Policy 17 — Safety, Security and Duty of Care

No programme, deadline or publication is worth a serious risk to a person’s life or health; any staff member may refuse or leave an unsafe situation without penalty. Owner: Head of Administration (Ioseb Demetrashvili), with the Security Focal Point (Tamar Talakvadze).

PHIG Institutional Policy Manual · Consolidated edition, September 2026

Part of the PHIG policy framework. Download the full manual (PDF). To raise a concern: admin@accreditation.ge.

No programme, deadline or publication is worth a serious risk to a person’s life or health; any staff member may refuse or leave an unsafe situation without penalty. Owner: Head of Administration (Ioseb Demetrashvili), with the Security Focal Point (Tamar Talakvadze).

Duty of care and duty of responsibility

PHIG provides information, training, insurance and support proportionate to the risks of each task. In return, every person follows security rules, keeps their manager informed of their whereabouts during fieldwork and travel, and reports incidents at once.

Risk thresholds

Risk level Meaning Who approves the activity
Low Routine office and domestic work in Georgia Line manager
Medium Fieldwork in hospitals, rural areas or events; travel within the region Head of Administration, with a travel plan
High Travel to areas with active conflict, unrest or serious crime; work with sensitive groups where hostility is possible Head of Administration + Chair, with a written security plan
Extreme Risk to life that cannot be reduced Not permitted

Key standards

  1. Travel: every trip outside Tbilisi for work is logged with itinerary and contacts; international travel follows the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and host-country advice.
  2. Check-in: travellers in medium- or high-risk settings check in daily with the Security Focal Point.
  3. Insurance: staff on assignment abroad have health and emergency evacuation insurance.
  4. Health: vaccinations and first aid appropriate to the destination; road safety rules, including seat belts, apply to all PHIG travel.
  5. Office security: access control, fire safety, first aid kit and an emergency contact list, tested each year.
  6. Digital security: strong passwords, two-factor authentication and caution with sensitive topics online (Policy 16).
  7. Crisis response: the Head of Administration leads a crisis team (Chair, Security Focal Point, Safeguarding Lead) for any serious incident, with support to the staff member and family.

Incidents

All security incidents and near-misses are reported to the Security Focal Point within 24 hours (immediately if life-threatening) and handled under Policy 14.