Octavius, a leading transport infrastructure provider, this week announced that the company has signed up to support the first country-wide Respect Our Workforce Week, including the ‘Stamp It Out’ Campaign, aimed at eradicating the abuse of public-facing workers, including those that work on the public highway.
Respect Our Workforce Week, from the 11th-15th March 2024, is part of the Think Respect which calls on the whole infrastructure supply chain, including National Highways, to help raise awareness of the challenges facing the infrastructure workforce as well as the solutions being provided to solve them.
Across the UK, 60% of all road workers and other people working on the highway have reported being abused on a monthly basis. Respect Our Workforce week, aims to empower the workforce and influence a change of attitudes towards the highways sector’s workers.
Speaking about her own experiences, Roadworker Sinead Ryan said, “It’s almost every night, sometimes more. Most of the time it’s just people screaming abuse at you, but it can be worse, meaning you have to lock yourself in your van. One time, I had a gun pulled on me in a petrol station by an irate member of the public.”
Neil Wilson, Octavius SHEA Director, said, “We’re proud to support the Stamp It Out campaign. The health, safety and wellbeing of our workforce is paramount, and we have zero tolerance towards any abuse to our staff, supply chain partners and clients across all our sites. At Octavius we protect everyone involved with our works and we extend this ethos to our industry as whole. Everyone should be able to get home safely to their families and loved ones at the end of a working day.”
Kevin Robinson, Founder and Campaign Director of Stamp It Out and Think Respect, commented, “Respect our Workforce week marks a vital point in this campaign. But as we look back on a successful 12 months, there is still much work to do towards our aim of eradicating abuse of all public-facing workers including road workers. It is not acceptable to abuse a doctor, nurse, teacher so why should those working in a public facing role accept this too?”
About Octavius
Octavius Infrastructure is a leading transport solutions provider.
We collaborate with our customers, integrate our suppliers, and develop our people to deliver assured, sustainable and efficient transport outcomes.
For further information, please contact: hello@octavius.co.uk
