Prison officers' health is among the worst of any group in Britain

SCOTLAND'S prison officers are falling down on the job . . .

literally. Days off sick are running at 21 a year for every member of

the 4619 staff in the Scottish Prison Service -- with a #13m cost to the

public purse in service paid for but not received.

Some 400 prison officers could be cut from the establishment, around

9% of the total, if prison service staff were to report fully fit.

Annual days off sick in industry in Scotland are as low as two per

employee.

Top of the sick list in Scotland's prisons staff are the officers at

the low-stress Aberdeen Prison which seldom houses more than 140

inmates. There the average annual number of days off sick by prison

officers stands at a hefty 35 -- the equivalent of seven full working

weeks. In the 12-month period up to last spring the 160 staff racked up

5600 days on sick leave . . . the equivalent of an entire working year

for 23 officers.

Now the Scottish Prison Service is taking heed -- and attempting to

get to grips with the situation. Visits to those off sick are being

stepped up and healthy living regimes introduced to cut the sick list

total. Last year the Scottish Prison Service set a target of not more

than 18 days off sick per member of the staff . . . and failed to reach

it, logging instead the 21-day figure.

''We take the sickness figures very seriously . . . it is a problem

that the service is concerned about,'' said a spokesman. ''We are

addressing it by additional support for staff who are off sick and the

provision of facilities for healthy living.''

But Derek Turner, general secretary elect of the Scottish Prison

Officers' Association, accused officials of the Scottish Prison Service

of being disingenuous in the presentation of the sickness figures.

''There is sickness and sickness -- different categories depending on

whether it is just a single day off or long-term illness. A prison

officer can be off long term -- perhaps six months -- as the result of

an assault, an industrial accident, a heart attack, back trouble,

serious psychological stress, any one of a host of conditions that are

not his fault and yet all these days are just added on to the total.''

Other public sector services do considerably better at keeping staff

well and on duty. Lothian and Borders Police, whose 2500 serving

officers are subject to shifts, exposure to bad weather and the risk of

assault, last year suffered a sickness average of 13 days per officer.

And should the Scottish Prison Service ever seek a stiff target to

meet it could turn for example to the electronics giant Motorola which

recently announced a #250m expansion to its semi-conductor manufacturing

base at East Kilbride. Almost 2000 staff are employed at the firm's

mobile phones factory at Bathgate and last year they suffered an average

loss of just two-and-a-half days off sick.

A Motorola spokeswoman said: ''The figure includes long-term illness

-- up to six months. But we are not satisfied and are doing our level

best to press the figure down. An average of not more than two days off

sick is our immediate target.''

Scotland's prison sickness league table shows the open establishment

at Penninghame -- outside Newton Stewart -- to be the healthiest. Only

six days off sick were needed by each officer serving there last year .

. . the only prison in Scotland to achieve single figures.

Barlinnie Prison in Glasgow came second top with 27 days taken sick by

each officer and Cornton Vale, which now has a ''well-woman centre'' for

female officers serving there, managed 25 days sick per member of staff.

According to a Scottish Prison Service spokesman considerable

tightening up on sickness reporting techniques is already in hand with

counselling and visits by officials. A plan to extend health care for

staff is also under way with the provision of ''well-man clinics'',

keep-fit facilities, advice on diet and help to cope with stress.

Derek Turner of the SPOA said: ''We want the prison service to deal

with officers who are sick on a compassionate basis -- to put procedures

in place to identify illness and patterns of absence.

''There is a need for a pastoral role to find out what is the cause of

an absence, and not simply take a disciplinary stand. We will not

condone any one of our members dodging off -- although I do not believe

that happens -- and you should remember that when someone is off sick it

has a knock-on effect on the rest who have to work extra hours. That in

itself leads to further stress, illness and absence.''

The union, said Mr Turner, was working with the Prison Service to

reduce the absence rate through sickness. But of the Prison Service

itself he said: ''There will need to be a cultural shift and that is

difficult to bring about.''