Why Employers Need Lone Worker Services

Lone workers are faced with dangers that their co-workers in the office might not even consider. They may face falls, accidents, personal threats, natural disasters, traffic emergencies, and sudden weather changes.

To address these risks, employers should develop a lone worker policy and ensure that their employees have the tools to stay safe on the job. Specifically, they need to make sure that staff can share their location in real time.

Monitoring

Lone workers are often remote and work without the supervision of colleagues. As such, they are more prone to accidents and incidents such as falls, physical abuse or exposure to gas hazards. Employers are required by law to protect staff who work alone through the use of a monitoring system.

This system can be as simple as a smartphone app or as complex as a dedicated device with a variety of safety features. These devices are designed to monitor a worker’s status, communicate with colleagues and provide emergency alerts if the user becomes incapacitated or is in danger. The devices are usually able to transmit GPS coordinates, track a worker’s location, send a silent alarm to colleagues and alert emergency services in the event of a fall or a panic/SOS situation.

A key feature of a good lone worker service is that all monitoring happens through a secure system with no direct access to employee data. This will allow for a quick response to any emergency and ensure that all relevant personnel are contacted in an effective way. It is also important to be clear with employees about what information you will be collecting and when, to avoid any privacy concerns.

Lone worker services need to be backed up by infrastructure that connects all devices to the cloud, rather than the extra cost of a separate gateway for each device. This will also improve the speed at which a lone worker can send an alert to their colleagues or the control room. This is crucial in the event of a serious incident such as a slip, an attack or a potential gas hazard.

A lone worker service should also be able to provide regular, live monitoring of all devices connected to the system. This will allow managers to see at a glance whether any employees are not responding, and to take appropriate action. If a lone worker is not logging in for a period of time, they should be sent an SMS asking them to log in again within a certain timeframe (this can be customised to the needs of each organisation). If they do not respond in this window, they will be called to check on their well-being by one of the safety experts and, if necessary, emergency procedures will be initiated.

Alerts

Lone worker services are not only a legal requirement in many countries but also provide peace of mind for employers. Unlike traditional employees who can rely on colleagues to alert them of an emergency, a lone worker may not have anyone near them and is therefore at greater risk of injury or even death if they fall or have a medical emergency. Using a lone worker service with an integrated alarm system can ensure that an employee will always have a means of getting help.

There are a variety of different types of lone worker services, from simple app and wearable based solutions to fully managed 24/7 monitoring with 24/7 response. Some providers, like Safepoint, offer a combination of these, allowing supervisors to rest easy knowing that if an alarm is triggered (by timeout, manual "panic button" or fall detection), the emergency responder will know exactly where to find the team member through live GPS location tracking and 'what3words' address technology.

Some lone worker systems allow an organisation to handle their own alerts in house, where the organisation's managers or safety team are the 'Guardians' (alert handlers). personal alarm Safepoint's GuardianPlus service, however, operates a 'live' alerting model with a bespoke Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) who are trained to respond to lone working emergencies just as they would a burglar alarm or fire.

Depending on the requirements of an organisation, the ARC will either send a notification to other colleagues within the business if an overdue or assistance required alert is activated, or will dispatch the appropriate emergency services if an SOS alert is sent. The company's lone working procedures should be clearly documented to support these actions.

Some lone worker systems can also help managers with scheduling and dispatching of guards to save on overtime expenses. These systems can automatically notify supervisors when a guard is approaching overtime ceilings, which can help reduce costly staffing issues and disputes. This is especially helpful when a team works varied or unsociable hours. Some systems can even help with this by automatically tracking guard rotations and providing a calendar overview of when each team member is supposed to be at work.

Training

Workplace safety is a priority for all employees, but it's especially important for lone workers. They don't have colleagues to point out health and safety risks or help them in an emergency, so it's essential that they receive training on how to handle these situations.

First-aid training is another valuable skill for lone workers to have. Having the ability to ice injuries, use tourniquets correctly and stop themselves from choking can all be life-saving skills in an emergency situation.

If your employees are working alone, they should receive regular lone worker training and updates on the company's procedures. This will give them the confidence to know that they are being monitored, and if an emergency happens, it can be responded to quickly.

A lone worker monitoring service should also provide clear communication procedures, and ensure that a lone worker can be contacted at any time, even if the device fails. This will be particularly helpful if your employees are working in remote locations, or with people who could become aggressive.

Investing in a lone worker monitoring service can be expensive, but it will save money in the long run by reducing employee turnover and the associated costs of recruitment. It can also help you comply with your duty of care to your staff and protect the reputation of your organisation.

It's also a good idea to hold workshops or a health and safety day where you can openly discuss your lone working policies with your employees. This will help them to understand why these procedures have been put in place and make it clear that they are non-negotiable.

You can also appoint 'champions' within your organisation to act as ambassadors for the lone worker service. These individuals can be involved in delivering training, answering health and safety-related questions and acting as best practice examples for others to follow. They can also play a crucial role in driving forward a positive safety culture across the business.

Reporting

Lone workers are at risk of physical or verbal abuse and assault, particularly when working out and about in the community. Despite this, assaults are rarely reported, which is why it’s so important for managers to encourage staff to report incidents and concerns to them as soon as possible.

Lone worker services can also offer a range of safety processes that are designed to help with reporting incidents, escalation and checking-in. These can include a lone worker survey, a lone working risk assessment and a near miss or incident reporting system. These systems can also be integrated with GPS tracking devices, so that lone workers’ locations are automatically updated when they check-in or escalate to a supervisor.





This information is then used to alert relevant people in the event of an emergency and to record whether or not checks have been made or an escalation has occurred. This helps to make the safety processes more streamlined for both the lone worker and the team who manage them.

Connecteam tip: It is a good idea to review these processes regularly as the risks that lone workers are exposed to may change over time. It is also a good idea to ask your employees for feedback on the processes as they may not always be clear or easy to follow.

It is also important to remember that the responsibility for health and safety rests with the employer, even when employees are working alone. This means that while lone workers are required to follow the company’s safety procedures, they cannot be relied on to do so in case of an emergency situation.

With so many hazards faced by lone workers, it is vital for organisations to develop a lone working service that offers the best protection possible. This includes making sure that all of the lone worker’s specific needs are met and ensuring they have access to the appropriate equipment. Lone worker services can provide a range of tools to help with this, from software to mobile apps that enable staff to quickly report an incident or check-in and to use voice commands to communicate when they need to.