Researcher Safety

Dimensions of Researcher Safety

Risks in the research process are not mutually exclusive, and neither are they isolated to particular fields of study. Rather, they are ubiquitous features that pervade qualitative research.

When meeting research participants face to face, unwelcome touch, physical or sexual assault, and attack by pets are risks that are likely to be remote but remain real. It is important to recognize that researchers will face and respond to risks differently. The risk of attack for men is different from that for women. For example, women tend to be more at risk for sexual advance and threat compared with men, and young men may be more at risk for physical attack.

Emotional harms can take a number of forms. Harm may arise as a consequence of, or as a threat of, physical attack. It may also be caused by forming friendships and experiencing the feelings of loss when leaving the field. Or, the content of what is reported during the research encounter can be upsetting for researchers. Or, researchers may dwell on issues in their own lives longer than they normally would. For example, researching palliative care topics can raise issues that all people face in their lives at some point.

Some of the risks faced in society, such as accidents, general infections and communicable disease, and the theft of (or damage to) personal possessions, may be increased in some areas of fieldwork. There may, for example, be increased risk of crime, including the theft of (or damage to) personal possessions such as cars, in particular geographical areas or at specific times of day. And working within some health care settings, such as hospitals and laboratories, may pose increased risk of infection or communicable disease.

Ensuring Researcher Safety

Employers have a duty of care toward their employees. This requires employers to undertake risk assessments and to provide sound operating policies and protocols. Also, it is important for researchers to adhere to the requirements set out by their employers and for managers to ensure compliance.

A culture and ethic of safety awareness is important in all organizations. This can be brought about via education and training to enable researchers to feel prepared for the risks they may face in the course of their work. Training initiatives, therefore, may focus on general awareness raising through to risk assessments, role-plays, and diffusing difficult situations or managing challenging behavior. In the United Kingdom, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust works to provide guidance and resources to help everyone keep safe. An organization that is aware of the risks faced by its employees will encourage open communication and the alerting of potential threats. This will enable management action with appropriate revisions to operational policies and protocols as required.

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