Saturday, July 12, 2008

Frontline public sector workers need stab vests?

This morning the TUC e-newsletter on safety issues, Risks, reports “The growing fear of knife crime in Britain is forcing hospital trusts and local authorities to supply body armour to frontline workers, including accident and emergency (A&E) staff, hospital porters, teachers, benefits officers and traffic wardens.

The Observer quotes stab vest supplier Body Armour Company as saying it had received about 10,000 orders for protective vests from local government, with front line NHS staff accounting for most of them. The firm said it had also received orders for body armour from teachers. Company spokesperson Peter Warren said: 'Councils are becoming aware of the need for armour and protecting their staff. We have had many private enquiries from teachers and the rate is going up. Headteachers are aware that teachers are at risk and knife crime is getting worse.' Schools were its biggest growth market, he said.

The Observer article said experts believe councils are responding to the new corporate manslaughter law. Peter Warren of the Body Armour Company said: 'If a schoolteacher can sue for £300,000 for stress, what price a school that failed to protect its staff from knives?' He said an order had also been placed by a railway operator for 'ballistic body armour' to protect workers”.

Last week UNISON requested stab vests for ambulance workers in the North East. The picture above is of ambulance staff in Essex who were issued with vests in 2005. I think that the point, that it is management concerns about the new Corporate Manslaughter law (despite all its flaws) is behind all this, is probably true.

This issue did come up at a Tower Hamlets Council health and safety committee meeting I attended a few years ago. It goes to show how much things have changed; management and trade union representatives were all horrified at even the thought that staff would need such protection.

Nowadays I am not that sure. Even if you ignore the sensational media reporting I would expect risk assessments for public sector workers, such as - traffic wardens, bailiffs, rail and bus ticket inspectors, A&E staff etc to recommend stab vests. There is a significant risk and it is entirely foreseeable.

But teachers or housing officers? While I don’t work in a school, I am the branch safety officer and I am not aware of any London housing organisations who supply stab vests. However, last year a Police Community Support Officer was stabbed while assisting in a rent arrears eviction. Housing staff throughout London are present daily at evictions, drug raids and crack house closures. I have taken part in some recently myself. So I think the issue does need careful consideration.

Also, in the Risks newsletter was a report from an inquest which found that a worker who died after an explosion at his workplace may have been saved if he had been wearing the appropriate fire safety clothing. I believe that it is accepted in the police and especially amongst licensed doormen (bouncers) that stab vests have saved lives. What no-one wants is a future report of someone being killed when they could have been saved by wearing a vest.

Finally, before we all go and scare ourselves silly, the BBC news website has a thoughtful post on the issue of knife crime which points out that reported knife crime is actually less this year than last year. Also that violent crime overall is down 41% since 1995. Tell that to the Daily Hate.

8 comments:

marshajane said...

I wouldn't dismiss stab vests for some housing officers.
The tenancy relations officers regularly get attacked by landlords who are illegally evicting tenants.
They (mostly) attend houses on their own and reinstate people into properties. Recently a colleague of mine had his hand shut in a door and was threatened with a knife. As a frontline worker in housing I am regularly threatened.
Indeed just last week a person had to be removed by security for threatening to kill me and my colleagues joked that I'd done well as it had been 6 months since the last serious threat!

Anonymous said...

Reported knife crime John, REPORTED. Delusional Daily.I'm glad you lot are dying out.

John Gray said...

Hi Marsha
I don’t think that I have dismissed stab vests? It needs careful consideration. Actually, I am more concerned that tenancy relations officers are making lone visits to reinstate people. This is incredible? If they are being regular attacked then they should not make any visits without uniformed security.

Hope you reported the "threats to kill" to Police and made an VAW report?

I suspect that housing officers will be wearing stab vests for certain high risk duties in the not too distant future (if not already happening)

John Gray said...

Hi anon
I would imagine that knife crime is better reported now than ever before! One change appears to be that younger kids seem to be carrying knives. Mind you check out this article before making any other daft comments http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/13/ukcrime.boris

Unknown said...

As a supplier of stab and bullet proof vests i have seen the numbers rise steadily some out of fear and some out of need. My brother who runs a security company was guarding a car park site after they had cars stolen the thieves came back to steal more and in the process of apprehending one was stabbed luckily his stab jacket saved his life but the force of the person trying to stab him knocked him to the floor and now all his guards wear them. but as you can see thieves with intent will stop at nothing to get what they want they didnt know he was wearing a stab jacket and when he was down they left him there if it had not been for the jacket he would of died.this is not just made up as the police can verify
So may be its time people lived up to the fact this country is changing for the worst and its time to look after number 1

John Gray said...

Hi UK bodyarmour
I think that for most workers in security - yes, they should consider bodyarmour. Ironically it is true that knife crime has come down, so has the murder rate! I think that we are more aware of the risks nowadays.

Robert Kaiser said...

Hi John
A lot has been said and written about stab vests and their potential use within the public sector. We are manufacturing and supplying them to the public sector and the NHS. You are right when you say we are nowaday more aware of stabbing, assaults and other kind of abuse on public sector workers. As the Managing Director of ASEO Europe I have also written two books about personals safety related issues and always love to mention the following thing when meeting Local Government Directors or other seniro figurs: Why do you put a seat belt on when you get into your car? You are not doing so because you know or because you are frightened to have an accident on that day... you are putting the seat belt on for one single simpe reason only. It is a safety net. It will increase your chance of survival when involved in a potentially fatal accident. Stab Vests are there for exactlly the same reason. An environmental health enforcement officer, a licensing officer, a trading standards officer or a benefit fraud investigator doesn't know the day when it is going wrong and someone for some sort of sick reason decides to become physically aggressive. This frontline operative, this public sector worker will have an increased chance of survival if his team leader, manager or director has recognised the importance and life saving potential of issuing stab vests to his workforce.

Kind Regards

John Gray said...

Hi ASBO MD
Apologies for the seasonal delay in replying. I think you make a fair point. I would agree that that benefits fraud investigators and EHO noise patrol should wear vests on all visits. It is just bonkers otherwise - not too even if Police are in attendance. The other examples? Trading standards...during a raid to seize counterfeit goods - yes. Licensing ... if they were going undercover to check out a strip club. Not for all visits.

We need to quantify the risk. Has anyone done any research into the frequency front line public sector staff are threatened or attacked in the UK? I’ll ask at the next UNISON national H&S committee but I haven’t heard anything.

I was once at an eviction when a friend of the “evicted” (a local gangster who used the premises to run a legal aid fraud of all things) told me that if it was him being evicted he would have put an axe in my head. Which was nice... (I don’t suppose a vest would have helped in that case)