Global Incident Reporting

Any Harvard traveler who experiences or witnesses a serious medical or safety incident while abroad should report the event to help the University support the safety and security of the community.

WHEN SHOULD I FILE AN INCIDENT REPORT?

After all urgent issues are addressed and preferably within 72 hours of the event, please report the incident to Harvard. Reportable incidents include illnesses and injuries (needing a health care professional), accidents, crimes of all kinds, missing persons, harassment, property damage, and incidents that forced a significant itinerary change.

HOW DO I REPORT AN INCIDENT?

Send an email to globalsupport@harvard.edu with the subject line "Incident Report" and as much of the following information as possible in the body of the email. If you do not have access to email, you may report an incident by calling +1 617-495-1111. This phone is only answered during business hours but you can leave a message and a representative from Global Support Services will contact you.

1. WHO
   1. Individuals or groups involved in the incident.
   2. What is the individual’s or group’s Harvard affiliation?
   3. Are the involved parties participating in a specific Harvard program?
2. WHAT
   1. Description of what happened.
   2. Was it a medical or security incident, or both?
   3. Were there any factors that contributed to the incident (alcohol, weather, etc.)?
3. WHEN
   1. Date and time of the incident.
   2. What was the activity at the time of the incident (e.g. field trip, free time, research, etc.)?
4. WHERE
   1. Address where the incident occurred (be as specific as possible).
   2. Any relevant context about the location (e.g. in front of student’s lodging, on street frequently traveled by students, etc.)
5. ACTION TAKEN
   1. What action was taken at the time (e.g. contacted Harvard Travel Assist, sought medical attention, called the police, etc.)?
   2. What action still needs to be taken (e.g. counseling for victim, replacing a stolen passport, etc.)?
   3. Lessons that might help others prevent incident in the future (e.g. locking doors, hiding money, identifying a different housing option, etc.).
6. CONTACT INFORMATION
   1. Contact information for individual reporting incident
   2. Contact information (if possible) for those involved in the incident
   3. May we contact you with questions or to request additional information?

HOW WILL THIS INFORMATION BE USED?

Incident reports will be used by Global Support Services to monitor the safety and security of Harvard travelers, and to help us prepare and advise future travelers. Collective data and trends may be published, but individual incident reports, including the names of those involved in or reporting an incident, are treated as confidential and shared only on a need-to-know basis.

In An Emergency

• In a life-threatening emergency, first call local police, fire, or medical authorities.
• Call Harvard Travel Assist at +1 617 998 0000 (worldwide, 24/7) for additional help, including non-emergency help.