Lone Worker Services
Like any employee, lone workers face risks while on the job. However, unlike other employees, they don’t have colleagues nearby to call for help or to notify safety personnel if something goes wrong.
man down alarm devices HSE guidelines state that employers must maintain regular contact with lone working staff and provide them with a means of calling for help in an emergency. Lone worker services, like apps and devices, are a valuable tool for meeting these requirements.
Training
Lone workers include a variety of employees such as security guards, retail staff and those who travel to remote locations as part of their work including home care nurses, insurance claim adjusters and field sales representatives. Typically, they have the ability to avoid risky situations by following clear procedures and having an emergency communication plan in place to activate quickly during a crisis.
As part of your lone worker safety solution implementation, consider developing a training course that will help your lone working employees understand and follow the policies you have put in place to protect them. Our CPD Certified and RoSPA Assured eLearning Lone Working Safety course is ideal for this as it will provide learners with a full understanding of who falls into the lone working definition, what is considered to be a risky situation, legal responsibilities and how controls can be put in place to minimise risk.
It is also worth considering cultivating champions within your lone working workforce, individuals across various departments who can play a pivotal role in ensuring that the monitoring solutions are used correctly and that all emergency procedures are understood by your teams. Champions can also be on hand to answer any questions your lone working teams may have and serve as role models for others to emulate. Ultimately, a good training programme will improve employee confidence and the overall effectiveness of your lone working services.
Monitoring
Lone worker services should offer a range of monitoring options to suit different needs. For example, a system that requires employees to check in at intervals throughout their shift or at the end of each task is ideal for many scenarios. Similarly, devices that allow for a discreet call to be made using the built-in panic button or GPS tracking can help in emergency situations.
LONE worker safety procedures should also include a clear definition of acceptable methods of communication while working alone. These might include the sound of power tools, whistling or tapping on tanks. It's important to discuss and agree on these standards in advance so that everyone is clear about what is or isn't acceptable when they are working alone.
Once these procedures are in place, a regular review process is essential to ensure that they continue to be effective. This should be conducted by an independent expert who is not involved in the lone worker program itself to provide a more objective assessment.
While implementing lone worker programs can be challenging, there are ways to make it as easy as possible for employees. The key is to focus on a strong message of employee safety and wellbeing. This will encourage adoption and help your employees feel comfortable about identifying risks in the workplace.
Emergency Response
Lone workers often work in remote locations and without coworkers to call for help or to alert. In addition, if they experience an emergency such as a health issue or a hazardous environment, there is no one to assist them and provide first aid.
As a result, this type of employee has a greater risk for injury and illness than those working with coworkers or in more traditional workplaces. Developing a lone worker safety program can help reduce these risks and ensure that employees are properly prepared for their job.
For example, a lone worker monitoring service like Tunstall’s allows employees to check in via a device and trigger a duress alarm. They can also contact a 24/7 Care Consultant in case they encounter an incident on the job. The system is designed to be easy for employees to use, which can help them feel comfortable using it in stressful situations.
Another way to enhance a lone worker safety program is to ensure that it offers an emergency response service. This is especially important for employees who may need to respond quickly and efficiently to a dangerous situation. This can include anything from a person going missing to a potential environmental hazard or accident. In these situations, the faster law enforcement is notified of an emergency, the more likely it will be that they can respond in time to save lives.
Communication
If your lone workers have to travel between sites, or if they're in areas with limited cellular coverage, it’s important to make sure that their safety solutions have the ability to automatically fail over to another communication method. Without failover, if the worker experiences an emergency, they might not be able to get help because nobody knows where they are or what the issue is.
For this reason, a lone working device that offers cellular and satellite connectivity is an ideal choice. When a device is activated, the emergency response team receives a signal that can be confirmed by the worker as an authentic alert and that identifies their location. The team can then respond immediately and dispatch rescuers if necessary.
In addition, a lone working device should offer a way for employees to communicate with their team – including a panic button that instantly sends a text alert with their precise location. This will allow colleagues to check on the status of a remote employee, and can also include valuable information like weather conditions or chemical or gas hazards. It should also enable employees to communicate with their teams via a voice or two-way calling feature, and allow supervisors to monitor their lone workers' movements through a live monitoring portal. This can be done from a computer, tablet or mobile phone, and is especially important in the current climate of lockdowns.
