Health and safety is not just about hard hats, hi-vis, and avoiding physical injury. It’s about people. It’s about ensuring that every worker—regardless of their role, background, or identity—can do their job free from harm. That includes protecting them from emotional harm, abuse, and discrimination.
Today, one of the plumbers working for one of our retained clients arrived on site to carry out a routine job. As he entered the premises, he was subjected to racial abuse from a neighbour living nearby. Let that sink in: a tradesperson simply turning up to do his job was verbally attacked based on the colour of his skin.
This isn’t just a moral outrage. It’s a health and safety issue.
Psychological Safety Is Legal Safety
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers have a legal duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees at work. That includes mental health and emotional wellbeing. Similarly, the Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to subject someone to harassment or discrimination on the basis of race.
When abuse occurs—even from a third party like a member of the public—it can have lasting psychological effects. Anxiety. Stress. Loss of confidence. Fear of returning to work. And over time, these impacts snowball, affecting not just the individual, but team morale, retention, and the employer’s legal and moral reputation.
What Should the Employer Do?
When something like this happens, it’s not enough to ignore it or hope it blows over. Employers—and by extension, their health and safety advisors—must take decisive and supportive action. Here’s what good practice looks like:
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Immediate support for the affected worker, including listening, documenting, and offering time and space if needed.
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Reporting the incident internally and, where necessary, to police or local authorities.
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Liaising with site management or property owners to ensure such abuse is challenged, not tolerated.
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Reviewing RAMS (Risk Assessments and Method Statements) and site induction briefings to consider potential community-based risks.
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Training staff on how to respond when abuse happens—what to say, who to speak to, how to de-escalate while staying safe.
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Following up with the worker in the days after to ensure they feel supported, safe, and valued.
Doing nothing is not an option.
A Broader Responsibility
As a health and safety consultancy, we at Safety Inspectors UK Ltd work with a wide range of industries—from construction and facilities to professional services. And while most associate us with fire extinguishers, method statements, or compliance audits, it’s moments like these that reveal the real heart of what we do:
Protecting people.
Not just from falling objects.
But from falling through the cracks.
Final Word
Racism has no place on site, in the workplace, or in society. Employers must understand that creating a truly safe workplace means protecting staff from all forms of harm—physical, emotional, and psychological. And that when someone is attacked for simply showing up to do their job, every one of us has a duty to act.
Today reminded us that safety is about more than rules—it’s about respect.
Let’s do better.