Notes

Ensure the Safety of Lone Workers
Lone workers refers to employees who work independently without direct or immediate supervision from another. Examples include hospice care nurses, truck drivers and cable repair technicians.

A successful company must establish and implement clear, detailed procedures for their lone workers. This should include regular retraining to keep emergency procedures current and effective.
Risk Assessment

Lone workers face an increased risk of injury because they do not have their colleagues nearby to assist if they make mistakes or behave unsafely. A risk assessment must be completed prior to beginning working alone and should include anticipated hazards as well as mitigation methods.

Risk assessments must be written by an employee with experience in health and safety matters at your company, who are proficient in performing this kind of analysis. They should detail all tasks performed by lone workers as well as any hazards they might face, while short-term controls may need to be put in place until long-term risks can be eliminated or mitigated.

Prior to undertaking any task that involves working alone, such as salesperson client visits or electrician repairs at someone's home, an employee should complete a lone worker risk assessment and keep it current with regular reviews. This assessment must be easily accessible so lone workers can read it prior to starting work and regularly reviewed.

An effective buddy system must be in place in order to identify an individual who will alert management and others of lone worker locations if they cannot get hold of them themselves. Trust should be maintained between members, while all details should be updated regularly.
Communication Plan

Key to ensuring the safety of lone workers is devising effective communication strategies that allow employees to remain safe while remaining open with each other, such as check-in procedures, implementing real-time tracking technology and creating an internal communications culture.


These tools enable lone workers to confirm their presence and communicate in emergency situations quickly, so assistance arrives swiftly. Furthermore, two-way information flows allow managers to more clearly comprehend worker conditions and encourage workers to report any concerns that could compromise safety.

Establishing an effective lone worker communication plan involves developing a schedule of scheduled checks. These may consist of visual checks, calls or texts agreed upon beforehand by both parties involved and time frames set to ensure quick responses can be established in order to avoid miscommunication or any missteps on behalf of either. Furthermore, code words or other ways of identifying their location could also be established with this agreement.

panic button alarm Lone workers often work remotely or in nontraditional environments such as on the road or at a plant, making it challenging for managers to detect signs of illness, stress or unhappiness quickly and easily. Communicating regularly with these remote employees through check-ins and polling can ensure their health and safety needs are being met; SafetyLine's Lone Worker Solution offers an automated method for employees to connect with their employers to convey any pertinent details regarding their condition, circumstance or environment.
Safety Devices

Lone worker safety devices can complement an organization's policy by giving employees a way to reach emergency services if they experience an unsafe situation. Such devices may take the form of mobile apps, handheld satellite devices or standalone safety buttons.

Standalone lone worker devices offer all of the functions of smartphones in a small package that can easily fit on a lanyard, clipped to keys or kept in a pocket. When activated by pressing a button, these devices send alerts including GPS location data directly to designated contacts as well as panic alarm, fall detection and man down alarm features; some even feature gas detectors to warn of dangerous leaks.

App-linked lone worker devices can easily integrate into existing safety programs due to being compatible with smartphones running on a common operating system and being more cost-effective than purchasing separate devices for employees.

Devices such as the Blackline Safety Loner G7 can be attached to a lanyard or worn on the body for easier use, connect via Bluetooth with any phone with cell signal reception and offer discreet panic buttons and two-way communication services, emergency response management, incident mapping and staff check-ins - plus emergency response management capabilities and incident mapping with emergency response management reporting and staff check-ins if desired. They even come equipped with gas detectors and optional quad gas cartridge cartridges for extra protection!
Training

Lone workers may require specific training tailored to their job roles. This may include receiving safety equipment, instructions on maintaining communication and regular check-ins or guidance regarding handling any risks related to their work. This training may be especially important for employees from abroad who may not be aware of local hazards and risks or the company culture they will be working in.

Establishing clear and consistent guidelines that lone workers must abide by is of utmost importance. These should be communicated and reinforced through training programs and awareness campaigns and always made available to each lone worker at all times. In addition, they must outline an orderly procedure for how incidents or emergencies should be reported.

Also, it is advisable to create and implement a standard checklist for lone workers in order to ensure they always carry essential emergency equipment with them. A digital lone worker app makes this task straightforward as it can be used without internet connectivity and easily customized with custom questions and checklists.

Lone workers can also benefit from taking part in online learning courses that provide training on environments and scenarios they might encounter while working alone, such as presence of aggressive animals, trip hazards, hostility from individuals in a home and alcohol/drug abuse. Learning strategies on how to avoid or deal with these situations will reduce risks of assault, injury or even death.

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