Making Lone Worker Safety a Top Priority in your Business
Collaborative Post
Keeping lone workers safe should be a priority for any business that requires its employees to carry out their duties without a teammate to back them up.
Today, given the prevalence of mobile technology, a lone worker app is often at the heart of a company’s lone-worker risk mitigation strategy.
Not only is it good practice to ensure lone workers have the right training and kit to feel safe in the most dangerous environments, but it’s also the law in most parts of the world.
In the UK, for example, to meet the requirements laid out in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations UK-based companies must manage lone-worker risk.
At the same time, workers who feel their employer is going the extra mile as far as safety is concerned are also known to be more motivated and have better morale.
Below we outline some important steps that will allow a business to manage the risks their lone workers face.
List Lone Workers
A good first step for any business with lone workers is to identify who exactly is expected to work alone.
By keeping an up-to-date database or simple list of current employees who carry out their duties alone, a company can identify precisely which of its workers work alone.
This will allow you to better assess the risks and dangers workers are likely to encounter while they’re out on the job.
Pinpoint Lone-Worker Risks
Lone-worker risk comes in different shapes and sizes and continues to evolve as the nature of work changes.
However, only by identifying where risks are likely to arise and the nature of those risks can they then be managed and mitigated.
In general, the HSE suggests, lone-workers tend to face the following types of danger:
- workplace violence
- mental health issues and stress
- lack of medical suitability to work alone
- worksite issues – for example, rural and isolated areas pose unique risks for lone workers.
Train Staff
Staff training is an important part of any job but in the case of lone workers, it might just be the difference between life and death.
Lone workers need to be trained on the tools, equipment and materials they are expected to use on the job.
Equally, they also need to be trained on how to operate and maintain the safety devices they use to keep themselves safe.
Many safety devices such as alarms and push-button radios are easy to explain and simple to use but lone-worker tech has moved on leaps and bounds in recent years so it is important workers have the know-how to use more sophisticated safety devices properly.
Use Technology
There is plenty of lone-worker tech on the market.
From simple two-way radios to sophisticated WIFI-connected devices and smartphone apps, there is a lone-worker safety device for every job and work site.
Nowadays, given the ubiquity of smartphones and WIFI, a lone-worker app is often the easiest and most cost-effective way for a company to keep its lone workers safe.
Lone-worker apps will typically run on any Android or Apple device and do an excellent job of keeping tabs on the lone worker via a WIFI or cellular network.
Apps run silently in the background on a device and often feature an easily accessible front screen SOS button, ‘man-down’ detection and positioning technology that allow lone workers to be pinpointed should an emergency arise.
Conclusion
Lone-worker safety should be a priority for any business that expects its staff to go out on a job alone.
Keeping lone workers safe can seem like a daunting task given the multitude of risks today’s workers face.
But with a few simple steps and the right technology any lone worker can be kept safe.
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