Frontline Employee Safety in Utilities and Telecoms
Frontline workers in the utilities and telecoms sector play a vital role in keeping essential services running. Whether they are repairing broadband connections, responding to gas leaks, fitting meters, entering customers’ homes, or working alone in public spaces, these employees are often the visible face of critical infrastructure.
During a recent Utility Week webinar on Protecting frontline workers: How to safeguard staff against abuse in the w orkplace hosted with Peoplesafe, speakers from Cadent Gas, Openreach, Octopus Energy and Peoplesafe discussed what organisations are seeing on the front line when it comes to employee safety and risk management. The conversation highlighted a clear shift. While traditional hazards such as working at height, confined spaces, driving and slips, trips and falls remain important, violence, aggression and abuse from members of the public are becoming an increasingly urgent concern.
The Changing Risk Profile for Utilities and Telecoms Workers
For many utilities and telecoms organisations, risk management has historically focused on physical and environmental hazards. Engineers and field teams could be working near gas, electricity or water, as well as other working conditions such as underground infrastructures, highways, confined spaces, or at height. These remain serious risks and must continue to be managed carefully. However, organisations are now seeing a different type of threat rising in both frequency and severity. During the webinar, Openreach explained that violence and abuse incidents have increased over recent years. Examples included workers being pushed, spat at, threatened with weapons or prevented from leaving a customer’s home.
This represents a significant change for safety teams. Abuse and aggression are not always predictable, and they can escalate quickly. A worker may arrive expecting to complete a routine job, only to find themselves facing a distressed, angry or potentially dangerous member of the public. For employers, this means personal safety can no longer be treated as a secondary issue. It must be built into the wider risk management framework.
Why Customer Frustration is Escalating
One of the strongest themes from the discussion was the growing dependence people now have on utilities and connectivity. A broadband outage no longer just means inconvenience. It can prevent someone working from home, attending an online appointment, supporting a child with schoolwork or accessing essential services. A power issue might affect home heating, electric vehicle charging, medical equipment or digital devices. Gas or water disruptions can cause immediate stress, especially for customers who are already vulnerable or under pressure. This reliance means that when something goes wrong, emotions can run high.
Hannah Newman, Senior Security Specialist at Cadent, explained that engineers are often welcomed by customers and able to carry out their work without issue. But in some cases, they are met by aggrieved customers whose behaviour becomes aggressive or violent. She described real incidents involving physical assault, dangerous dogs, workers being kept in homes and other serious confrontations. The issue is not simply that more incidents are happening. It is that some incidents are becoming more severe.
James Shew, Channel and Partnerships Sales Manager at Peoplesafe, also reflected on this trend, explaining that organisations are seeing a shift away from traditional workplace risk being the only major concern. In the utilities sector, there is now a stronger focus on protecting staff during face-to-face altercations and instances of public aggression.
Support Is Needed During the Incident
Post-incident support is important. Employees who experience abuse or violence may need time, welfare support, counselling, manager follow-up and reassurance before returning to similar work. The webinar also raised a critical point. Support is needed while the incident is happening. In one example shared by Cadent, a field worker used the Peoplesafe lone worker app shortly after receiving training. While sitting in his van after completing a job, he was approached by two people in distress. The situation quickly escalated, with one person asking for police assistance and another appearing to have a serious injury. Activating the Peoplesafe app, the worker was connected to support and able to request emergency assistance without having to manage the situation alone.
Hannah described the app as providing an extra layer of support something that cannot stop aggression from happening, but can give employees assistance at their fingertips when risk escalates. This is especially important because calling 999 directly may not always be straightforward during a volatile situation. A worker may not be able to speak freely, explain their location, or safely unlock and use their phone. A discreet alarm supported by location data and a trained response team can reduce pressure on the employee and speed up escalation through the Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).
The Psychological Impact Cannot Be Ignored
The discussion also highlighted the emotional toll that abuse can have on frontline workers. A physical injury is often visible and can be investigated in a familiar way. However, the psychological impact of being threatened, trapped, intimidated or verbally abused can be harder to quantify. Employees may carry that experience into the next job, the next home visit or the next customer interaction.
Adam Elsworth, Health & Safety Director at Openreach, noted that after an incident, workers may find themselves knocking on the next door, wondering what will happen this time. Repeated exposure to abuse can affect confidence, morale and long-term wellbeing. This is a key point for organisations in utilities and telecoms. Employee safety is not just about preventing immediate harm. It is also about protecting workers from the cumulative effect of repeated public-facing risk. If employees feel unsupported, they may become reluctant to attend certain jobs, report incidents, or remain in the role. Strong safety procedures, clear escalation routes and visible organisational backing can all contribute to retention and confidence.
Clear Red Lines Matter
Another important theme was the need to make it clear that abuse is not “part of the job”. Frontline employees can sometimes feel pressure to keep customers satisfied, complete the job or avoid escalation, even when they feel unsafe. This is particularly relevant in essential services, where workers often understand the consequences of leaving a customer without gas, water or connectivity. However, organisations must be clear. Service delivery should not come at the expense of personal safety.
Hannah explained that Cadent takes a safety-first approach and encourages employees to retreat from an address if their personal safety is at risk. Depending on the situation, the organisation may contact the police, send a two-person team or take further steps before returning. This type of message is critical. Workers need to know they are trusted to make dynamic decisions, remove themselves from unsafe situations and use safety tools without fear of criticism.
Risk Management is Becoming More Proactive
The webinar also explored how organisations can use information more proactively.
For example, if a property has a history of aggression or presents a known risk, that information can help the organisation plan the next visit more safely. This could mean sending two workers, changing the visit approach, ensuring a manager is aware, or asking the employee to use a monitored safety function before entering.
James also discussed the potential for anonymised data to support more proactive risk management across utilities. Organisations can make better decisions before incidents happen when they understand where and when risks are more likely to occur.
This reflects a broader shift in safety, moving from reactive response to prevention-led risk management.
Technology Must Fit Into Real Working Life
One of the challenges in any safety programme is adoption. Workers are already using phones, tablets, job management systems, vehicle systems and other digital tools. Adding another process can create friction if it is not simple and relevant.
The webinar discussion suggested that software-led safety tools are becoming increasingly important because they can sit alongside the technology workers already use, often in the background providing silent protection. Apps, check-ins, discreet alarms, fall detection, crash detection and monitored response can become part of the daily workflow rather than a separate task. For field teams, this matters. A safety solution is only effective if people trust it, understand it and use it consistently.
A New Front Line for Utilities and Telecoms Safety
The utilities and telecoms sector is operating in a more complex risk environment than it did even a few years ago. Workers still face traditional occupational hazards, but they are also dealing with a public under pressure, higher customer expectations and more severe incidents of abuse and aggression.
The key message from the webinar is clear. Organisations cannot eliminate every risk, but they can give workers better support when risks arise. That means having clear lone working and personal safety policies, practical training, strong reporting routes, visible leadership commitment and technology that gives employees a direct line to help.
It also means recognising that personal safety is not just a compliance issue. It is central to wellbeing, confidence, retention and operational resilience. For utilities and telecoms employers, protecting frontline staff means understanding what is really happening on the ground and putting the right support in place before an incident becomes a crisis.
