SIPTU has warned that there has been a marked increase in assaults on Dublin City Council workers.
The union is calling for action to safeguard staff from physical assaults while carrying out their duties in communities.
According to SIPTU, the most recent incident was an unprovoked attack on a caretaker in the Ballybough area of Dublin earlier this month.
"The worker involved is a 61-year-old grandfather with 28 years of service with the city council," said SIPTU Organiser Jay Power.
"He was left with cuts and bruises following the physical attack while he carried out his duties in a flats complex.
"Unfortunately, such attacks are becoming a more frequent occurrence for many workers and it was not the first time that this individual has suffered an assault," Mr Power said.
The caretaker, who does not wish to be named, said it takes a long time to regain your confidence after such an incident.
"When you no longer have a visible injury, people assume you are ok and should just get on with it," he said.
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"However, it changes you. When you hear footsteps coming up behind you, you become anxious, and in some cases anti-social, as it changes your perception of people and their actions," he added.
SIPTU said it is highlighting the need for vigilance and proactive management responses to protect public sector and wider services industries workers who may be vulnerable to work-related assaults.
Control measures to reduce risk
Dublin City Council said that control measures are in place to reduce the risk of work-related violence to employees, including recent training on dealing with aggressive behaviour for staff across a number of departments.
It said that in 2024 there were 171 cases of work related violence reported to Dublin City Council, including Dublin Fire Brigade, compared to a total of 140 cases reported in 2023.
"While there has been an increase in almost all categories, the marked increases identified as per Dublin City Council reports are in anti-social behaviour, verbal abuse and threat of physical violence, as opposed to physical violence itself," a spokesperson said.
"DCC management are aligned with SIPTU in condemning all such attacks on our employees," the council said.
