Safety at Work

THIS TIME IT’S PERSONAL

Did you know there are approximately 655,000 incidents of workplace violence in England and Wales per year? People who deal directly with the public may face aggressive or violent behaviour. They may be sworn at, threatened or even attacked.¹

“Any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work”

Of the areas that this definition highlights, verbal abuse is overwhelmingly the most common occurrence - physical attacks whilst increasing, are still relatively rare. Obviously we are looking at personal safety from a work perspective, however many of the points covered in this article are also relevant for day to day living.

WHERE ARE YOUR EMPLOYEES AT MOST RISK?

The answer to this question is unfortunately everywhere. However, there are areas that carry greater risk. By being aware of these areas and looking at how we can reduce exposure, we can mitigate the likelihood of being a victim. Three of the main areas where personal security risk is heightened are:

ACTION THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO REDUCE RISK.

WHEN TRAVELLING IN A PRIVATE OR COMPANY VEHICLE:

WHEN TRAVELING BY TAXI OR PUBLIC TRANSPORT YOUR EMPLOYEES SHOULD:

i) Wherever possible, ensure that there are other people around them and stay in well-lit areas.

ii) Plan their route and possibly an alternative should there be a delay or incident.

iii) On buses try to sit near to the driver and if someone makes them feel uncomfortable – get up and move away.

iv) Wear appropriate clothing. Female members of staff who travel alone long distances may consider wearing flat shoes or trainers for the journey and changing into work shoes when they arrive.

v) Avoid using a taxi that randomly stops in the street, unless it has been hailed.

vi) When booking the taxi always ask what make of car it will be and the driver’s name.

vii) The safest place in a taxi is in the rear behind the driver.

viii) When traveling at night book a taxi to pick them up from the railway station and ask the driver to wait outside until they are in the house.

INTRUDER TO THE PREMISES.

Thankfully, aside from high risk industries (e.g. banking where there are large amounts of cash), violence by intruders to the work premises is relatively rare. That being said it is the duty of all employers to provide safe and secure working conditions, so this issue has to be addressed. When Norwich Union assessed the risk from intruders they compiled the following guidance for companies:

THIS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY:

^{Source: Norwich Union Risk Services / June 2006.}

In addition to this every firm should have a Visitor’s book prominently displayed at reception. You should ensure that all visitors to your premises sign in with their details. There are a number of reasons why this is important, in particular for safety reasons, this procedure will enable you to keep track of who is in the building, and where they are.

This will be important in times of emergency evacuation of the premises or a fire safety incident. It might also help if there was an incident affecting personal security. Many companies issue visitors with badges, it is important that these are numbered and also that the badge is retrieved from the visitor on leaving the premises. This ensures that, not only can the badge not be reused unofficially, but also that copies cannot be made.

If your staff are at high risk of dealing with intruders or potentially threatening clients you should consider whether you need alarms, coded locks or video surveillance. Access control systems are now being used to provide high level security across the UK (and beyond), drawn from the dozens of different contracts for a wide variety of applications created each week by installers using our equipment, including:

• Hospitals, Health Care and Nursing accommodation
• Finance & Banking
• Multi Tenanted residential apartments
• Food processing
• Software & IT companies
• Research laboratories
• Universities & Halls of residence
• Sports facilities
• Tourist attractions
• Airports and Port Authorities

If you feel that your company falls into a high-risk area it may be worth having a locking door between the work area and reception and protecting the receptionist behind a hatch. If your reception is manned by an individual who may be on their own for long periods of time, consider an alarm system that can be activated easily in case of a problem. This could also be useful if individuals worked remotely and therefore made more vulnerable. Try to reduce the risk factor by ensuring PCs are logged out before leaving the desk and that laptops and PDAs are not left lying in vulnerable areas. This can also be said for handbags, wallets and other personal items. Keep them safely locked away or out of sight.

Also be aware that violence also covers physical abuse, and that your receptionist may be first in line for abuse. Formulate a reporting procedure that will enable your receptionist to log all verbal abuse. It is often a repeat offence and a time and date log will enable you to produce evidence if you decide to take court action against offenders. Another area that is a consideration when evaluating the safety of your employees is the workplace itself. If you have the luxury of designing a new building, consider putting in safe areas where employees can take refuge. This is your ‘protected space’ and is not only useful for intruder protection but also in times of bomb alerts or terrorist attacks. If you are converting to openplan accommodation remember that it is often more difficult to contain an incident in this environment. It may also reduce your options for exit routes. It is recommended that you consult not only with your security provider, but also a structural engineer with a specialism in secure buildings. Personal security should be an integral part of your induction programme and should highlight:

• What to do in an emergency?
• Who to contact?
• Where to go during evacuation?
• How to recognise the signs of aggression?

VIOLENCE BY A WORK COLLEAGUE

Violence most commonly takes the form of abuse between colleagues, however this should not trivialise the impact that this can have on the working environment.

There have been many high profile cases of sexual harassment at work and it is now thankfully considered highly unacceptable to instigate any form of harassment in the workplace.

An increasing problem in companies is the use of email, internal and external, to pass on jokes, video clips etc. Whilst it can be seen as friendly banter in most cases, is open to abuse and can cause offence if the content is of a personal nature. Good practice would suggest that this is frowned upon and therefore reducing the risk of an unpleasant situation within the workplace.

Any employer who allows this to take place is liable to very high financial penalties, so it is therefore something that should be very high on the personnel agenda. The most effective way to eliminate abuse is to take a very firm disciplinary stance as soon as it manifests itself.

Actual physical violence is far more rare and should be an immediate dismissal offence. The likelihood of violence can be minimised by a good screening and vetting procedure at recruitment. All employers should be aware that different mindsets are required for different roles within the company, for example a target driven sales manager may require a more aggressive personality than a janitor. Consideration should be given to how employees can ‘let off steam’ safely for example, consider a games area for relaxation.

SUMMARY