Lone Worker Safety, Lone Operator, Remote Worker, Man Down, Panic Alarm, Accident, Illness, Robbery, Kidnap, Attack

Local Authorities

Abuse and attack on Local Authority workers is now a priority issue for many local governments and trade unions. Equally, employers must meet legislative requirements that stipulate precautions have to be taken in order to protect the health and safety of their employees.

Key Workers & The Risks

Community Workers - Working with vulnerable groups in deprived areas can increase the risk of violence.

Emergency Teams - Often unaware of the situation in which they are about to enter. Working with vulnerable groups in deprived areas can increase the risk of violence.

Environmental Officers - Often work alone in remote areas. At risk from violence as well as accidents at work.

Housing Officers - Verbal and physical abuse from tenants, and those who reside in void properties (who could be under the influence of alcohol and other substances).

Traffic Wardens - At a high risk of verbal and physical abuse from disgruntled members of the public.

Water Treatment - Workers involved in water treatment often have to use chemicals which could if inhaled lead to unconsciousness. Also these workers often work in remote areas where it may be critical to provide a fast response to an alert.

Work-related violence is a major contributing factor to unhealthy stress levels that will seriously effect employers and employees alike. In the UK, Birmingham City Council became the first employer in the UK to admit liability for a stress-related illness, which resulted in a compensation payment of nearly €100,000 (Ł67,400).

Benefits to the employers using the PPS:

This system will record incidents of verbal and physical attack on an employee, as a direct result of a voice channel being opened when personal devices are activated.

Recording of an attack can be used in support of any action that the organisation pursues, or as supporting evidence towards subsequent legal action taken by the police.

Increased public perception brought about by the organisation proactively working to reduce the growing number of attacks on staff, including incidents of aggression, verbal abuse, assault, sexual harassment and racial and physical abuse.

Providing a deterrent effect to would-be assailants.

Increased productivity of workers created by significantly reducing stress created through a ‘climate of fear’ within the working environment significantly reducing potential costs from: sickness absenteeism, reduced productivity, replacement costs and additional retirement costs, and further costs due to damage in production or equipment as well as costs associated with grievance and litigation