Buddy System

RIT has developed a system for maintaining the health and safety of individuals who work on campus outside of normal business hours or on weekends. The Buddy System requires any ‘lone operator’ to identify someone (a “buddy”) who will be in contact with them, know where they are and know who to contact in the event that communication is lost with the person on campus. The system is set up in tiers based on the level of risk and the hazards that the individual will encounter. At every level, the buddy must know where the specific location of the person working on campus and have the phone number for Public Safety. A consistent communication schedule is agreed on and the individual and their buddy make contact based on that schedule. If the individual cannot be reached for any reason, the buddy will contact Public Safety, let them know that communication has been lost and where to find the individual.

Depending on the severity of the hazard as outlined in the Buddy System Policy, the buddy will either be offsite or required to be in the same building or even in the same room with the individual to ensure the most rapid response to an emergency. See the Buddy System requirements document for further details but you can always contact the lab supervisor for guidance on the correct option PRIOR to working alone. The RIT Tigersafe App can be used as an alternative “buddy” for Tiers 2-4.