'Employers' responsible for women's safety'

Gurgaon: Gurgaon Police Commissioner SS Deswal on Wednesday said the safety of women employees is the prime responsibility of their employers who should take steps to ensure the security of the women who work for them, especially during the odd hours.

In a letter sent to all BPOs in the city, Deswal directed them to have a dedicated control room with emergency numbers operational round the clock so that the employees can call in case of any untoward incident.

Every cab deployed to carry women employees should be fitted with GPS system so that their movement can be tracked, and the cabs should not have black film or tinted glasses, he said in the letter stating the directives.

An extra dedicated cab should also be deployed round the clock which can be used in case of emergency, he told the BPOs.

Drivers and security guards should be experienced and have proper identity cards and they should have been verified by the transport and security agencies which deploy them.

The police commissioner said the transporter should pick up the women employees from the door steps and while dropping them should ensure that they enter their homes safely.

A security guard must accompany the woman employee to her house if the path to her residence is not motorable.

The employees should be informed about the vehicle number, name of driver and the security guard in the vehicle, the letter stated, adding, a sticker displaying the name of the employer and his telephone number should be prominently displayed in the cabs.

The police commissioner said companies must maintain a database of all its employees and the police should be able to access that database at any time.

A team should be constituted for conducting surprise checks to ensure that security measures are being adhered to by the drivers and guards.

In case of non-compliance, a clause of heavy fine should be there in the contract with the transporter and security agencies, Deswal said.

He said the employer who has women employees working during night shifts should prevent and deter any sexual harassment and provide procedures to resolve, settle or prosecute any such act.

The employer should maintain a complaint mechanism, including a complaint committee headed by a woman and half of the members should be women, he said.

Deswal also said woman employees should be employed only in batches, of not less than 10 or not less than two-thirds of the total night shifts strength.

Besides, separate work sheds, canteen facilities and all-women transport facilities should be provided, he said.