Peoplesafe is working with Crimestoppers calling on UK employers to focus on employee safety, both at work and out of hours.
The provider of employee safety technology and an independent charity have launched a campaign encouraging employers to ‘Step Up, Stay Safe’.
They want employers to pledge to take action to protect their working communities such as provide personal safety training, provide a personal safety alarm, offer personal safety technology to all staff and embed a personal safety culture and raise awareness of personal safety tips.
Naz Dossa, CEO of Peoplesafe, said: “To date, there is no official legislation or guidance that places responsibility on the employer to protect their employees outside of work – not even during their commute.
“Despite this, over half of workers (51%) believe that their employer has a duty of care to them outside of working hours.
“We’re asking UK businesses to go beyond basic compliance and step up to keep their people safe.”
David Crawley, Crimestoppers Director of Development, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with Peoplesafe on this initiative.“Our charity is committed, and proud, to work with organisations who share our values of always keeping people and communities safe from harm.”
The statistics, following a study by Peoplesafe, show 6.8m people reportedly worry about their safety every week.
Further reading: Hybrid working – how to keep people safe wherever they are – key insights from Peoplesafe’s Expo seminar
It also showed the majority of employers – 57% – underestimate the level of concern felt by their staff.
The results revealed 57% of employees were concerned about facing aggression from the public and 22% of former lone workers and front-line staff said safety concerns were among the reasons they chose to leave their job.
The Step Up, Stay Safe campaign aims to provide the UK workforce with proper protection, wherever they are, and whenever they feel they need it.
Employers who sign up to the Step Up, Stay Safe Pledge is said to be able to access a bank of employee safety-related resources and have the opportunity to join other campaign advocates for online and live events.
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By SHP (Safety and Health Practitioner Magazine) promoting this company, do safety professions really believe there is a crisis in employee safety in the UK? The campaign is interesting and laudable with Crimestoppers, however do Peoplesafe actually believe that there should be legislation for companies to have health and safety responsibilities for their workers outside of work time – ‘(51%) believe that their employer has a duty of care to them outside of working hours‘? I’d be really interested to see the report from Peoplesafe, to show how they derive the 6.8m people reportedly worrying about their safety every week… Read more »