Reporting an incident
What should I do if I discover an incident?
Most incidents should be reported to Security via the Campus Control Room at +44 114 222 4085 or +44 114 222 4444 (emergencies only).
Another way to report incidents, ask for help or receive notifications is using the SafezoneApp. Safezone is a free app for students and staff which provides round-the-clock safety reassurance via your mobile phone. Using the app you can alert University Security Services via your mobile phone if you ever need emergency, first aid or non-urgent help while on campus or in our residences. Through the app, you will also receive mass notifications from the University if an incident is developing on campus.
For more information visit our incident reporting page.
Note for some incidents there are different reporting requirements during office hours:
- Incidents relating to issues in the building, such as a water leak or power cut, should be reported to the EFM Helpdesk on +33 114 222 9000.
- Information security incidents involving potential security breaches should be reported immediately to the IT Service Desk on +44 114 222 1111. Visit our security incident page for more information.
After reporting an incident, wait for the Campus Control Room to contact you. Only contact them if you have further information. If anyone from the media approaches you then refer them to the Media Team, or inform the Control Room out of hours.
The Control Room will inform the appropriate people using the incident contacts system. Find out more on the contact us page.
Download Incidents infographic poster (PDF, 79 KB)
Information Security
The University's Information Security pages provide guidance and support to keep yourself and the University safe.
For guidance on how to report an Information Security Incident, visit our Information Security Incident Policy and Procedure page.
How will it be managed, and what is the University’s response?
The scale, duration and impact of the incident will determine the University’s response. There are two key areas:
- Incident Management: This is a process that allows the University to manage the impacts of the incident either until it is under control or contained to manage the impacts or until a business continuity plan is implemented to manage it. On most occasions the incident will be dealt with by departmental arrangements (see below), but for major incidents the University will use the arrangements in the Major Incident Plan.
- Business Continuity Management: Business Continuity Management is a process concerned with improving the resilience of the University of Sheffield. This means developing its ability to detect, prevent, minimise and where necessary, deal with the impact of disruptive events or incidents.
It is essential that the details in the Incident Contacts System are up to date, so they can be used during incidents.