A year in the making, Suzy's Charter for Workplace Safety aims to help employers and employees ensure that personal safety risks are identified and mitigated where possible. The charity, which was set up after estate agent Suzy Lamplugh disappeared while she was at work in 1986, worked with a variety of organisations including unions, large and small businesses as well as the police and employees themselves, to create the charter.
An estimated 374,000 adults of working age in employment experience violence at work annually, including threats and physical assault, according to the Health and Safety Executive. The charter urges organisations to commit to:
- Embed a workplace personal safety culture.
- Implement robust risk assessments.
- Provide robust reporting procedures.
- Provide personal safety training.
- Implement a tracing system.
- Have a system in place for colleagues to covertly raise the alarm.
- Offer staff a personal safety alarm according to their risk assessment.
- Regularly consult on and review safety policies and procedures with employees.
"It is unacceptable that anyone should face violence and aggression in any form whilst at work," said Suky Bhaker, acting CEO at the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. "We hope this charter will help employees and employers create safer workplaces and we would encourage all organisations to work through the charter a step at a time to make these important changes.
The full charter is available here.
