As part of BWH’s longstanding and ongoing commitment to safety, the hospital has implemented a new administrative policy that explicitly prohibits possession of a weapon by anyone on hospital property. The policy outlines what employees should do if they believe someone has a weapon and the steps that BWH Security will take in response.

The following are key points from the policy about what employees should do if they find themselves in a situation where they know or suspect that an individual is in possession of a weapon, or they identify an unattended weapon on hospital property:

• Notify the BWH Security Department immediately at 617-732-6565.
• Do not confront the person without the presence of Security.
• Under no circumstance take any unnecessary risk or compromise your safety in confronting the individual with the weapon. This is solely the responsibility of BWH’s Security team.

Earlier this week, BWH posted signage at its entrances that make it clear that weapons are prohibited on the property. Local, state and federal law enforcement officers on BWH property in the performance of their duties are the only exception to this policy.

Although prohibiting weapons on BWH’s campus has always been standard procedure at BWH and part of Security’s policies, the hospital did not have a formal, hospital-wide administrative policy that was readily available to all staff and provided the level of detail in this new policy.

Review the policy and contact Security or your manager with any questions.