Field safety protocols are based on program activities and are intended to provide the staff and peer educators with guidance regarding their professional behavior.

• Carry picture identification (I.D.) at all times that includes name of the organization, name of the project, your name, and the purpose for your presence.
• Work in pairs and always know where your partner is.
• Establish a mechanism to keep your supervisor aware of your location and activities (e.g., carry a beeper, call telephone mailbox at a specified time).
• Establish contact with local police precincts in the area. Leave copy of I.D. with the commander. If appropriate for your program, maintain relations with the police; introduce the program and staff.
• Have contingency plans for worst case scenarios and share them with your partner.
• Make sure you have made contact with and have permission from a key person in the community before entering the setting in which you will conduct the intervention (e.g., shooting galleries, crack houses, or local high schools).
• Leave the area if tension or violence is observed or perceived.
• Avoid controversy and debate with clients and program participants.
• When you start your job as a peer educator in the field, get a TB skin test; you should be re-tested periodically thereafter.
• Be aware of weather conditions and be prepared for natural occurrences.
• Design and adhere to a schedule for outreach or peer education.
• Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages and buying, receiving, or sampling drugs while conducting outreach or peer education.

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