TUC demands HSE funding boost as 8 in 10 workers face workplace abuse

The findings, based on a survey of over 5,000 workers, show that in the last 12 months: 

•  1 in 5 (19.4 per cent) have experienced physical assault at work
•  1 in 10 (10 per cent) have experienced sexual harassment or sexual violence 
•  8 in 10 (79 per cent) have experienced verbal abuse such as shouting, insults or threats 
•  4 in 10 (45 per cent) have experienced threats of physical harm.

The survey exposes which sectors appear to be most vulnerable to abuse. These include education (12 per cent of respondents experiencing abuse), transport (39 per cent), prisons or secure facilities (10 per cent) and health and social care (5 per cent). More than 8 in 10 (84 per cent) of respondents said their roles are public facing. 

When asked about the impact of the most severe incidents they have experienced, nearly half said they feared for their safety, 14 per cent said they experienced physical injury and 9 per cent required medical treatment.

Healthcare workers are among those who report experiencing violence at work. Photograph: iStock

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “It doesn’t matter what you do for a living – violence at work is never ‘part of the job’. 

“Nobody should go to work fearing for their safety, but that is the reality for thousands of our vital frontline workers.”

The TUC cited the survey as evidence of the damage caused by HSE funding cuts, which have exceeded 50 per cent since 2010. According to the union, these budget slashes have decimated inspector numbers and stifled the regulator's ability to conduct workplace visits.

As a result, employer sanctions are at an “all-time low”: “Ministers must reinvest in the HSE, so we have more inspectors visiting workplaces and enforcing safety rules,” stated Nowak.

The survey results were released for coincide the TUC’s Violence at Work conference held today, Friday 17 April.