Risk news

Ensuring workers are protected in terms of health and safety reaches further than just accidents which can occur with machinery or on building sites.

Many jobs involve working with other people and members of the public and some of these can be difficult or challenging groups.

It is an employer's responsibility to make sure appropriate measures are put in place to ensure the wellbeing of staff.

A recent prosecution has uncovered an instance in which a firm failed to properly safeguard its staff against aggression and violence.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was launched after a worker was kicked in the eye while working with people with learning difficulties.

From this it emerged that the not-for-profit care organisation was not doing enough in order to protect its employees from such behaviour.

Carol Forster, an inspector for the HSE, said: "The risk of violence and aggression from clients with challenging behaviour is common in the social care sector. Workers can suffer not only physical injury but also psychological effects such as stress and anxiety, which can also affect their family and social life."

The client who caused the injury in question was known to the company and had presented aggressive and violent behaviour in the past.

Despite this and the fact that other members of staff have sustained injuries as a result of the client over the space of a year and a half, nothing was done to deal with the potential risk.

The organisation received a fine of £14,000 and paid £30,000 in costs after pleading guilty to a breach of Section 2(1) and Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, with regard to their employees and agency workers.

Ms Forster said: "Social care organisations have a duty to ensure that proper management systems are in place to control the risk of violence and aggression to the lowest level possible."

Areas such as this can be harder to put health and safety practices in place than something like scaffolding safety, but since 2,348 injuries to workers occurred in social care in 2010-2011, it is important to get it right.