Health & Safety Policy
This policy sets out how UK Bailiff Services Ltd manages health, safety and operational risk across enforcement, eviction, forfeiture, site attendance, contractor-led and office-based activities.
Our position is simple: enforcement action must be lawful, controlled and professionally managed, but no instruction is to be completed at the expense of agent, contractor, staff, client or public safety.
1. Health & Safety Policy Statement
UK Bailiff Services Ltd is committed to conducting its business in a way that protects the health, safety and welfare of employees, enforcement agents, self-employed agents, contractors, clients, occupiers, debtors, visitors and members of the public who may be affected by our work.
Our operational work can involve attendance at commercial premises, residential accommodation, temporary housing, vacant or abandoned buildings, traveller and trespasser sites, lock change instructions, unmanaged land and other locations where the level of risk may not be fully apparent until arrival.
We recognise that enforcement and possession-related work may involve confrontation, vulnerability, aggression, environmental hazards, lone working, uncertain occupancy, criminal activity, animals, drug-related risks, unsafe buildings, traffic movement, adverse weather and third-party contractor involvement.
Core rule: no job is to be completed at the expense of agent, staff member or contractor safety. Where risk cannot be managed safely, the correct decision is to withdraw, stand down, seek further instruction, obtain additional support or contact emergency services where appropriate.
Policy Summary
This policy is designed to support safe operational decision-making before, during and after attendance.
- Safety takes priority over completion.
- Dynamic risk assessment overrides the original instruction.
- Agents may withdraw where risk escalates.
- Contractors must not be placed into unmanaged risk.
- Incidents and near misses must be reported.
- Lessons learned should improve future instructions.
2. Scope of this Policy
This policy applies to all work carried out by or on behalf of UK Bailiff Services Ltd, including office-based staff, management, certificated enforcement agents, self-employed enforcement agents, locksmiths, security contractors, dog handlers, process servers, vehicle recovery contractors, boarding contractors and any other person engaged to support operational delivery.
Operational Work
CRAR, lease forfeiture, temporary accommodation evictions, excluded occupier matters, traveller and trespasser evictions, rough sleeper instructions, process serving, lock changes, abandoned vehicle work and site security.
Support Work
Client onboarding, case review, diary management, instruction triage, compliance checks, risk review, document handling, call handling, reporting and case administration.
Contractor Work
Locksmith attendance, boarding up, shuttering, dog handling, site security, vehicle recovery, clearance support, waste contractors and other specialist attendance required to complete an instruction safely.
3. Responsibilities
Health and safety is a shared responsibility. Management, office staff, enforcement agents, contractors and clients all have a role in ensuring that operational work is planned, communicated and carried out safely.
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Directors and Senior Management | Maintain suitable health and safety arrangements, review operational risk, support safe systems of work, respond to reported incidents and ensure safety is prioritised over completion. |
| Compliance Management | Maintain policy documentation, review risk protocols, support incident recording, monitor lessons learned and ensure procedures remain suitable for the work undertaken. |
| Office and Case Management Staff | Review instruction information, request missing risk details, communicate known hazards, log updates, escalate concerns and avoid pressuring field staff to continue where risk has changed. |
| Enforcement Agents | Assess risk before and during attendance, follow safe working instructions, use body-worn video where required, communicate with the office, manage contractors on site and withdraw where necessary. |
| Contractors | Follow site instructions, use appropriate equipment, avoid unsafe areas, report hazards and stop work where the site becomes unsafe. |
| Clients | Provide accurate information about premises, occupiers, previous threats, vulnerability concerns, animals, security issues, access restrictions and any known hazard that may affect attendance. |
4. Risk Assessment and Safe Systems of Work
UK Bailiff Services Ltd operates a layered approach to risk assessment. This includes standing risk assessments, instruction-specific review, pre-attendance checks, dynamic risk assessment during attendance and post-incident review where required.
4.1 Standing Risk Assessment
Standing risk assessments are maintained for recurring categories of work and are used to identify foreseeable hazards, expected controls and operational standards. These documents support consistency but do not replace the need for case-specific judgment.
4.2 Instruction-Specific Review
Before attendance, the instruction should be reviewed to identify the type of premises, expected occupancy, known occupiers, vulnerability indicators, previous incidents, access details, police involvement, environmental conditions and contractor requirements.
4.3 Dynamic Risk Assessment
Enforcement agents and field contractors must continue assessing risk throughout attendance. A job that appears low risk at instruction stage can become high risk on arrival or during engagement.
Dynamic risk overrides pre-attendance expectation. If the situation on site differs materially from the information supplied, the agent must reassess before continuing.
5. Field Operations: Minimum Safety Standards
5.1 Before Attendance
- Review the instruction before leaving for site.
- Consider the premises, expected occupancy and any warning signs.
- Check for previous attendance, threats, police involvement or vulnerability concerns.
- Ensure mobile phone, vehicle, body-worn video and essential equipment are available and working.
- Confirm office communication expectations before attendance.
- Do not assume the client’s knowledge of the premises is current, complete or accurate.
5.2 Arrival at Site
- Park in a position that allows a safe and immediate exit.
- Do not allow vehicles to be boxed in unnecessarily.
- Assess the wider area before approaching the premises or occupiers.
- Remain alert to persons nearby, lookouts, surveillance, unusual activity or escalation indicators.
- Where required, activate body-worn video before approaching or entering site.
- Do not allow contractors to approach until the agent has assessed that it is safe to do so.
5.3 Initial Engagement
- Identify yourself clearly and professionally where contact is made.
- Maintain a calm, controlled and non-inflammatory approach.
- Avoid unnecessary argument or prolonged confrontation.
- Avoid entering confined or enclosed areas where there is no safe exit route.
- Continue to assess behaviour, tone, numbers present, intoxication, aggression, vulnerability and environmental hazards.
5.4 Communication Requirements
- Send an update when on site.
- Send an update when off site.
- Report confrontation, threats, suspicious activity, police attendance or withdrawal immediately.
- If the office cannot be contacted and risk increases, the agent must make a safety-led decision and may withdraw or contact emergency services.
- Operational updates should be factual, concise and capable of being retained as part of the case record where required.
6. High-Risk Indicators
The following indicators must be treated seriously. Their presence does not automatically mean the instruction cannot proceed, but it does require immediate reassessment and may require withdrawal, additional resources, police contact or senior management review.
People and Behaviour
- Hostility or threats.
- Groups gathering nearby.
- Persons acting as lookouts.
- Intoxication or drug use.
- Attempts to block exit routes.
- Vulnerable persons or children present.
Criminal or Security Risks
- Visible or suspected weapons.
- Evidence of cannabis cultivation.
- Signs of organised criminal activity.
- Threats of violence.
- Stolen goods concerns.
- Forced entry indicators.
Site and Environmental Risks
- Unsafe structures.
- Poor lighting.
- Needles or hazardous waste.
- Animals or loose dogs.
- Fire, water or electrical hazards.
- Remote or isolated locations.
7. Violence, Aggression and Personal Safety
UK Bailiff Services Ltd does not expect any agent, employee or contractor to tolerate violence, threats, intimidation or unsafe confrontation. Enforcement work can involve resistance, but resistance must not be normalised where it creates avoidable danger.
- Agents must not use force except where lawful and necessary in self-defence.
- Agents must avoid unnecessary physical confrontation.
- Where aggression escalates, agents must create distance and reassess.
- Where there is immediate danger, agents must contact emergency services.
- Any threat, attempted assault, assault, forced withdrawal or serious confrontation must be reported.
- Body-worn video should be used in accordance with company procedures and data protection requirements.
Weapons, immediate violence or cannabis activity: where weapons are seen or suspected, immediate violence is threatened, or cannabis cultivation / organised criminal activity is identified, the agent should withdraw to a safe position and contact 999 where appropriate.
8. Lone Working
Some enforcement and site attendances may involve lone working. Lone working is not prohibited, but it must be suitable for the instruction and subject to risk assessment.
- Lone attendance must be considered against the nature of the instruction and available intelligence.
- Agents must maintain working communication with the office or designated contact.
- Agents must send arrival and departure updates where required.
- Lone workers must not continue where the risk has become unsuitable for single-person attendance.
- Where required, additional agents, locksmiths, security or police support may be considered before re-attendance.
9. Contractor and Third-Party Safety
UK Bailiff Services Ltd regularly works with locksmiths, security contractors, dog handlers, vehicle recovery contractors, boarding contractors and other third-party specialists. Contractors must not be exposed to unmanaged risk.
- The lead enforcement agent controls when contractors approach the site.
- Contractors should remain back until the site has been assessed.
- Contractors must not be placed between hostile persons and an exit route.
- Locksmiths and boarding contractors must be given clear instructions before beginning work.
- Where the site becomes unstable, contractor work must stop until risk is reassessed.
- Contractor incidents, near misses or safety concerns must be reported to UK Bailiffs.
10. Vehicles, Driving and Travel
Field staff and contractors are responsible for ensuring that vehicles used for work are suitable, roadworthy, insured and operated safely.
- Drivers must comply with road traffic law and drive according to conditions.
- Agents should avoid parking where their vehicle can be obstructed or damaged.
- Vehicles should not be used to intimidate, block or endanger others.
- Manual handling of equipment from vehicles should be controlled and kept to what is reasonably necessary.
- Where remote or high-risk sites are attended, agents should consider safe exit routes before leaving the vehicle.
11. Equipment, PPE and Body-Worn Video
Equipment must be suitable for the task and used responsibly. Agents and contractors must ensure that essential equipment is available, charged, serviceable and appropriate for the instruction.
- Body-worn video should be available and working where required by the instruction type.
- Mobile phones must be charged and capable of contacting the office or emergency services.
- Torches, gloves, high-visibility clothing or other PPE should be used where appropriate.
- Operational items must not be left unsecured.
- Equipment should not be used in a way that increases confrontation or creates unnecessary risk.
12. Manual Handling and Physical Hazards
Enforcement agents and contractors may encounter gates, locks, doors, abandoned goods, waste, debris, barriers, vehicles, storage items and damaged property. Manual handling should be avoided where unnecessary and controlled where unavoidable.
- Do not lift or move items where specialist equipment or contractors are required.
- Do not move hazardous waste, needles, chemicals or unknown substances without suitable controls.
- Do not enter visibly unsafe structures unless risk has been assessed and controlled.
- Report unsafe premises, exposed electrics, water damage, fire risk, structural weakness or hazardous materials.
- Where necessary, stand down and obtain specialist support before continuing.
13. Vulnerability, Public Safety and Safeguarding Awareness
Health and safety includes the safety and welfare of those encountered during enforcement activity. Agents must remain alert to vulnerability, distress, medical issues, children, elderly persons, disability, mental health concerns, homelessness, domestic abuse indicators and any circumstance where immediate escalation may be required.
- Agents should remain calm, professional and proportionate when vulnerability is identified.
- Where immediate welfare concerns exist, emergency services or appropriate support services may need to be contacted.
- Children and vulnerable persons must not be placed at avoidable risk during operational activity.
- Concerns must be reported to the office and recorded on the case file.
- Where vulnerability materially changes the risk or appropriateness of attendance, the instruction should be paused for management review.
14. Incident, Accident and Near Miss Reporting
All relevant incidents must be reported promptly. This applies even where no injury has occurred. Near misses are important because they help identify patterns before serious harm occurs.
Reportable internally
- Threats, abuse, intimidation or attempted assault.
- Physical assault or injury.
- Forced withdrawal from site.
- Police attendance or emergency service involvement.
- Weapons seen or suspected.
- Evidence of cannabis cultivation or serious criminality.
- Contractor safety concerns.
- Vehicle incidents connected to work.
- Slip, trip, fall, manual handling or environmental hazard incidents.
- Any event that could reasonably have caused injury or serious escalation.
Post-Incident Review
Where required, UK Bailiff Services Ltd will review what happened, what information was known before attendance, what decisions were made, whether communication was effective and whether future procedures need to be changed.
Debrief principle: incident reporting is not about blaming agents for making safety-led decisions. It is about protecting people, improving future instructions and ensuring operational learning is captured.
15. Training, Competence and Operational Awareness
UK Bailiff Services Ltd expects all persons undertaking work on its behalf to be competent for the role they perform. Competence may be demonstrated through certification, experience, specialist training, operational knowledge, contractor expertise or supervised onboarding.
- Certificated Enforcement Agents must maintain their own certification and professional competence.
- Agents must understand the limits of their authority and the importance of safe conduct.
- Office staff must understand escalation routes and avoid giving unsafe operational direction.
- Contractors must be competent for the specialist work they undertake.
- Procedures may be updated where risk patterns, legal requirements or operational experience justify change.
16. Data Protection, Records and Body-Worn Video
Health and safety records, incident reports, body-worn video, WhatsApp updates, photographs and case notes may contain personal data. Such information must be handled in accordance with UK Bailiff Services Ltd data protection policies and retained only where there is a lawful and operational basis for doing so.
- Body-worn video should be used for safety, transparency, evidential and complaint-handling purposes.
- Operational WhatsApp or message updates should remain factual and professional.
- Incident records should be accurate, timely and proportionate.
- Images or recordings must not be shared outside authorised business channels unless approved.
- Records should be retained in accordance with company retention procedures.
17. Emergency Procedures
Field staff and contractors must make safety-led decisions where immediate risk arises. UK Bailiff Services Ltd authorises agents to withdraw, stand down or contact emergency services where the circumstances justify it.
| Situation | Expected Response |
|---|---|
| Immediate danger | Withdraw to a safe position and call 999 where appropriate. |
| Weapons visible or suspected | Do not continue the attendance. Withdraw and contact emergency services where appropriate. |
| Cannabis cultivation or organised criminality suspected | Withdraw from the immediate area and contact police where appropriate. |
| Contractor at risk | Stop contractor activity and move the contractor to a safe position. |
| Unexpected vulnerable person concern | Pause action, notify the office and escalate to emergency or support services if immediate welfare concerns exist. |
| Unable to contact office | Use professional judgment. Safety takes priority over completion. |
18. Monitoring, Review and Continuous Improvement
This policy will be reviewed periodically and updated where required. Reviews may be triggered by operational incidents, changes in legislation or guidance, client requirements, contractor feedback, complaints, insurance requirements, enforcement sector developments or internal management review.
- Incident patterns will be considered as part of operational review.
- Risk assessments and protocols may be updated following lessons learned.
- Agents and staff are encouraged to raise safety concerns promptly.
- Management will support safety-led decision making where withdrawal or stand down is justified.
Health & Safety Contact
For questions about this policy, operational risk, contractor safety, incident reporting or instruction-specific concerns, contact UK Bailiff Services Ltd before attendance or as soon as a safety concern arises.
