Cables and pipes connect, aggression divides
In an interview with the Brabants Dagblad, our mechanics told us that they experience aggression on a daily basis during their work. Usually it is verbal aggression, but sometimes it gets out of hand and becomes physical. Luka Konings (22), team manager at APK Group, shares his experiences. "Someone almost hit my head with a shovel.", he recounts an incident where a resident was disgruntled because he could not finish his work. Despite his attempts to explain the situation, it led to a threat with a shovel .
Mark van den Hoek (40), who has worked at APK Group for 13 years, confirms that verbal aggression is a daily phenomenon. He recalls an incident in Tilburg where a passer-by threatened him with: "Shut up before you have a hole in your head".
The hazardous situations faced by mechanics are not just limited to verbal or physical aggression. Gijs Frijters, operations director at APK Group, recalls an incident where a stolen car during a police chase almost hit one of his team's traffic controllers. "That's when you really notice how vulnerable our people are." he says.
Konings also stresses the dangers of traffic: "We hang signs at a roadblock indicating the maximum speed of 30 kilometres per hour, yet people drive 70 or 80." These dangerous situations make the work of mechanics not only challenging, but also life-threatening.
APK Group's campaign is aimed at raising awareness among society about aggression which mechanics and customer services face on a daily basis. Banners, flyers and other communication tools are used to spread the message 'stop aggression'. The aim is to create understanding among local residents and passers-by, so they recognise how essential the work these professionals do is.
Luka Konings welcomes the campaign's focus on the issue: "All these years I just pretended it was the most normal thing in the world for customers to be annoying and difficult.", he says. "But now I am happy that we are actually being looked at and not just whether the customer is satisfied."
Mark van den Hoek hopes the campaign will have an effect: "If you don't discuss it, then nothing at all will happen.", he says. "Even if you only hit one, two, three people with the campaign, that too is something."
The launch of this awareness campaign by APK Group is an important step in the right direction. It is a call to society to show more understanding and respect for the mechanics who work in challenging and sometimes dangerous conditions every day. Only through awareness and discussion can we together create a safer and more respectful working environment for these indispensable professionals.