WORKFORCE
Hidden dangers THE TWILIT WORLD of cleaning can be a lonely, isolated place. And it can also be a dangerous one. Cleaners often work late at night or in the early hours of the morning when few people are around. They tend to be a multicultural workforce which means they frequently operate in alien environments where they are not native speakers. And many have to work in the streets which involves venturing into the shadier parts of towns. So this means they often find themselves in situations where they are vulnerable, defenceless and open to abuse. In November 2019 it was reported that two male council cleaners were badly beaten while carrying out their duties in northern Belfast. They were approached by two men in an alleyway in broad daylight who attacked them and stole one of their mobile phones. Both cleaners were left with facial injuries, though fortunately neither required hospital treatment. Another UK street cleaner was not so lucky when driving a road sweeping vehicle in Middlesborough in November 2019. The 55-year-old sustained a serious facial injury after an air pellet shot through the window of his cleaning machine. Cleveland Police described the incident as a “sickening, callous, attack”. A few months earlier in September 2019, street cleaners in Madrid were forced to seek police protection after being persecuted by local gangs. Municipal workers operating in three different areas of the Spanish capital were verbally abused, shot at with pellets and bombarded with eggs by local thugs. And a similar story emerged when Glasgow street cleaners suffered a spate of verbal and physical attacks. These prompted calls that the operatives should be equipped with body cameras to help police catch the perpetrators. So, why are so many of today’s cleaners being subjected to violence and abuse? It seems that it may be nothing personal but simply a by-product of working alone or
in small groups in potentially dangerous locations. Many other operatives such as social workers, firefighters and emergency doctors have also reported coming under occasional attack when performing their duties. But this news will be of little comfort to the average cleaner. The range of behaviour which may be included under the general heading of violence at work is very broad. But the borderline of what constitutes acceptable behaviour is often vague and cultural attitudes to what amounts to violence are so diverse that it is a very complex matter to define violence at work. Lone workers are often seen as easy targets by aggressors. Cleaners, maintenance or repair staff and others who work alone outside normal hours are at special risk of suffering physical and sexual attacks according to a report by the International Labour Organization (ILO). Night-time is the highest risk period.
Cleaners are vulnerable to abuse and occasionally even assault when working in isolated places during unsociable hours. So, what are employers and other bodies doing to help keep them safe?
Women at risk Many studies show that women are at particular risk of violence. Data from Sweden also shows women to be more at risk of workplace injuries caused by violence than their male colleagues. Why are women at high risk of violent behaviour in the workplace? In the first place, women are concentrated in many of the high-risk occupations, such as cleaning. The continued segregation of women in low-paid and low status jobs, while men predominate in better-paid, higher status jobs and supervisory positions, also contributes to the problem says ILO. In broad terms, the impact and cost of violence at work needs to be considered at a number of different levels: • At the individual level, where the suffering and humiliation resulting from violence usually lead to lack of motivation, loss of confidence and reduced self-esteem, depression and anger, anxiety and irritability. In the same way as with stress, if the causes of violence are not elimiContinued page 48
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