Every day people working on major UK infrastructure projects face threats, abuse and assaults from the general public, whilst trying to do their job.
Unfortunately, our team are no exception to this and have recently been subjected to threats of violence and verbal abuse, for simply doing their job.
Carrying out the essential works for the Northumberland Line while keeping our workforce safe inevitably causes some disruption to local communities, including through temporary road closures, footpath closures and diversions.
Whenever we engage and inform the public, we always do so in a polite, courteous, and professional manner and all we ask is that people engage with our workforce in an equally respectful way.
We have a zero-tolerance policy towards work-related violence and aggression, including abusive and threatening communications or behaviour. We will not tolerate work-related violence and aggression towards our team and, in some cases, we may inform the police of unacceptable behaviour.
The impact of any abuse is not just about physical injuries caused. Exposure to workplace threats and abuse of any kind can lead to employees suffering from increased levels of anxiety, stress and depression. It’s not just the incidents themselves but the long-term fears, uncertainties and lasting harm that they can cause.
Pieter Esbach, Project Director for stations contractor Morgan Sindall Infrastructure said:
“We believe that it is neither inevitable nor acceptable that anyone should face violence and aggression at work, either in person, on the phone or via digital communications. Everyone has the right to feel safe at work. Nobody should ever be threatened, intimidated or assaulted because of the job they do.”
Neil Blagburn, Programme Delivery Director, said:
"The welfare and wellbeing of our employees has always been, and always will be, our priority. We have accessible and dedicated systems in place for the public to direct any questions or queries and our dedicated team will always aim to provide effective and timely responses. We would encourage you all wherever possible to use these systems.”
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