Seven in ten roadworkers are the victim of verbal or physical abuse every month.
This week is the first Respect our Workforce Week. Organised by the group “Stamp it Out” and supported by Oxfordshire County Council, the campaign aims to highlight the violence and verbal abuse people working on the roads receive.
The past decade has seen a rise in reported incidents, with a minority of motorists or residents taking their frustration out on roadworkers over delays as improvements are made to the network.
In Oxfordshire, some workers have been confronted with a knife, racially abused, physically manhandled and even threatened with shooting.
The County Council’s contractor, Milestone, has formed a roadworker safety group as part of its commitment to ensuring the health and safety of everyone working on the highways. They’ve created an app for employees to report verbal threats or assault.
Councillor Andrew Gant, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport Management, said: “It is completely unacceptable for people to act in this way against those who are working in dangerous locations in all sorts of weather conditions to improve the condition of our roads.
“I was shocked to learn that 70 per cent of roadworkers are the victim of verbal or physical abuse every month, while half say they have been verbally abused in the last seven days. That’s why we are supporting the Respect our Workforce campaign and urge everyone to treat those working on our roads with common courtesy.”
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