A small handful of our staff are taking part in a 6-month project to trial the use of bodycams on our estates as part of a drive to stay safe whilst working.
With some of the job roles of our staff involving lone working and on-call out of hours working, we’re taking steps to ensure the people providing services to our residents feel safe whilst carrying out their duties.
The use of bodycams at work is becoming increasingly common, with many supermarket staff and other businesses now wearing clearly visible cameras to protect their staff from any violence, abuse or confrontation.
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, employers have a duty of care to manage risks faced by employees and must provide equipment and training that ensures our employee’s safety and well-being.
Our colleagues currently carry lone worker alarms which are enabled and send an emergency signal to summon assistance if required.
We will have three cameras in use that are being trialled by staff in our Environmental Services, Tenancy Management and Repairs Teams over the course of the next six months to see if they add an extra level of safety in the course of their day-to-day work.
As an organisation, we have a zero-tolerance policy on abuse towards our staff, and our Reasonable Behaviour Policy outlines our approach to dealing with unacceptable actions or behaviour from customers.
Keith Harris, Health and Safety Manager said: “The cameras are part of a trial to see if they are worth introducing on a wider scale for certain activities. It’s important for residents to know that these cameras are not recording continuously like CCTV but will be used if a staff member feels threatened or intimidated or other methods to de-escalate a situation have failed, with the aggressor being informed before the camera is turned on.
“This trial isn’t a reflection on the vast majority of customers or our communities but is a response to increased incidents of abuse experienced over the last few years, and a chance for us to trial this technology that a lot of customer facing organisations and other housing associations across the country are already using or trialling.
“We hope that the use of the bodycams will act as a deterrent to anyone who may display any intimidating or aggressive behaviours and help to keep our staff safe, as they deserve to be while they carry out their everyday jobs and provide services to our residents.”
