The case in summary: Since March, employees at the NAV office in Skien have been met with urine and occasionally faeces at the entrance to the office. The fouling creates extra work for the employees who have to scrub, rinse and flush around the entrance area almost every day. NAV has set up a plexiglass behind the lattice door to avoid spillage further into the entrance, and has previously had security guards without it helping. Researcher Solveig Osborg Ose at Sintef believes that littering can contribute to a high risk of long-term sickness absence and suggests deploying guards, closing off the area or other measures. The police are aware of the case and say it concerns a vulnerable person. – Every day we meet at the staff entrance to a public toilet, says safety representative Thea Christiansen. She shows the staff entrance where there may be urine around the door or on the code lock they have to press to enter their workplace. Christiansen says the matter is bothersome to the person who does this and that the soiling is also a nuisance to others in the area. Conservation officer Thea Christiansen says urine at the entrance is a nuisance for others in the area as well. Photo: Håkon Lie / news Despondent over a grimy entrance Since March, the employees have experienced the same person messing around their door. Cups of urine have also been thrown under the grate. Feces have also occurred. – This is naturally very burdensome. Especially because it has been going on over time, says manager Anne Apneseth at Nav i Skien and Nav Siljan. Urination can happen daily or several times a day, she says. Odor and spillage have become a problem for the employees. – At first it was “oh, someone has urinated here” until you feel despair and despair. – It’s difficult, it’s a resident who needs help. But we have good interaction with the police, says Apneseth. Photo: Håkon Lie / news Affects the working environment Nav has installed a plexiglass behind the lattice door to avoid spillage further into the entrance. – We do what we can to look after the employees. We are initiating measures to make it easier to go to and from work, and at the same time look after the person concerned. Apneseth emphasizes that the person’s behavior is not a reaction against Nav, but against public activity. They found out after talking to the person. – What do you know about the person who does this? – I don’t know much about this person. What I want to comment on is how it affects the working environment in the office. – What will it take for this to end? – Then the person in question needs help, she says. Spills and odors from urine must be washed away from the entrance area almost daily by the employees at Nav. Photo: Håkon Lie / news Daily cleaner The greasing creates extra work for the employees. Almost every day, employees have to scrub, rinse and flush around the entrance area. At the same time, time passes to write non-conformities on damage and reports to the police. Nav central states that such soiling at their offices rarely occurs, as far as they know. Understands discomfort The police confirm that they are working on the case in Skien and say this concerns a vulnerable person. At the same time, the police understand that it is uncomfortable for both employees and users of Nav. – It is important to report to the police, as has been done here, writes section leader Annie Sandersen for investigation and intelligence in Grenland in an email. news has tried to get in touch with the person, without success. Can lead to sick leave Senior researcher Solveig Osborg Ose at the research institute Sintef believes that fouling at the entrance to the staff entrance in Nav in Skien should be prevented. – It is a burden on the employees, can contribute to the cup becoming fuller and a high risk of long-term sickness absence. Senior researcher Solveig Osborg Ose at Sintef suggests putting in guards and other measures to avoid fouling at the nav office in Skien. Photo: Solveig Osborg Ose She has written the book “HSE in the public sector” together with Hans Jacob Busch. There they address the additional burdens employees who work with people may encounter, such as anger and aggression. She suggests deploying guards outside the Nav office in Skien, closing off the area or other measures. – It is easy to imagine that the action is a symbol that public employees are not appreciated. That alone makes it more stressful to have that type of job. Security guards did not help Apneseth is aware that the contamination can make the working day harder for the employees. But there has not been an increase in absenteeism. – I just want to praise how the employees handle this. The dirt around the front door leads to extra work for the employees. – The biggest job is perhaps the cleaning, says manager of Nav Skien Anne Apneseth. Photo: Håkon Lie / news She says they had security guards for a week, but that the effect in relation to the cost was not in proportion to each other. – Urination stopped when guards stood at the gate, but there was urination for the rest of the day and we had to wash when we got to work anyway. – There is a balance between measures and taking care of the person who performs this, she says. Nav report In 2023, there was a report on warnings and threats against Nav employees, after an employee at a NAV office in Bergen was killed in 2021. According to the report, there has been a significant decrease in incidents of physical violence and threats in physical user meetings aimed at Nav employees in the last ten years. The majority of those who have been asked in the survey say they also feel safe at work. Published 04.12.2024, at 20.56
ttn-69
Have to wash the staff entrance almost daily for urine – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
