Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER Published: 24 October 2008
From left, health and safety officials Stuart Fuller and Mike Lindenburn, Colin Jackson, organisational development manager Emma O’Brien and organisational development advisor Julia Jennings.
Olympic runner salutes homes team that made work safer
FORMER Olympic athlete Colin Jackson handed over an award this week to Islington housing staff who have helped colleagues deal with violent customers. Staff were taught techniques for defusing and avoiding potentially violent incidents, and how to take action to protect themselves.
Before the training, Homes for Islington (HfI) staff felt that dealing with violent incidents was “part of the job”. Research showed that just over half the staff who had experienced violence or harassment from customers did not report the incident.
The training programme, credited with improving staff morale and boosting confidence, won a London Regional Award, part of the National Training Awards 2008. David Selo, HfI’s director of resources, said: “This training has been enormously important in helping staff who deal with the public on a day-to-day basis.”