Transport & Logistics

Transport sector employees face the risk of violence on a daily basis and those working alone have a heightened susceptibility to these risks.

KEY WORKERS & THE RISKS

Bus and Taxi Drivers – receive verbal, racial and physical threats and abuse on a daily basis. These risks are increased when working late at night, especially at the weekend when incidents are fuelled by alcohol and drugs. Bus and taxi drivers are especially vulnerable when they are away from their vehicles.
Fares Collectors – especially vulnerable to robbery and assault.
Bus, Train and Tram Inspectors - especially vulnerable to verbal and physical assault, which is heightened when operating late at night.
Bus and Train Station Staff - receive verbal, racial and physical threats from abusive and disgruntled customers on a daily basis. Those station personnel who handle cash are potential targets for theft, and are especially vulnerable when they are away from the secure counters.
Freight Drivers - massively at risk of violent crime from robbery and kidnap because of the often high-value goods that they transport.

Bus Sector - The total reported physical assaults on bus drivers in the UK was 1,214 in 2002 - equating to over 3 physical assaults per day. Ten percent of these assaults were conducted when the bus driver stepped out of the bus to attend traffic incidents. As a result the recruitment of bus drivers is a significant industry-wide problem.

Rail Sector - Assaults on passengers, the workforce and members of the public currently constitute 15.2% of the total risk posed by railway crime. In September 2004, it was estimated that the cost to the industry was around £260 million per year, and created 538 days of delay to trains per year. According to the ‘Railway Crime Safety Performance Report’, published in September 2005, there has been an increase in the number of attacks on railway staff, with the British Transport Police reporting a 14.2% rise in the amount of violent crime on the London Underground transport system alone.

Implications of these incidents for the Transport Sector include:

Significant revenue losses and delays in transport services.
Recruitment and retention of staff.
Poor staff morale.
Poor public perception.
Days lost through illness caused by stress or injury.
Potential court preceedings.

IDENTICOM SOLUTION

Identicom is worn by the drivers (bus, train and taxi) and therefore provides the ability to raise the alarm and instigate a rapid and appropriate response wherever they may be about the vehicle. For example, a bus driver may be in the cab, on the lower or upper floor, or away from the bus dealing with a traffic incident.
The open voice channel created when an alarm is raised can be recorded and therefore provides the means by which to capture incidents of verbal and racial abuse.
This recording can offer evidence that protects the lone worker from receiving accusations of mis-conduct from abusive persons.
Within the bus environment the audio capture from Identicom can support the CCTV footage.
Identicom provides a means by which the lone transport worker can discreetly raise an alarm without further compromising their personal safety.
Identicom provides a physical deterrent to those contemplating committing an act of violence in the first instance.
GSM technology incorporated into the units enables Identicom to operate whether indoors or outdoors, fixed site working or mobile based working.
Identicom can be pooled between lone working staff to provide a cost effective solution per vehicle, per shift, per department.