Reducing risk in physical intervention
Some SIA front line licence holders are trained in physical intervention. This page recaps information from that training.
You may need more training
SIA licence-linked training covers the knowledge and skills required for your role, but it cannot allow for every eventuality. Every venue and event is different. The venue management and your employer should carry out risk assessments and provide you with additional training where necessary.
Physical intervention comes with risks
You should use physical intervention as a last resort. Using it can increase the risk of harm to everyone involved. If you are not careful, you could seriously injure or kill someone. You could also put yourself or your colleagues at risk.
You should never use more force than is needed. You should also avoid high-risk restraint methods and positions. For example, avoid using holds that can damage the neck or spine, affect breathing or restrict blood flow. See reduce the risk of positional asphyxia.
If you use unnecessary, excessive or unlawful force you could lose your licence, lose your job and be prosecuted.
Ways to reduce risk
Reduce the need for physical intervention by following relevant security policies and safe working practices. For example, by using your conflict management and customer service skills to defuse tense situations.
You should continuously assess the threats of harm to staff, customers and others (this is sometimes called ‘dynamic risk assessment’). Doing so will help you make informed decisions on whether to intervene, de-escalate or withdraw. It will also help you identify when you might need assistance from colleagues.
Risks can be affected by:
- the type of physical intervention you use
- where you are – for example, whether you are in an open or confined space, or near hazards such as steps or traffic
- the available help – such as other staff or trained first aiders
- the people involved – their age, physical state, mental health, and whether they are likely to be vulnerable
No physical intervention is risk free. To reduce the risk of harm:
- choose the intervention with the least force necessary
- follow established procedures
- let go at the earliest opportunity
- use the techniques you were taught in your licence-linked training wherever possible
- make sure all staff involved know what is happening
- keep speaking to the person subject to physical intervention to check they are okay
- release the person and help them if you see signs of a medical emergency
Remember your duty of care
All staff have a duty of care, at all times, for the safety of themselves and everyone else involved in a physical intervention. However challenging it may be, you must respect the dignity of the person subject to physical intervention.
During an incident, you should:
- tell colleagues if you are worried about the person subject to physical intervention
- challenge colleagues if you think they are using unnecessary or excessive force
- monitor staff-safety and switch roles where appropriate
- make sure other people nearby are reassured and do not get in the way
- provide appropriate care for anyone who is hurt or at risk of harm
- keep other agencies (like the emergency services) well informed
Immediately afterwards, you should:
- provide appropriate care for anyone who is hurt or at risk of harm
- keep evidence and take note of what any witnesses have seen
- make sure you complete a full incident report
- keep other agencies (like the emergency services) well informed
If the emergency services are involved, you should brief them. See identify and respond to a medical emergency.
What a team leader should do
If more than one staff member is involved, one person should take charge as a team leader.
The team leader will:
- take responsibility for the safety of the person subject to physical intervention
- keep talking with the person, or ask a colleague to do this
- try to defuse the situation and bring it to an end as soon as possible
In an incident involving physical intervention, the team leader should position themselves close to the head of the person being held or escorted. This is so that they can keep checking that person is okay. Alternatively, the team leader can instruct someone else to do this.
Reduce the risk of positional asphyxia
Positional asphyxia (also known as restraint asphyxia) is when someone is not able to breathe properly because of the way they are restrained. It occurs mostly in ground restraints where a person is held face down or face up on the floor.
People have died from positional asphyxia. Others have been left with permanent brain damage after being deprived of oxygen during a restraint.
You should only restrain someone as a last resort. Avoid taking someone to the ground wherever possible.
Avoid high-risk techniques
The techniques you use, the position the person is in and how long you hold them for can affect the level of risk.
You should avoid putting pressure on the chest, stomach or neck. You should also avoid techniques that:
- place someone face up or face down on the ground or any other surface (like a bed or counter)
- reduce breathing or blood flow, such as bending the person forward or over, or forcing them against a wall or other object
The longer you hold someone in these types of positions, the more likely it is that you will harm them or kill them.
Use the ABC method
If a person is subject to physical intervention, monitor them using the ‘ABC’ method:
- Airway – make sure their airway is not blocked
- Breathing – check that they are breathing normally
- Circulation – check that you can feel a heartbeat and pulse
Speak with them continuously to:
- help keep them calm and reassure them
- check they understand what is happening
- make sure they are physically okay
Remember – just because someone can speak, it does not mean that they can breathe properly.
Loosen your hold or let go as soon as possible. If you see signs of asphyxia, treat this as a medical emergency and let go immediately.
Know the signs of acute behavioural disturbance and psychosis
If someone is experiencing acute behavioural disturbance or psychosis, treat this as a medical emergency. Both conditions can result in sudden death.
Signs of acute behavioural disturbance
Acute behavioural disturbance is a term for a combination of physical and mental signs and symptoms. These include:
- high temperature
- strange behaviour
- not being able to speak clearly
- being physically stronger than normal
- signs of lasting mental and physical exhaustion
Signs of psychosis
Psychosis is when people lose some contact with reality. This could be due to mental illness, drug misuse or another reason. Signs include:
- seeing or hearing things that other people cannot see or hear (hallucinations)
- feeling unreasonably suspicious or mistrustful (paranoia)
- extreme fear due to believing things that are not true (delusions)
Identify and respond to a medical emergency
Any of these warning signs could suggest there is a medical emergency:
- saying breathing is difficult or being unable to breathe
- blue colour around the lips, face or nails
- becoming limp, unresponsive or unconscious
- sudden change in resistance or strength
- feeling sick or being sick
- sweating a lot or having hot skin
- swelling around the face and neck
- acting confused or behaving unusually
- signs of disturbed or illogical thinking
- signs of head or spinal injury
- evidence of alcohol or drug overdose
- small blood spots appearing on the head, neck or chest
If you spot any of these, you should:
- let go of the person straight away
- call 999 for urgent medical help
- provide appropriate first aid
Giving first aid
Check if the person is unconscious or unresponsive.
If they are:
- unconscious but breathing, with no other life-threatening conditions, place them in the recovery position
- not breathing or not breathing normally, start CPR, ask someone nearby to find a defibrillator, and continue CPR until the emergency services arrive
If they are breathing and conscious, listen to their concerns. Take them seriously and act on them – especially if they say they are struggling to breathe.
When the emergency services arrive, tell them:
- anything you know about the person that may help with assessment or treatment
- details of any restraint used during the incident
- any concerns you have about the person’s behaviour or well-being
Keep your skills up to date
The law and best practice guidance can change. Ensure that you keep your physical intervention knowledge and skills up to date through refresher training. If you do not, your ability to use these skills effectively will reduce over time.