Fuel supplier and forecourt operator Certas Energy says almost three-quarters of its petrol filling station staff who wear body cameras find customers to be less aggressive.
After a three-month trial with the equipment, the independent fuel and lubricants distributor invested £48k on almost 100 cameras and associated software at its 40 company-owned, manned Gulf forecourts.
This followed a staff survey which highlighted that more than half (55%) of respondents strongly agreed that a daily portion of their time was spent dealing with abusive behaviour. The same number said that they encountered one or more instances of physical or verbal threats per week.
Since the introduction of body cameras – which were fully rolled out in December – employees unanimously agreed that they felt more reassured wearing the devices, agreeing that there is a definite need for the devices which led to an immediate drop in safety incidents.
Also, the cameras, which are only switched on by staff when an incident is taking place or about to happen, are helping staff to tackle shoplifting head on – a spiralling problem which costs retailers £953 million annually according to the British Retail Consortium.
And almost three quarters (73%) of staff also agreed that the cameras provided them with reassurance of the ability to provide evidence when reporting incidents and allegations.
An anonymous respondent who took part in the trial said: “During the period with the body cams, the way people talk and interact with me and my colleagues has improved and customers are more polite. I believe that it also helps to reduce violence against us and makes thieves think twice.”
Mark Harrington, Certas energy area manager for the north east, says: “We want our staff to feel safe and be treated with respect. Abuse should not be part of their working day. We’ve found that simply the presence of the cameras – clipped to staff’s polo shirts or jackets – has been a huge deterrent against antisocial behaviour and has gone a long way toward making staff feel safer.
“The cameras have helped my teams feel they aren’t powerless against antisocial behaviour and that there are steps they can safely take to help tackle it.”
Gareth Payne, head of HSE and engineering at Certas Energy says: “Introducing body cameras is a huge milestone in our ongoing health and safety journey at Certas. It’s something we invest heavily in for the benefit of our people and customers.
“On a more personal note, to see the difference in our staff, the improvement in their comfort level and confidence is priceless.”
The investment is the latest project in the company’s ‘zero harm in the workplace’ ambition. It builds on Certas’s in-store training manual which equips staff with techniques for dealing with aggression, and Pro-Activ8 – an eight-step personal safety plan, which were both rolled out in 2024.
