| In a world, dominated by a growing lack of | | | | public or those who seriously dislike authority, |
| respect, appropriate solutions are required. A lack | | | | your organisation or presence to begin with. For |
| of inadequate personal safety measures can put | | | | me, lone workers dealing with the public should be |
| a lone worker or frontline operative at | | | | doing their utmost to express themselves as |
| unnecessary risk, and cause unacceptable injury | | | | peaceful ambassadors within their line of work. |
| or harm. Body armour and stab vests have | | | | Only covert body armour allow them to do |
| therefore regrettably become a necessity within a | | | | exactly that, whilst still being protected. |
| number of domestic frontline professions. | | | | The fact of the matter is that there is always an |
| In 2003 the UK's Health and Safety Laboratory | | | | 'unknown' level of risk due to unforeseen |
| developed 18 case studies and approached over | | | | circumstances. Ordinary risk assessments might |
| 400 organisations of various sizes and across a | | | | often conclude in the verdict of 'low risk', |
| range of different occupations. Very detailed | | | | however these often very basic risk |
| questionnaires were sent and interviews were | | | | assessments are based on technical facts or |
| conducted by the HSL with the selected | | | | 'on-hand information' only, and as much as I |
| organisations and the information which they | | | | appreciate them, they often do not go beyond |
| provided formed the basis of these widely | | | | these facts. A risk assessment dealing with the |
| respected case studies. | | | | activity of a lone worker having to enter |
| The outcome is of great relevance to the | | | | someone else's property or deal with customers |
| question: 'Body Armour - Why?' The main risks | | | | or clients on a one-to-one basis can in my opinion, |
| areas highlighted by the HSL are as follows: | | | | never ever result in low risk. The moment a lone |
| - Visiting people in their home or office to enforce | | | | worker walks through someone's door or deals |
| laws and regulations, police the system or having | | | | with often unfamiliar members of the public at |
| to give bad news. | | | | another location, one can simply not know who |
| - Certain geographical areas or trouble spots are | | | | else will be in the house, who else might enter the |
| high risk, such as poor or run down council | | | | house at a later point, what activities have taken |
| estates. | | | | place prior to your colleagues visit or who else |
| - Dealing with certain high risk individuals, such as | | | | might be going to interfere or engage in their |
| potentially violent or aggressive members of the | | | | conversation or argument at a later point. |
| public, drug users or dealers, or mentally ill | | | | If you were driving a car and your petrol light |
| individuals. | | | | comes on, indicating you only have a small |
| - Dealing with frustrated and disappointed | | | | amount of petrol left. What would you do? Would |
| customers (e.g. customers unhappy with the | | | | you start thinking: Will I make it home or not? |
| service your organisation has provided) | | | | Some people would be willing to take the risk in |
| - Working late at night. | | | | this situation. In the workplace though, in my |
| - Evicting people from their home. | | | | view, it is the duty of the employer to not allow |
| - Visiting clients in unfamiliar industrial and domestic | | | | their employees to take unknown risks of their |
| premises. | | | | own accord without the provision of equipment |
| - Visiting unoccupied buildings. | | | | and training to protect them should they make a |
| Several more reasons can be highlighted, making | | | | mistake in their own judgement. 'Better safe than |
| a decision not to issue potentially life saving body | | | | sorry' and 'Prevention is better than cure' are two |
| armour or stab vests even more controversial. | | | | great sayings, making more sense within |
| Corporate manslaughter and corporate homicide | | | | corporate health & safety than anywhere |
| laws as well as health & safety regulations | | | | else. I hope you would stop and get some fuel, |
| have been rewritten in countries around the | | | | because you want to be on the safe side. You |
| world, in order to protect those who serve and | | | | might have made it, but you didn't want to take |
| risk their lives for others. The high cost of facing | | | | that risk. The bottom line is you cannot afford to |
| potential legal action after a fatal or non-fatal | | | | break down. The fact that a lone workers activity |
| incident and the cost of injured employees taking | | | | involves a rather 'unknown risk' must urge key |
| time off would outweigh the one-off cost of | | | | decision makers to remain at least open minded |
| body armour. Assaults on personnel who are not | | | | when it comes to body armour or additional lone |
| wearing protective clothing also create bad | | | | worker safety training that can be made available. |
| publicity for the Authority concerned, not to | | | | Recommending body armour does not mean we |
| mention the welfare of the person involved and | | | | suggest you are in danger, we simply say that |
| operational problems resulting from the injured | | | | you will have a higher chance of remaining |
| staff being unable to work. | | | | unharmed in the unlikely, but possible, case of |
| Based on my professional experience, the most | | | | something going wrong. Wearing personal |
| popular argument against body armour I have | | | | protective equipment can be compared to |
| come across, is the concern about how it might | | | | wearing a seat belt when driving a car. We do not |
| be seen by the public when frontline employees | | | | put the seat belt on because we believe we are |
| start walking around in body armour. Yes, | | | | going to have an accident today. We are simply |
| 'perception' is one of the most important issues | | | | acknowledging the fact that there is an |
| within personal safety, and I very much agree | | | | exceptionally small chance that we might crash. |
| with the fact that overt body armour can often | | | | Yet, if this chance becomes reality, you have |
| be perceived as very confrontational, especially | | | | increased the chance of survival by wearing a |
| when dealing with intoxicated members of the | | | | seat belt. |