This week’s Inside Housing highlights the daily (at least) attacks on public housing officers up and down the country. A freedom of information request of Councils and ALMOs (by the Tories for heaven sake!) showed that nearly 1200 housing staff were attacked between 2006 and 2008. Over one per day. I think that everyone will accept that this is in fact a massive under reporting of the problem. No Housing associations were surveyed and many organisations actively discourage staff from reporting attacks.
There is also a very sensible proposal that the Audit Commission and the TSA should take responsibility for ensuring housing organisations properly assess risks and take appropriate preventative action which is welcomed.
I’ll bang on again about my argument that there is a common interest between staff and residents on these issues. Housing organisations that fail to look after their staff properly will also be the ones that fail to provide decent services to their residents. Staff are most at risk when trying to protect residents from violence or harassment.
Next month on Tuesday 28 April it is Workers Memorial Day. This is not only a time to remember those who were killed while at work or died prematurely of industrial diseases such as asbestosis but it is also a health & safety campaigning day. UNISON will be organising events to mark this day up and down the country.
Why not set aside a small part of that Tuesday to checking your risk assessments are up-to-date and personal safety control measures are in place and being followed? Remember – housing staff are at risk - it is not a matter of “if” but “when”.
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