Humanitarian Academy

Safety, security and access

Personal Security and Risk Management in the Field

Analyse risks, travel safely and respond to the most common incidents.

  • 3 days · 18 hours
  • 3 levels · 3 certificates
  • 2 scenarios
  • Verifiable certificate
Start the course
  • Free, unlimited access
  • 3 one-day modules
  • 2 scenarios and 9 quiz questions
  • 3 graded case studies and 3 exams
  • Certificate in your name, verifiable online

What you will learn

  • Analyse a risk on the basis of threats, vulnerabilities and capacities.
  • Apply the rules of a security plan: movements, communications, alert levels, hibernation, relocation and evacuation.
  • Respond appropriately to common incidents and report them.

Course information

Level
Beginner → Intermediate → Advanced (one certificate per level)
Study time
18 hours over 3 days (lessons, case studies, exercises)
Format
Online, at your own pace, free and unlimited access
Assessment
Per level: graded case study + 20-question exam (30 to 40 min, pass marks 70%, 75% and 80%)
Credential
Named, numbered certificate of achievement, verifiable online (QR code)
Reference frameworks
Humanitarian Practice Network (ODI) · GISF · International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO)

💼 Safety, security and access jobs

Put this course into practice: the latest jobs in this field.

See all 57 Safety, security and access jobs →

Prepare for the written test and interviewA model written test in this field, interview questions with sample answers and the STAR method.See the model test →

A 3-level certification pathway

Progress from Beginner to Advanced. Each level ends with a graded case study and a timed exam, and leads to its own verifiable certificate.

Level 1Beginner

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 70% to pass

Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Understand the notions of threat, vulnerability and risk.
  • Apply the basic rules when travelling and at the base.
  • Know the reflexes for common incidents.
  1. Day1Understanding and managing risksThreat, vulnerability and risk · Acceptance, protection, deterrence · Security plan and procedures · Movements and communications · Conducting a security risk assessment: the complete method · Full example: risk assessment for opening the Kalanga base · Acceptance, protection and deterrence: implementing and measuring them · Movement and communications management: detailed procedures · Reusable tools: register, movement form and checklists · Common mistakes and variations by context · Interview questions and key references Scenario: The Monday morning mission
  2. Graded case study : The morning trip Road between the base and a village · 20 questions including a case study · 70% to pass
Level 2Intermediate

Exam: 20 questions · 30 min · 75% to pass

Intermediate certificate · Opens after the Beginner certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Carry out a simple risk analysis and propose measures.
  • Organise a movement plan and movement tracking.
  • Understand acceptance, protection and deterrence strategies.
  1. Day2Responding to incidents and taking care of yourselfCheckpoints, carjacking and armed robbery · Abduction and explosive devices · Sexual violence and health · Reporting and taking care of yourself · Checkpoints, carjacking and robbery: detailed protocols and preparation · Kidnapping, explosive devices and gunfire: understanding in order to respond better · Sexual violence, medical emergencies and the medical plan · Reporting and analysing incidents: from flash report to trend analysis · Stress, traumatic stress and team well-being · Full example: vehicle theft on the Moussala-Tindi road · Common mistakes, variations and interview questions Scenario: The checkpoint and the carjacking
  2. Graded case study : Analysing the risks of a new area Opening a base · 20 questions including a case study · 75% to pass
Level 3Advanced

Exam: 20 questions · 40 min · 80% to pass

Advanced certificate · Opens after the Intermediate certificate

By the end of this level, you will be able to:
  • Manage a critical incident (kidnapping, attack, evacuation).
  • Draw up a security plan and security levels.
  • Fulfil the duty of care and provide post-incident support.
  1. Day3Advanced module Critical incident management and the security planThe security plan · Managing a critical incident · Duty of care and post-incident support · Writing a usable security plan: structure, levels and triggers · Hibernation, relocation and evacuation: planning for decisions made in a few hours · Managing a critical incident: structure, roles and the first hour · Full example: 72 hours managing a disappearance in Nord-Dalé · Duty of care: obligations, liability and post-incident support · Exercises, audits, variations and interview questions
  2. Graded case study : Critical incident: a missing colleague Conflict zone · 20 questions including a case study · 80% to pass

Who is it for?

Humanitarian staff deploying to or working in high-risk areas, national teams, drivers, security focal points and office managers.

The certificate

With at least 70% correct answers in the final assessment, you receive a certificate in your name, with a unique code that recruiters can verify on Humanitaires Jobs. A free Humanitarian Network account is required.

Key concepts

The vocabulary you need to master for this course and the exam.

Risk
A combination of a threat, a vulnerability and the organisation's capacities.
Acceptance
A strategy based on the trust of communities and other actors.
Protection
Measures that reduce vulnerability (procedures, equipment).
Deterrence
The threat of a counter-measure (rarely appropriate for NGOs).
Warning indicators
Signals that trigger a change in security level.
Hibernation
Sheltering in a safe place during a critical period.
Residual risk
The risk remaining after measures have been taken, whether accepted or not.
Crisis management
A mechanism activated in the event of a serious incident (kidnapping, attack).

References and recommended reading

The official texts and sector reference works on which the course is based.

  1. Humanitarian Practice Network (ODI) (2010). Good Practice Review 8: Operational security management in violent environments. odihpn.org/publication/operational-security-management-in-violent-environments-revised-edition
  2. GISF (2024). Global Interagency Security Forum (GISF) resources and training. gisf.ngo
  3. International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) (2024). Security analyses for NGOs. ngosafety.org
  4. IASC / United Nations Security Management System (2019). Security Risk Management framework. interagencystandingcommittee.org