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Press Release
9 June 2004
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9 June 2004
TSSA CALLS FOR ZERO TOLERANCE AS ASSAULTS ON RAIL STAFF INCREASE
TSSA, Britain's biggest rail union, is calling on train operating companies to introduce a zero tolerance policy on customer violence after a safety report revealed that assaults on staff have risen for the third successive year.
The Annual Safety Performance Report for 2003 produced by the Rail Safety and Standards Board is released today and addresses risk on or affecting Network Rail's controlled infrastructure.
It shows that reported assaults on rail staff have increased for the third successive year, by 18 per cent. Shock or 'no injury' cases rose by 33 per cent and 40 per cent of the total increase was in verbal abuse to staff.
TSSA is concerned that the fragmented rail industry has not yet settled on a common method of reporting workforce assaults, resulting in discrepancies between reporting rates in train operating companies.
The union fears that this leads to the under-reporting of assaults on rail staff, which was named as a major health and safety risk in an independent survey of TSSA members.
General secretary Gerry Doherty said: "It is unacceptable that rail staff are bearing the brunt of the public's frustration with a failing rail service through verbal abuse and threats of violence.
"This is putting staff under intolerable stress and we call on the industry to take the issue seriously by introducing a zero tolerance approach to customers who behave in this way."
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For further information please contact press officer Hannah Leggett on 020 7529 8059
Notes to editors
1. TSSA represents 33,000 members in administrative, clerical, managerial, professional and technical jobs in the railways, buses, London Underground, the travel trade, canals, ports, ferries and road haulage.
2. Reported assaults on rail staff increased for the third successive year to over 3,500 in 2003, and 18 per cent rise
3. The Annual Safety Performance Report records how the rail industry performed during 2003 against the objectives in the current Railway Group Safety Plan which is valid until 31 December 2004.
4. A survey of TSSA health and safety reps last year named violence or threats as the main workplace hazard