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A Comprehensive Guide to Lone Worker Safety for Construction Workers
Working alone exposes employees to unique health and safety dangers. Blanket policies do not address these risks, which require a specific approach to keep staff safe.

Implementing lone worker safety policies is essential. Start with the following tips: 1. Risk Assessment. 2. Training. 3. Monitoring. 4. Communication. 5. Equipment.
1. man down alarm Risk Assessment

The first step in any effective lone worker safety program is an exhaustive risk assessment. Consider your employees’ work locations, tasks, and responsibilities to determine potential hazards. Then, assess your current methods of addressing these risks to identify gaps in employee protections.

The resulting policy should define lone worker processes, procedures, and roles in specific, non-negotiable terms, such as the frequency of check-ins, how to report a hazard or incident, and how your organization will respond. UK Lone worker Recording these procedures will allow you to track adherence and learn from incidents or near-misses to improve your lone worker safety plan.

Your policy should also outline a communication plan for your employees, as visual checks in are insufficient when it comes to solo worker safety. For example, OSHA accepts check-ins via phone but a verbal conversation is optimal. Additionally, a lone worker monitoring system should give your employees check-in reminders and let you know if they’re not checking in at the scheduled time. This way, you’ll be able to immediately take corrective action. This will help prevent a situation from developing into a crisis.
2. Training

The training process for solo worker safety is a vital step in helping workers avoid situations that may compromise their safety. Depending on the type of work your employees are doing, there could be a wide variety of hazards and risks they might face while working alone.

A comprehensive lone worker policy includes detailed risk assessments and procedures for staff to follow, but also identifies how to handle certain emergency situations. Providing your people with this information will not only help them feel safer in dangerous scenarios but will also let them know you are committed to their safety and well-being as an organization.

Aside from a robust lone worker solution that allows your team to communicate with each other in an emergency, you should provide additional training for lone workers who may be at risk. This can include identifying risky situations that may arise, a plan of action to take in case an emergency occurs and how to use a safety device. The goal is to help your staff stay safe in any situation and to avoid panic reactions in unfamiliar circumstances.
3. Communication

In most cases, lone workers will need access to a telephone or mobile phone to check-in regularly to let someone know they are safe. Some countries and states have specific laws about working alone, while others simply advise organizations to train, monitor, and keep in touch with lone workers. Establish a visual check-in process and schedule, and select a back up contact in case one of your team members cannot respond quickly.

You may also want to consider identifying lone workers based on tasks, environment, or other hazards that may affect their safety. For example, custodians, janitors, or security guards that work alone at night could face increased risks than their colleagues in a normal office setting. In order to write a robust lone worker policy, your organization will need to identify each type of lone working job and create unique solutions to mitigate these added risks. In addition, ensure your lone worker monitoring system includes instant messaging and real-time updates to facilitate communication. It should allow lone workers to complete safety checklists and forms, submit location notes, share hazard and incident reports, and more.
4. Monitoring

Lone workers can be susceptible to environmental risks such as extreme weather, contaminated water and toxic plant life. In addition, they may be more likely to fall or become the victim of a crime. Incorporating a secure digital monitoring solution in your lone worker safety program is crucial to help prevent these types of incidents and ensure a response if they occur.

You’ll also need to develop a check-in process. This could be a verbal or visual account and should be reviewed regularly. You can then use this information to determine whether any further training is needed for a particular employee or if a specific risk is present, requiring additional supervision.

Lone worker safety is a unique area of risk management that requires specific systems and solutions. Blanket health and safety policies won’t suffice as they don’t address the specific needs of this group. To safeguard your lone workers, implement dedicated lone working safety programs and policies and a robust monitoring solution like ours to prevent any incidents or accidents from occurring. Download our complete lone working policy guide to get started.
5. Equipment

Lone workers face additional hazards from being isolated and not having a team member immediately available to assist with any emergencies. This is why a comprehensive lone worker safety policy is required. Blanket health and safety policies can be inadequate for these individuals as they will need different solutions to mitigate the risks.

A detailed lone worker risk assessment is the best way to determine what equipment is needed. Lone Worker Alarms For example, if the job involves working alone with hazardous chemicals or is performed in remote locations, it would be helpful to implement a procedure that includes a check-in process with a set frequency. This could be done using two-way radios, in-person check-ins or wearable technology, if service is available.

Additionally, if the work involves working at heights or in confined spaces, a man down motion detector should be used to alert staff if they have not moved for an extended period of time. This is especially important for construction workers, who often deal with environmental hazards like falls or exposure to confined spaces. For these employees, it's essential that they have a solution in place with round-the-clock safety monitoring, automated check-ins and GPS location tracking.
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