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Title / Manage personal safety in a prison environment
Level / 3 / Credits / 4
Purpose / This unit standard is for people working as officers in a prison environment and covers the management of personal safety.
People credited with this unit standard are able to:
identify and manage risks to personal safety in a prison;
maintain personal safety in a prison; and
enhance personal safety in a prison.
Classification / Offender Management > Prison Safety and Security
Available grade / Achieved
Explanatory notes
1This unit standard is intended for workplace assessment.
2References
Corrections Act 2004;
Corrections Regulations 2005;
Crimes Act 1961;
Crimes of Torture Act 1989;
Criminal Justice Act 1985;
Department of Corrections Code of Conduct;
Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992;
New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990;
Parole Act 2002;
Privacy Act 1993;
PS Operations Manual, Department of Corrections, available at
Sentencing Act 2002;
and their subsequent amendments or replacements.
3Definition
Prison environment – any area, within a prison site or external to a prison site where prisoners are held, such as a cell block, within the prison perimeter, on a prison farm, in a vehicle transporting prisoners.
4Assessment range
aPerformance of the outcomes of this unit standard must meet all the principles of behaviour and criteria as detailed in the Prison Services Operations Manual (PSOM), Department of Corrections (available at the Department of Corrections Code of Conduct, other documented national policies and procedures, and prison-specific procedures.
bThe range statements in this unit standard must be applied according to prison- specific equipment, procedures, and processes.
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Identify and manage risks to personal safety in a prison.
Evidence requirements
1.1Identify and assess situations that impact on personal safety.
Rangeprisoners, other staff, environment.
1.2Update own knowledge of safety issues, situations, and circumstances.
1.3Identify at risk prisoners and take appropriate actions to maintain personal safety in accordance with health requirements and expert advice.
1.4Describe risks to personal safety in terms of the level of danger and methods of eliminating, isolating, or minimising them.
Rangemay include – prisoners, visitors, contractors, other staff, handovers, environment;
evidence of a minimum of four risks is required.
Outcome 2
Maintain personal safety in a prison.
Evidence requirements
2.1Follow and apply safety procedures.
2.2Utilise personal safety equipment in accordance with manufacturers' instructions.
2.3Identify and evaluate information that impacts on personal safety and act upon it to ensure safety is maintained.
2.4Identify and apply health precautions in all interactions with prisoners on the basis that all prisoners are considered to have a health risk.
2.5Maintain first aid knowledge and skills to the level required by the organisation.
Outcome 3
Enhance personal safety in a prisonsafety.
Evidence requirements
3.1Identify and recommend changes in prison procedures which impact on personal safety.
Rangetraining needs, safety equipment.
3.2Identify and implement opportunities to enhance personal safety.
Replacement information / This unit standard, unit standard 14618, unit standard 14620, and unit standard 14622 were replaced by unit standard 29062.This unit standard is expiring. Assessment against the standard must take place by the last date for assessment set out below.
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process / Version / Date / Last Date for AssessmentRegistration / 1 / 29 June 1999 / 30 June 2012
Revision / 2 / 3 April 2001 / 30 June 2012
Review / 3 / 25 July 2006 / 30 June 2012
Review / 4 / 17 September 2010 / 30 June 2012
Review / 5 / 20 May 2011 / 31 December 2019
Review / 6 / 15 September 2016 / 31 December 2019
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference / 0003
This CMR can be accessed at
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
The Skills OrganisationSSB Code 100401 / New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2018 / / New Zealand Qualifications Aut