Our top 3 precautionary measures to mitigate risks for your lone workers
Here are our top 3 precautionary measures you can take within your organisation to ensure that your lone workers return home safe and well each day.
1. Engage with your team to review and respond
Ask each of your lone workers to consider the most risky aspects of their role. This will enable you to assess risks with better perspective. The main risks facing lone workers will depend on their working environment, the nature of their job, and any health factors such as stress or medical conditions. Depending on the nature of their work your lone workers may be exposed to seasonal hazards, heat exhaustion in the summer or harsh winter weather for example, so be aware that risks may change across the year. Risks may change with the task at hand or could be project-specific so encourage open communication to allow lone workers to feedback their experiences or raise concerns. Allowing lone workers to voice their opinions enables you to work on solutions together.
2. Assess your current policies and practices
Be critical. Are your guidelines clear? Do your lone workers understand what to do in the event of an emergency? What are your escalation procedures and does your wider team know how to respond to ensure the correct support is available to your lone workers when it is most needed? Do you have system checks in place and can you rehearse what would happen during an emergency situation?
3. Preparation and organisation
Preparing for all eventualities is critical and even more so when working alone. Ask your lone workers to undertake regular, basic checks to ensure they have appropriate equipment to hand. For example, carry detailed directions along with a map and compass especially if your lone workers are working in a new or remote location; ensure the batteries in GPS and mobile devices are sufficiently charged; take a warm drink if temperatures are low; stock basic food and drink supplies in their vehicle if they will be working remotely.
In addition, lone workers should make sure that someone knows their whereabouts and estimated return time. The Trackplot system monitors each of your lone workers throughout their working day, they will Check-in at agreed times to confirm they are safe, and you can see their location in the Portal to provide peace of mind.
You have a duty to include risks to lone workers in your general risk assessment and take steps to avoid or control risks where necessary.
Having your employees and contractors on board with your health and safety policies is critical. You can refer to our article Health & Safety: What’s in it for me? for tips on how to improve engagement in your health & safety practices.
Nobody should die doing their job.
How can Trackplot help?
Creating a sensible approach to health and safety requires sound policies supported by practical actions. We are here to help you provide a safe working environment and we can use your risk assessments to scope a lone worker solution fit for your business operations. Our lone worker monitoring system is flexible and can be adjusted to suit each customer.
Let us help you ensure your lone workers come home safely from work each day.