a company.
To make them effective they need to be embedded in G4S’s business processes and
clearly understood by everyone who works for or on behalf of G4S.
This guidance document outlines what needs to be done in order to make the rules
effective in every G4S operation.

2 Implementation
The G4S Golden Rules have been developed to be universal and able to be applied
globally. In order to be able to state that they have been implemented across all of
G4S’s business and form part of every day life the following needs to be demonstrated:

● The Rules are Clearly communicated in messages that are regularly reinforced
● Knowledge is routinely tested throughout the organization and with suppliers
● Application of the rules are localized – to be effective in every country that G4S
operates in
● The depth and scope of this application is appropriate for the operation, business
unit or project
● There is active monitoring and reporting on compliance - which is robust and
transparent
● The investigation process for breaches is clearly defined and consistently applied
with fairness
● Clear measures for consequence have been defined, communicated and can be
demonstrated as being active

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3. Supporting the Implementation
Effective implementation requires the support and promotion of everyone in the
business.

3.1 Business and Function Leaders need to:

● Support the implementation & localisation
● Demonstrate visible leadership in applying the rules
● Be an advocate for robust compliance

3.2 Sales teams need to:

● Ensure that all offers / bids factor in delivery in compliance with the Golden Rules

3.3 Line Managers need to:

● Ensure that the Golden Rules are clearly communicated through induction and
training – EVERYONE must be made aware of the requirements of the Golden
Rules within the first week of employment or in line with the local induction
procedures in the country/market
● Ensure that breaches are managed in line with the disciplinary process for the
country
● If no formal disciplinary process exists in the country a mechanism must be
developed to deal with breaches of the G4S Golden Rules.
● Ensure that any investigation and subsequent action is undertaken promptly,
fairly and consistently

3.4 Health & Safety professionals need to:

● Use their knowledge of the local custom and practice to ensure application of the
rules is relevant to the business operations and country
● Ensure that:-
o Equipment is available to enable rules to be followed
o Training covers the rules in a way that is relevant to the tasks undertaken
o Technical standards and procedures reflect the Golden Rules
● Define monitoring programs that are robust
● Analyze trends and review action plans to address non compliance
● Provide professional support to investigations into breaches of the Golden Rules

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3.5 Procurement need to:
● Ensure that the G4S Golden Rules are clearly communicated to new suppliers at
the point of engagement
● Ensure that services and equipment purchased enable all parties to meet G4S
golden rules
● Ensure that the G4S Golden Rules are referenced in relevant contracts
● Ensure that breaches of the G4S Golden Rules can be enforced contractually

3.4 Employees need to:

Apply the Golden Rules whilst working for G4S.

Refuse to undertake any task that would breach G4S golden rules.

Intervene if they witness anyone breaking the G4S golden rules.

4. Effective Communication
4.1 Effective Communication of the Golden Rules
To be effective, communication of the G4S Golden Rules must:

● Clearly explain the rules in relation to the local environment

● Be included in training programs
● Be consistently visible around the business
● Include clear details of the consequences of non-compliance
● Must be refreshed and updated regularly to reinforce the message
The following should be considered to increase the impact of any communication
channel, this should be resolved locally, however, the HSS/H&S team will support the
implementation of this:
● Details of incidents that have occurred where people have been injured as a
result of not applying the G4S Golden Rules
● Stories of those people who have been involved in an accident but were not
seriously injured or killed as a result of following the Golden Rules
● Communication of outline details of disciplinary action taken as a result of
breaking the G4S Golden Rules
● Record and communicate the numbers of instances where the Golden Rules
have been broken over a given period
4.2 Localizing Communication
The images and core messaging must remain consistent across G4S however as stated
previously the methods that support implementation will be much more effective if they
have a local aspect, the following should be considered:

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 ● Using local leaders to deliver examples
● Tell local stories of people living the rules or using them to keep G4S people safe
● Use local images and styles

4.3 Languages
Despite the use of easily recognisable pictorial symbols for the G4S Golden Rules, in
order to communicate how compliance is achieved considerable further explanation is
required.
It is essential that everyone receives information in a language and dialect that they can
understand, and it should also be available in the English language as standard
reference.
4.4 Persistent references
As the golden rules are linked to so many day to day activities that are constant
opportunities to use them as simple reference points that can be very effective in
reinforcing messaging examples of this are:
● In incident investigation summaries and reviews
● Lessons learned communications
● New requirement communications
● Alongside data analysis and reports

5. Focussing on Positive Aspects

Stories that are relatable to employees in their day to day role are extremely impactful
and help expectations be memorable. These are particularly impactful when used in
relation to positive events.

“Any intervention that prevents someone from working in a way that

does not follow a golden rule potentially saves their life. They are life
saving interventions”

Consider the following in implementation:

● Reporting interventions as “life saver interventions”

● Link intervention actions to similar breaches that have lead to incidents
● Reward supervisors on the number of interventions made
● Include positive interventions stories in tool box talks

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5. Monitoring Compliance
5.1 Monitoring Methods
Establishing and communicating the Golden Rules is only the 1st step; in order to make
sure that they are really being followed there is the need to monitor behavior. The table
below provides some monitoring options that can be used to monitor compliance levels.

Rule Monitoring Options

Always follow Supervisor visits and walks
your site Site instruction change requests / end of day statements
instructions and Incident investigations
procedures Compliance monitoring reports and audits
Absence of incident reports / significant changes in trends
Report all Unreported incidents coming from other channels
incidents, as well Numbers of interventions reported - near miss and minor
as unsafe acts events
and conditions Analysis of any changes in trends or sites / business that
report not incidents at all
Use appropriate Supervisors visits and walks
Personal CCTV and camera reviews
protective Incident investigations
equipment Compliance monitoring reports and audits
Do not work or Awareness and fit to work conversations
drive under the Monitoring and testing where contractually required
influence of Reports and investigations
alcohol or drugs
Job card and method statement reviews from planned /
Obtain reactive work
authorisation Supervisor site walks
before entering a Incident investigations
confined space Targeted site inspections where confined space activities are
undertaken
Supervisor reviews
Treat every
Spot checks - behavior checks
firearm as loaded
Incident reports

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Rule Monitoring Options
Vehicle inspections by supervisors
Check your vehicle Spot or automated checks of vehicle inspections
before driving Mandated inspection completions before permitted to leave branch
Vehicle checks and maintenance checks
Visual monitoring on entrance and exit to G4S sites
Auto Monitoring through (advanced) telemetry systems
Site inspections
Always wear a
Reports from other staff / contractors
seatbelt
In vehicle cameras
Reporting from members of the public through publicly available
numbers - “How’s my driving?” stickers
Speed monitoring devices – Telemetry in Vehicles
Enforcement authority – fines and penalties (on Licenses)
Do not speed Reports from other staff / contractors
Reporting from members of the public through publicly available
numbers - “How’s my driving?” stickers
Visual monitoring on entrance and exit to G4S sites
Always wear a Scheduled inspections and checks
helmet and high Site inspections
visibility equipment Reports from other staff / contractors
when riding a Reporting from members of the public through publicly available
motorcycle numbers - “How’s my driving?” sticker or similar process

Driver records - manual or automated capture

Route planning analysis (simple distance and average time
Take the required evaluation)
breaks when Confidential reporting line for flagged working hours
driving Reports from other staff/contractors
Spot checks on route and journey management to ensure that they
provide sufficient scope for appropriate breaks
Visual monitoring at sites / through cameras
Never Hold a Peer reports and reports of other drivers
Mobile Phone Confidential reporting from peers
whilst driving Reporting from members of the public through publicly available
numbers - “How’s my driving?” sticker or similar process

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6. The Stages of Fair Implementation
The following outlines the stages that are recommended to be followed in order to
achieve fair implementation. The timelines will vary depending on local culture and
practices.

Awareness and Communication

Which means:
● Everyone in G4S is made aware of
the Golden Rules
● There are real examples that explain
the rules in practical terms
Achieved by:
● Varied and persistent
communication
● Inclusion in training
● Targeted briefings / stand downs etc

Embedding
Which means:
● The Golden Rules are referenced in
key policies and procedures
● They are included in training
● Mechanisms for investigating and
applying consequences are
established
● Consequences of non compliance
are made clear to everyone
Achieved by:
● Review of key policies and contracts
with suppliers
● Checking that the requirements of
standards are implemented
● Ensure that there is a link to local
disciplinary processes
● Inclusion in training briefings etc the
consequences of not complying

“Soft Launch”
Which means: Achieved by:
● Monitoring of compliance is in ● Establishing regular monitoring and
operation open reporting channels
● Individuals and line managers are ● Periodically review the output and
informed about non compliance forward these to line managers
● A warning process is established ● Create standard comms for line
managers

Realization – Fully Implemented

Which means: Achieved by:
● The Golden Rules are enforced as ● Ensure investigations into breaches
non-negotiable are formal, thorough, consistent and
● Non compliance is considered a transparent
disciplinary or contractual issue ● Ensure consequences are
● Monitoring is active and reporting is consistently applied
visible

Monitoring/ Reporting and Review

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7. Disciplinary Process
7.1 Linking Breaches of G4S Golden Rules to the Disciplinary Process
G4S Golden Rules are in place to keep people safe, by not following them or causing
others to do so, means that an employee is in breach of the G4S Code of Conduct,
therefore any instance of breaking the G4S Golden Rules should be considered as a
breach of the Code of Conduct.

In most cases a breach of the G4S Golden Rules will be a simple case of an individual’s
behavior, but there are cases where the responsibility may not be as clear e.g. where
the breach has been as a result of a direct instruction given by another person or where
a decision has been made to not provide someone with the correct equipment.

7.2 Investigation of a Case where the G4S Golden Rules are Broken
In order to be effective the process for dealing with these need to be documented and
implemented locally.

The investigation of a breach should initially be treated as a health and safety incident
and investigated accordingly, as a near miss, and if appropriate a High Potential
incident. If this investigation determines that there has been a breach of the G4S
Golden Rules the following questions then need to be satisfied:

● Was the person aware of and trained in the G4S Golden Rules?
● Was the person aware of the consequence of not following the Golden Rules?
● Did the person have the appropriate equipment / tools to follow the Golden
Rules?
● Has the person received appropriate training to enable them to follow the Golden
Rules?
● Was the work environment and arrangements suitable to enable the Golden
Rules to be followed? E.g. factors such as time, space, expectation
If the answers to all of the above questions are “yes” then the breach should be
considered a disciplinary matter.

Investigations need to consider all aspects that lead to a rule being followed or not
followed. Starting this process at the leadership level of the business concerned,
instead of the person that has broken the rule often produces better preventative
actions.

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Document classification Internal Use Only. Not to be distributed outside G4S or stored on non-G4S assets
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7.3 Disciplinary Process

Where a formal HR disciplinary process is in place this should be used and applied the
same as for any other breach of company policy or procedures. If that does not exist or
the local process needs to be supported the following principles must be applied:

● The investigation process should be as per local process.

● An investigation must have been completed and documented and answer the
questions outlined in 7.2
● The employee must be formally informed of the the rule / s that they are alleged
to have breached
● The line manager must be informed of the alleged breach and be involved in the
investigation process as per local process. The process must be formal, recorded
and allow the employee the chance to explain their version of events.
Timescales and formal disciplinary stages are as per local process.
● The personal consequences must be applied equally and consistently regardless
of position in the company, performance or past history.

7.4 Levels of Consequence

The levels of consequence should follow the normal disciplinary route for the country,
but as a guide the following should be followed:

● Initial warning – email and conversation from line manager

● First written warning – formal email / letter detailing the breach and
consequences if a third offense should occur – which should be recorded and
stored on file in line with local process
● Final written warning – explaining that the persistent failure to follow G4S rules
places their future employment at risk – in writing in line with local process
● Dismissal – should an employee fail to understand the importance or comply with
G4S rules, their employment should be terminated in line with local process.
This may include a further incident following previous disciplinary action or a one
off serious incident constituting an act of gross misconduct which and warranting
dismissal.

7.5 Misconduct
The process and levels outlined in 7.4 requires that a clear and obvious case of placing
their own or someone else's life at risk should be considered as misconduct or,
depending on the circumstances, gross misconduct – it provides a progressive and fair
approach to introducing personal consequences to a business where there haven’t
been any before.

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