The Importance of Lone Worker Response
Lone worker response is one of the cornerstones of your safety program. Lone workers face more perils than their co-workers because they tend to work in remote locations or visit private homes outside office hours, where physical accidents, health emergencies, psychological distress or threats of violence or assault could occur. Ignoring their safety needs could have far reaching repercussions across organizations, industries and communities alike - often lasting effects that will continue after they're gone.
Step one in creating an effective lone worker safety policy is conducting a risk analysis. Take an in-depth look at all of the work your lone workers perform and identify which poses more danger. Once this step has been completed, start developing and implementing programs which provide safe working practices and emergency response protocols your employees need in order to thrive.
Not only must you identify risks, but you must also determine how to respond if an accident or crisis arises. This may require creating communication protocols for regular check-ins with workers as well as offering them a way of alerting management or emergency contacts in the event of an emergency situation - this is particularly critical considering many lone workers are often separated from colleagues and depend on phone communication for connecting to management or support contacts in times of trouble.
Some lone workers face additional risks, including lack of access to first aid should an accident occur. Social workers and security guards, in particular, may be exposed to increased levels of violence from clients; and finally those working alone in private homes have their own set of challenges including trip hazards, aggressive animals and feeling vulnerable when entering client properties.
No matter the industry or environment, lone workers face common concerns that can impact them in an emergency, including accessing immediate first aid in an instant and experiencing isolation leading to mental stress over time.
sos gps tracker An effective lone worker safety program must be proactive and ever-evolved in response to changing employee needs and the environments where they operate. Implementing appropriate technology such as Response Technologies' mobile panic button devices that send an accurate location as well as activate pre-specified emergency escalation plans should an incident arise is key in keeping workers safe.
Your lone workers require training and educational safety resources tailored specifically to their roles, such as how to use their safety device to notify management in case of an emergency. Furthermore, it's crucial that the program undergoes periodic reviews and modifications as necessary in order to guarantee maximum protection. A successful lone worker safety program goes beyond meeting regulatory compliance requirements; its primary goal should be increasing employee engagement and morale as well as meeting compliance needs.
