Reporting Security Incidents

Know how to differentiate security incidents from health and safety incidents!

New form: Report attempted scams on your work phone here!

See something? Say something!

Reporting a security incident that occurs while you are at work, teleworking or on travel status is very important in the Department's efforts to effectively manage and prevent incidents from happening. As an ESDC employee, you have a responsibility to safeguard information and departmental assets in your care and ensuring that security requirements are met by reporting real and suspected incidents to your manager. If you don't report it, the department will simply not know what is going on.

What is a security incident? Security incidents are acts or events that affect, or have the potential to affect, the department, its assets and/ or its employees. Consequences/impacts of security incidents can affect the department in many ways: the loss or compromise of data, damage to reputation of the department or privacy breaches, to name a few. Review the various types of security incidents.

Take part in ESDC's neighbourhood watch!

Do your part in getting to know your colleagues and your environment? By knowing your neighbours and your neighbourhood positions you to be able to respond when something seems suspicious or out of the ordinary.

Reporting a security incident will not get you in trouble. Reporting it actually helps the department know if there are any acts and events going on that could result in harm to an individual or in the compromise of departmental information and assets. It's like having our very own neighbourhood watch! Employees play a vital role in being the eyes and ears on the ground where security can't be at all times.

Reporting a security incident is as easy as 1..2..3…

Step 1: Contain the situation

Employee contains the situation and determines if there is an immediate danger

When faced with a life threatening or an immediate danger, call 9-1-1 immediately.
Once the situation is contained, advise your Manager/Team Leader* who will inform the Regional Security Office immediately.

* Authority to release information to law enforcement (Public Interest Disclosure)

If a client states or implies that they are thinking of causing harm to themself or someone else, employees at all levels, under certain conditions, are authorized to contact and provide a client’s personal information to local law enforcement under the Department of Employment and Social Development Act (DESDA).

DESDA 37(1) delegates authority to Call Centre Managers, SCC Managers, employees who receive threats to the safety and security of individual’s (when a manager is not available) to disclose personal information where the public interest outweighs any invasion of privacy or where the disclosure would clearly benefit the individual. Program Managers are expected to exercise this authority in those situations where there is an imminent threat to the safety and/or security of an individual.

Privacy has advised that the following client information can be released to local law enforcement:
- client’s name;
- date of birth;
- address/current location of client;
- phone number;
- details of the threat;
- weapon, if the client mentions one.

Step 2: Advise your manager of the incident

Employee advises Manager of the security incident

If you are an EMPLOYEE reporting an incident, you must:

First make sure no one is in danger and take necessary measures to protect individuals, information and assets.
Take a few minutes to write down all of the details of the security incident once it is contained so that you have all the facts/events organized to present to your Manager/Team Leader.
Advise your Manager/Team Leader of the incident as soon as possible.

Step 3: Manager reports incident to the Regional Security Office using the online form

Manager reports security incident to Regional Security Officer (RSO).

If you are a Manager/Team Leader reporting an incident, you must:

Determine severity of the incident.
If the incident could possibly cause a serious level of injury, please call your RSO to report incident so that measures can be taken immediately.
Complete the new webform to report the incident to your RSO. The webform replaces the ADM 3061.

**NEW Webform**(replaces ADM 3061)Security Incident Report Webform

Refer to the table below for more information and guidance on the types of Security Incidents:

Types of Security Incidents

People

Assets

Information