A health and safety report prepared for a meeting yesterday showed there had been 20 such incidents in May compared with the rolling average of 11.7.
Council group manager Trudie Hurst said there was no specific cause for the jump, noting the number of verbal abuse incidents would be closely monitored.
‘‘Council will also continue to ensure preventative or response measures, and the appropriate supports, are in place for kaimahi working throughout the organisation.’’
The 20 reported incidents were the highest the council had faced over the past 12 months for that category.
Ms Hurst said incidents covered by the council’s monitoring included those affecting employees, contractors and members of the public at council facilities or spaces, but not elected members unless they lodged an incident report.
‘‘The wellbeing and safety of our staff is a non-negotiable for council, and we take incidents of this nature seriously when they arise,’’ she said.
The report also noted MoleMap skin checks had been undertaken for 149 employees in May, which Ms Hurst said had cost the council $29,274 — although it did have a budget for staff wellbeing.
Mayor Tom Campbell expressed disbelief during yesterday’s meeting that a media request had been lodged for the cost of the skin checks, saying ‘‘it must have been a quiet news day that day’’, chief executive Michael Day nodding in agreement.
A total 152 staff, or 30% of the organisation, had participated in the mapping that year, Ms Hurst said.
Forty-eight staff completed de-escalation training in May and more sessions were planned for July, the report said.
• LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
