More than half of care workers suffer violence at work including being bitten, headbutted and chocked, a survey has revealed.
A poll of 1,700 GMB care workers found that 52% said they had been physically assaulted at work.
A separate freedom of information request by GMB to the Health and Safety Executive found that over the past five years, care workers have suffered nearly 6,500 injuries serious enough to prevent them working for at least seven days.
Will Dalton, GMB National Officer, said: ‘Care workers face physical violence day in day out, including the kind of attacks that would be treated criminal offences in most other jobs.
‘Carers do a tough, skilful physically demanding job – usually for pennies above the minimum wage.’
‘When attacks do happen, care workers need to be taken seriously and backed to the hilt by their employers – that's why GMB is calling for better risk assessments and tougher sentences for those found guilty of attacking care workers,’ he added.
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