Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department is taking steps to help protect gas engineers from customers who have had a past of being abusive to engineers.

Employers have a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 to manage the risk to employees from work-related violence, which includes:

• verbal abuse,
• threats and intimidation,
• physical assault,
• abuse by customers or members of the public.

The duty extends to employees visiting customers' homes, including gas engineers. Employers are expected to assess and manage those risks. To assist employers, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published guidance on how to assess the risks and put the right controls in place to protect workers. There is specific guidance on violence and aggression at work: Violence and aggression at work - HSE and for lone workers: Lone working: Protect those working alone - HSE

If an employee has experienced violence in connection with a work activity, HSE encourages them to report this to their employer. Employers, certain self-employed people and those in control of work premises must report certain workplace injuries, dangerous occurrences and occupational diseases to HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR). Workers may also want to report instances of violence or intimidation to the police.