What You Need to Know About Lone Worker Safety
Lone worker safety is a complex topic. Often, these employees work in remote and isolated locations with limited access to emergency response services.
Employers must develop safety protocols that address these specific risks and hazards. That includes conducting risk assessments, establishing communication and safety protocols, and leveraging safety technology.
Check-In Procedures
Lone workers are at a higher risk for injury and death, which is why checking in regularly is so important. Check-in procedures help ensure that employees are safe and enable employers to take action if something is wrong. Check-ins can be conducted via phone, text message or through a monitoring system. Whatever method is used, it’s critical that the procedure be clearly documented and communicated to all employees so that they know what is expected of them.
Traditional approaches to lone worker safety can often be frustrating for all involved: managers may focus on complying with regulations, and employees may forget to check in if they are busy or distracted. But the good news is that new technologies have emerged that make it easier for both parties to keep workers safe while streamlining operations. Unlike the traditional approach, these solutions are exception-based, with monitors being notified only when an issue arises. These innovative lone worker safety tools are also easy to use, with a simple tap of the screen allowing workers to quickly confirm that they’re safe.
Check-ins can be a great opportunity for employees to communicate with their supervisors, sharing information like location, work/weather circumstances, and emotional/physical state. This information can be invaluable in an emergency situation, enabling emergency responders to get to the scene quickly and efficiently.
During a check-in, it’s important for the employee to share any updates about their day (for example, if they’ve changed shifts or if they’re running late for an appointment). Providing this feedback can not only make the employee feel valued but also show that their employer cares about their well-being.
It’s also essential that employers provide a clear escalation procedure in the event of a missed check-in. This ensures that everyone knows how to proceed in the event of an emergency, reducing the likelihood of human error.
A reliable lone worker safety tool should be easily adapted to different devices and operating systems, and should offer support for a wide range of mobile applications. It should also be user-friendly, so that employees aren’t confused by complex functionality. This will increase the likelihood that employees will actually use it, which can help improve compliance and reduce the risk of missing a check-in.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
PPE is a set of safety gear that protects workers from dangerous workplace hazards. It may include a hard hat, safety glasses or goggles, gloves, hearing protection, and more. Lone workers should ensure their PPE is in good condition and fits correctly before starting work. Additionally, they should be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for use and maintenance. panic alarm Using the right PPE can minimize the risk of accidents or injuries at the worksite and protect employees from health risks such as chemical exposure, physical injury, and even death.
In addition to ensuring all equipment is in good condition, lone workers should understand the specific dangers they face at each site. Developing detailed safety protocols for each type of work environment is important. This can include a pre-start checklist or form, check-in intervals (both manual and automated), and key messaging for emergency alerting. These safety protocols should also be reviewed regularly to address new or changing work conditions.
For more serious and dangerous work situations, lone workers should consider implementing a check-in system that requires them to call or text a monitor or emergency contact to confirm their safety. Personal Alert Safety System This can help with spotting dangerous situations early and provides peace of mind for employers and emergency contacts that the employee is safe.
If a lone worker is experiencing difficulty at their workplace, they should contact the nearest emergency contact immediately and leave the area as quickly as possible. This is particularly important if they are working in an isolated location and their safety is at risk. Lone workers should be familiar with the evacuation procedures for their workspace and know how to escape in an emergency.
Investing in digital personal protective equipment (digital PPE) can help lone workers stay safe, improve efficiencies, and ensure compliance with local occupational health and safety (OHS) regulations. Digital PPE solutions like Becklar’s WorkerSafety Pro App provide continuous monitoring for lone workers, allowing them to maintain privacy while maintaining an effective response to an emergency. The app notifies managers or emergency contacts when an employee fails to check-in, detects temperatures that could be hazardous to health, warns about dangerous weather conditions, and offers discreet help requests through silent alarms.
Communication
As a manager or business owner, it’s your responsibility to make sure that any employees who work alone are safe. Whether it’s someone driving home from a delivery, opening the store for early morning shoppers or answering customer questions over the phone, you need to ensure that these individuals are protected. Investing in a lone worker safety device that can notify a monitoring center and send out alerts is one way to do this, but you also need to put processes and procedures in place for your associates to follow.
Develop communication and emergency protocols that include the times or intervals for check-ins, a list of designated contacts, the ways that lone workers can seek help or report an incident, as well as backup communication methods in case their lone worker safety device malfunctions or does not have signal in remote locations. This information should be documented in your lone worker safety policies and communicated to all associates through training programs, role-plays and drills.
If a lone worker feels they are in danger, the best thing they can do is reach out to their monitoring team immediately. When they call for assistance, the device will turn its blue LiveResponse on automatically. This alerts the monitoring team, letting them know that help is on its way and that they have an employee who needs help.
You can add additional features to a lone worker safety device that includes 24/7 monitoring such as a panic button and GPS location capability, making it easier for a colleague in trouble to contact their supervisor or other emergency contacts. In addition, many lone worker safety solutions are designed to run on smartphones, reducing the cost of purchasing and maintaining the devices for your employees. There are also many apps available to improve health, communication and even a lone worker’s safety. A quick search on the app store can find the right lone worker safety solution for your business.
Situational Awareness
Situational awareness is the ability to perceive and understand one’s environment. It involves comprehending a given situation, gathering information and analyzing it to identify any potential hazards or risks. It also includes having the capability to respond in an appropriate manner. Situational awareness is a vital component of any lone worker safety program, as it helps ensure a quick and effective response in the event of an incident.
Lone associates can face a wide range of safety challenges in the field, including interacting with aggressive customers or working in high-crime areas. Other factors that may put a lone worker in harm’s way include handling dangerous chemicals or working overnight shifts at retail locations. A lone associate safety program should cover these risks as well as other common issues such as being struck by moving objects or the threat of violence.
The first step in building a solid lone worker safety program is to develop and train employees to recognize any potential dangers they may encounter on the job. This process is called developing situational awareness. For example, if an employee walks into a work area and notices a lot of snow on the floor, they should perceive this as an immediate threat that needs to be addressed. They should then take steps to mitigate the risk, such as using a shovel to clear the snow.
Employees must also be able to assess their surroundings and make projections on how the situation may change in the future. This is called level two situational awareness. For example, if it is obvious that the snow will melt and create a slip hazard, the associate should anticipate this and take action.
For example, they could clear all the merchandise away from the hazard or place it in a safer location, such as on an elevated platform. Another important aspect of situational awareness is knowing the best way to communicate with others. This is where a lone worker safety program should incorporate a reliable communication system. For instance, Teldio’s Mobile Device Notification (MDN) is a trusted, robust alarming solution for lone workers, allowing them to stay safe in the field by receiving alerts on their smartphones. MDN notifications are prioritized based on an associate’s time of day, competency and location to ensure they receive the right message in the event of an emergency.
