Many businesses have identified lone workers within their organisation who work in remote areas and in isolation from other workers for a significant amount of time and as a result have implemented a solution to protect them. However, there may be some workers within an organisation that are not deemed to be a lone worker, when in fact they are.
A lone worker is not just someone who works on his or her own for hours on end or every day. What about those on changing shifts, working overtime or who are on call during the day or night? Some businesses may assume that a lone worker solution is not necessary if they have more than one person working on a site. However this is simply not the case. By identifying all the different circumstances under which individuals could be subject to working alone for any given time, you can ensure that all employees are safe and that the best protection for them and your business is in place.
It is vital that a business regularly reviews the number of people working off and on site and the processes that are in place if an individual has an emergency? What is the reporting and escalation procedure? How long could an individual be on their own before help arrives?
Some businesses may have a process whereby an employee is called and checked every hour for example, which is great, but what happens if they have an accident minutes after the call ends?
In an ideal world, a company would have a fool-proof procedure that makes absolutely certain a lone worker’s safety is never compromised. And, whilst certainty is never a guarantee, having a robust system is.
Some GSM systems can offer very basic cover. An alarm is activated and a call is put through to head office or an assigned person, however if the alarm is not responded to via this route, it doesn’t get escalated further. It is therefore recommended that businesses guarantee that any lone worker system they install has an advanced escalation process.
There are a large variety of lone worker solutions available that go a step further than your basic cover. For example, some providers offer devices with a panic button that has a tilt and / or no motion sensor that can trigger an immediate alarm even if the user is rendered unconscious.
It is the responsibility of each company to evaluate the risk employees are exposed to and provide the right level of cover to ensure that they are as safe as possible.
If you think there is any chance that you have lone workers at risk and would like more information on lone worker solutions and how ANT’s UrSOSButton can help your business please visit our lone workers solution page.
