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Telecom Workers Test Emergency Alert Systems Amid Rising Harassment and Violence Instances | Communication Sector

The number of reported incidents of abuse and assault against telecoms engineers is on the rise, according to statistics from Openreach, a subsidiary of BT that maintains the majority of the broadband network in the UK. In the year up until March, they recorded a total of 450 reports of violence against their employees, marking an 8% year-on-year increase, a 40% rise from the 2022-23 period, and seven times more than almost a decade ago. This trend has now made abuse and assault the leading cause of injuries to Openreach staff, including its 22,000 field engineers.

Incidents reported by engineers vary from verbal abuse to physical confrontation, including being pushed, shook from ladders, or vehicles being blocked. Some even face more severe threats, such as being attacked with scissors or having doors slammed on their legs. The majority of these incidents occur either in public spaces or within homes, with Openreach trying to combat this through initiatives like panic alarms on engineers’ mobile phones.

Openreach is not alone in facing this issue, as other telecom operators like Virgin Media O2 and Sky have also reported a rise in incidents. Despite Sky experiencing a return to pre-pandemic incident levels, the issue remains a significant concern across the industry. These incidents have prompted Openreach and other companies to sign an open letter alongside over 100 other businesses, urging the government to amend the crime and policing bill to offer more protection to customer-facing workers in various sectors, not just retail.

Adam Elsworth, the health and safety director at Openreach, expressed concern over the escalating violence and abuse, noting the psychological impact it has on engineers. The industry’s call for better legislative protection highlights the severity of the issue and the need for comprehensive measures to ensure the safety and security of those working in customer-facing roles, especially in the telecoms sector where engineers often operate in vulnerable situations.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/02/openreach-engineers-trial-panic-alarms-as-incidents-of-abuse-and-assault-soar

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