The lone worker protection services and product company SoloProtect has published its 2024 Impact Report. The firm says its report sheds light on a rise in physical attacks and weapon-related incidents reported by workers over the past three years. The findings cover what the firm terms high-risk industries like retail, healthcare, local government, and transport. Findings include:
– a 132 per cent increase in physical attacks over the last three years;
– a 104pc rise in weapon-related incidents over the last three years, including a 136pc surge from last year alone;
– and a 10pc increase in verbal abuse in the last three years.
The company says these statistics mirror UK-wide data, including the 649,000 incidents of workplace violence reported in 2022/23, according to the watchdog the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Steve Hough, Managing Director at SoloProtect, pictured, said: “Sadly, our data shows that physical attacks and incidents involving weapons are increasing exponentially among our customer base. These shocking statistics are a stark reminder of the risks that workers face across the UK. In these scenarios, picking up a phone to call 999 can further aggravate an already serious situation or, in the worst cases, victims are physically unable to make the call. This is where a lone worker safety device comes into its own. A victim or onlooker can discreetly call for help at the push of a button and our operators can arrange a level 1 police response on their behalf.”
The firm points to numerous sectors:
Retail: The retail sector continues to experience violence. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported 475,000 incidents of violence and abuse in 2022/23, while the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) documented over 1.2 million cases of verbal abuse and 76,000 violent incidents in 2024 alone.
Healthcare: NHS data revealed record levels of discrimination in 2024, with 29pc of ethnic minority staff facing harassment, bullying, or abuse from patients. Healthcare workers, many of whom operate alone, increasingly rely on lone worker safety solutions to navigate these challenges.
Local Government: Verbal and physical assaults against council workers, particularly in public-facing roles, have risen in 2024. According to government data, there are thousands of incidents of assault on council workers every year, with 88% of councillors reporting repeated abuse.
Transport: With a 33pc increase in sexual offences on London public transport and 4,088 attacks at UK railway stations in 2023, transport workers are increasingly at risk. SoloProtect’s rising number of weapon-related alerts underscores the importance of providing effective lone worker solutions to protect this vulnerable workforce.
About the firm
SoloProtect offers lone worker monitoring solutions from the company’s Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). The ARC handled 51,421 alarms in the UK in 2024. Visit https://www.soloprotect.com/uk/blog/soloprotect-impact-2024.
