Call Centre Staff Fear Further Acoustic Shocks

Staff at a Preston government call centre have suffered serious hearing injuries.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) says there were 17 reported incidents of "acoustic shock" at the Preston Office Centre during a six-month period last year.

The union claims the 17 alleged incidents are just some of the more than 100 "shocks" reported by Department of Work and Pensions staff in the Preston and Fylde area in the last 12 months.

Martin Jones, chairman of the local branch of the PCS, said: "Despite compelling evidence that a major problem exists the department has done very little to prevent further incidents or to remove or alleviate the risks."

Branch secretary Duncan Griffiths said: "There has been an instance of the employer taking disciplinary action against victims of these shocks under the draconian attendance management procedures. They have now indicated that this approach was incorrect however this does not take away the stress that the members have suffered from both having an industrial injury."

Almost all of the shocks in Preston took place in the eighth floor call centre at Red Rose House on Lancaster Road in the city centre. During the same six-month period in 2005 there were also 36 reported incidents in the switchboard at Norcross and 12 at Warbreck House, both in Blackpool .

A spokesman for the DWP said a "small number" of workers had reported incidents in early March.

She said: "We responded to these reports by fitting new amplifiers to all operator headsets which comply with new European legislation, and all affected staff were offered hearing tests."

Source: Lancashire Evening Post

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