Hospital and Healthcare Security Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Working in a healthcare setting

Hospitals, clinics and long-term care homes are open day and night to patients, visitors, staff and contractors. Many people are sick, in pain, scared or grieving. Security supports patient care by keeping people safe, helping visitors find their way and protecting restricted areas such as pharmacies, maternity units and the emergency department.

Health care is one of the higher-risk workplaces for violence. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety lists health care workers and security officers among the groups at higher risk. Good communication, teamwork and planning lower that risk.

• Learn your facility's codes, post orders and emergency plan.
• Know where restricted areas, exits, fire equipment and panic alarms are.
• Treat every patient and visitor with patience and respect.
• Use person-first language, such as "a person with dementia".

Access control and visitors

Hospitals try to stay welcoming while protecting patients. Many units control entry with locked doors, card readers or a call button. Help visitors sign in where required, check that contractors have the right badges, and watch for people who wander into staff-only areas. If a door to a secure unit is propped open, close it and report it.

• Greet people and offer directions; lost visitors are often stressed.
• Ask politely whether you can help anyone who seems to be in the wrong area.
• Know your facility's visiting rules and who can make exceptions.
• Report unattended bags and broken locks or alarms.

Lesson 2: Emergency colour codes

Hospitals use colour codes so staff can call for help quickly and calmly. Most codes mean the same thing in Alberta Health Services and in Ontario hospitals that follow the Ontario Hospital Association standard codes.

Some codes differ. Code Grey means outside air contamination (shelter in place) in Alberta, but loss of an essential service such as power or water in many Ontario hospitals. Some Ontario hospitals also use Code Pink for a child in cardiac arrest, Code Amber for a missing child and Code Silver for an active attacker.

When you hear a code, note the location, check your radio for instructions and go where your role says. Some codes, such as Code White and Code Red, usually need security at the scene. Others, such as Code Orange, may need you to control entrances and traffic.

Code Yellow: missing person

• Get the person's description and when they were last seen.
• Search your assigned areas, stairwells and exits.
• Report quickly by radio, even if you find nothing.
• Never lock fire exits to stop someone leaving.

Lesson 3: Aggression and patients in crisis

Aggression in a hospital often has a medical cause. Pain, delirium, dementia, infection, low blood sugar, drugs or alcohol can all change how a person behaves. Treat the behaviour as part of their health, not as a crime, while keeping everyone safe.

De-escalation basics

• Use a calm, low voice and simple words.
• Give the person space and keep your hands visible.
• Listen and acknowledge feelings: "I can see you are worried."
• Offer simple choices where you can.
• Remove an audience if possible.

Provincial mental health laws decide who can require a person to be held for assessment, such as physicians and police. Security staff do not make that decision. They assist under hospital policy and the direction of clinical staff. Any physical intervention must be a last resort, using only training and methods your facility approves.

Lesson 4: Infection control and sharps

Hospitals are full of germs that can spread through hands, surfaces and the air. Hand hygiene is the most important habit you can build.

If a patient room has an isolation sign, check with the nurse and wear the protective equipment the sign lists before you go in.

Sharps safety

• Do not recap used needles.
• Never pick up a sharp with bare hands. Use the tools and sharps container your training allows, or keep people away and report it.
• Never put sharps in regular garbage.
• Sharps containers are replaced when three-quarters full.

If you are stuck by a needle

1. Rinse the area under running water and gently wash with soap.
2. If blood splashed in your eyes, nose or mouth, flush with running water.
3. Report it to your supervisor right away.
4. Follow the medical advice you are given for treatment and follow-up.

Lesson 5: Patient privacy

Health information is some of the most private information there is. Each province has rules for it. In Ontario, the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) governs how personal health information is collected, used and shared in the health sector. Alberta has its own Health Information Act.

• Do not look at charts, screens or whiteboards unless your job needs it.
• Do not confirm to callers or visitors whether someone is a patient. Refer them to the right department.
• Never post photos or stories about patients or incidents on social media.
• Keep incident reports factual and share them only through the proper channels.
• Speak quietly about patients and only with people who need to know.