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.
