MGIC - Safety and Security

Safety and Security

Purpose

This policy establishes the legal and moral obligations of the Maryland Global Initiatives Corporation (MGIC), Requesting Units, and MGIC Personnel to fulfill their duty of care, which involves operating in a reasonable manner to reduce the risk of foreseeable injury and other harm to MGIC personnel.

Background

MGIC was established by the University System of Maryland (USM) Board of Regents to facilitate academic affiliations, experiences, and research activities by the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) outside the United States. As stated in its Articles of Incorporation, MGIC “shall not be considered, for any purpose, to be an agency or instrumentality of the State of Maryland or a unit of the Executive Branch of the State of Maryland; and the financial obligations or liabilities of the Corporation may not be debts, obligations, or liabilities of the State of Maryland or the University System of Maryland.”

MGIC therefore enables UMB to mitigate institutional risk, limit liability, comply with applicable laws and regulations, and reflect sound business and partnership principles in global operating contexts and legal jurisdictions. This policy reflects the industry safety and security customs of international organizations working in these contexts, which are MGIC’s benchmark peers.

MGIC utilizes global Employer of Record (EOR) service providers to hire and employ individuals in foreign countries who are seconded, or assigned, to a Requesting Unit of UMB or an Affiliate Entity. These MGIC personnel are supported through UMB’s international safety and security infrastructure and its international Travel Accident insurance policy.

UMB’s division of International Operations (IO) administers the MGIC mechanism and manages the UMB and MGIC insurance policies that apply to MGIC personnel.

Policy Statement

1. It is the policy of MGIC that the safety and security of MGIC personnel always take precedence over all other factors. This means all must give higher priority to the life, health, safety, and security of people over protection of operations/programs, facilities, equipment, or reputation.
2. The MGIC Board of Directors upholds the right to modify or suspend operations (including travel and programming funded via the MGIC mechanism), and to withdraw personnel from an area, zone, or country at any time as safety and security conditions warrant. This may include the evacuation of MGIC personnel who are Foreign Nationals (personnel who are not citizens of the country in which they are employed through an MGIC EOR), or the relocation of Foreign Nationals and/or local employees (citizens of the country in which they are employed through an MGIC EOR) who are present in a location due to MGIC-directed programming, from one area of the country to a safer location.
   • The Chair of the MGIC Board of Directors shall make such decisions on behalf of the full Board, for expediency.
   • The safety and security considerations and decisions by the Board of Directors will be taken in consultation with the Requesting Unit; however, the Board’s decision, via the Chair of the Board, will prevail.
   • The IO division will be responsible for carrying out any safety and security decisions of the Board of Directors.
   • Any costs arising from evacuation or relocation actions that are denied or not fully covered by applicable insurance policies, including deductibles or uninsured losses attributable to a Requesting Unit's activities, shall be the financial responsibility of that Requesting Unit.
   • Refusal by personnel to abide by a safety & security decision by the Board of Directors may result in disciplinary action.
   • Personnel and/or their dependents refusing an evacuation or relocation order must acknowledge in writing that they are remaining at their risk.
3. The MGIC Board of Directors upholds the right of all personnel to withdraw from a situation that they feel poses an unreasonable level of risk, without suffering disciplinary action. No manager or other personnel may force, intimidate, or otherwise coerce another employee into doing something which that employee feels represents an unreasonable risk.
4. MGIC Personnel are encouraged to be vigilant to security risks and deficiencies and to report any possible or known threats – even ones that are dealt with easily and quickly – to UMB’s International Safety & Security Manager in the IO division. MGIC Policy does not permit any retaliation against any person who reports security risks or deficiencies. For further information, see MGIC Policy on Ethics and Conduct.
5. MGIC Personnel are required to follow the Travel Approval policies and procedures of the USM university with which they are affiliated.
6. In addition to compliance with the applicable university’s internal travel policies, Requesting Units at Affiliate Entities must immediately inform the International Safety and Security Manager of any impending international travel request, specifically the traveler’s proposed destination(s) and travel dates. See MGIC policy on Travel for more information.
7. MGIC Personnel who feel uncomfortable with the potential exposure to safety and security risks in their work should report that discomfort to their supervisor, the International Safety & Security Manager, or through the UMB Ethics Hotline.
8. MGIC Personnel who receive any instructions they consider threatening to themselves or those around them are obliged to report the issue to their supervisor, the International Safety & Security Manager, or through the UMB Ethics Hotline.
9. A supervisor receiving this type of report is obliged to communicate the issue through the International Safety & Security Manager or the UMB Ethics Hotline.
10. The International Safety & Security Manager is responsible for undertaking a review of any such report and supporting the determination and implementation of an appropriate course of action.

Scope

This policy applies to all MGIC Personnel, MGIC Directors and Officers, UMB’s international safety and security personnel, and Requesting Unit personnel who supervise and/or control the activity of these individuals.

Responsibilities

1. MGIC Board of Directors – Promote a culture of effective and pragmatic safety and security risk management across all operations that meets the corporation’s obligations to its personnel. Take decisions on modification and/or suspension of MGIC operations and/or withdrawal of MGIC personnel as warranted by safety and security considerations, upon recommendation by the International Safety & Security Manager. The Chair of the MGIC Board of Directors shall make time-sensitive decisions on behalf of the Board, for expediency.
2. MGIC Personnel: Comply with all aspects of this and related policies. Apply best judgment to minimize their own safety and security risk. Notify the International Safety & Security Manager of any incident in which a person is harmed or property is damaged as soon as possible.
3. International Safety & Security Manager and other designated IO staff: Monitor security conditions in countries where MGIC personnel are based or traveling, and provide appropriate advice and guidance to MGIC personnel on matters of residential security, personal security, and Manage response to all incidents in which a person is harmed or property is damaged, and communicate as needed with MGIC Board of Directors, in-country stakeholders and other relevant parties. Assess conditions that may warrant evacuation or relocation of MGIC personnel and present analysis and recommendations to MGIC Board of Directors for decision-making. Escalate specific situations to MGIC’s Board of Directors if additional resources or action are required to mitigate a potential threat.
4. Requesting Units: Supervise MGIC personnel assigned to the unit, in compliance with this and related MGIC policies. Communicate and cooperate with IO staff to support MGIC employees and during security incidents. Consult with and follow decisions of MGIC Board of Directors regarding relocation, evacuation, or other incident response. If the Requesting Unit is not part of an operational unit at UMB, directly inform the International Safety and Security Manager of the destinations and dates immediately upon receiving an international travel request for MGIC personnel and guests.

Procedures

See MGIC Standard Operating Procedures.

References

• Ethics Hotline
• MGIC Policy on Ethics and Conduct
• MGIC Policy on Travel
• MGIC Policy on Working Conditions