Hobart’s Risdon Prison has gone into lockdown after a riot on Monday morning in which four guards were seriously injured.

Maximum security prisoners are believed to have attacked guards as they were released from their cells on Monday morning, injuring four officers so severely they were taken to hospital.

At least one of the guards sustained a significant head injury.

The riot is been believed to have been sparked by the re-introduction of a prisoner to maximum security.

It is understood the officers’ injuries were inflicted by prisoners punching and kicking rather than using weapons.

Tom Lynch from the Public Sector Union, which represents prison officers, said the attack came without warning.

“It was an ugly, premeditated attack on correctional officers going about their duty and I hope there are serious consequences for the inmates involved,” he said.

Mr Lynch would not comment on whether the latest incident was a reflection of how volatile the prison was but said it indicated how dangerous the guard’s work was.

“When these guys go to work every day they need to be prepared for that sort of violence and that’s a really difficult thing for any worker to do — I don’t have to do that, you don’t have to do that and most Tasmanians don’t have to do that,” Mr Lynch said,

“We need to remember that this is potentially a really dangerous workplace that correctional officers work in.”

I hope there are serious consequences for the inmates involved

Mr Lynch said he would review the incident with prison management.

“It’s a very worrying incident,” he said.

“At this stage I’m not going to comment on procedures and protocols that protect our members — I will always ask for the highest standard of safety for our members but we do acknowledge that it is a really difficult working environment.

“We will work through the issues that come out of today’s incident with prison management, if there are things that we can learn that reduce the risk for correctional officers then we would seek to have them implemented.

The prison’s tactical response group attended and police and crime scene examiners are also at the jail.

The prison is in rolling lockdowns as the Department of Corrections and Justice makes sure there is enough staff to handle the incident.

-ABC