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Health and social sector may have to deal with unpredictable client behaviour or situations Violence & abuse Lone workers need to be protected from slips, trips and falls, as well as accidents and injury caused by machinery or working at height Accidents & injuries Those working in remote areas or visiting domestic properties (i.e. postmen) may be susceptible to attack from animals Injuries from animals Resulting from musculoskeletal disorders due to lack of supervision, knowledge of training Long-term health issues The risks of lone working The cost of not protecting your business Wages for injured worker over period £10,000 Loss of production £8,000 Overtime wages to cover lost production £3,000 Wages for replacement worker £7,000 Loss of time of manager / MD £4,000 Legal expenses £3,000 Fines and court costs £4,000 Increase in employers liability insurance £6,000 Total cost to business £45,000 Example costs for an injured worker who was hospitalized and off work for 12 weeks: Employer responsibilities Identify staff who work alone and the risks they face Develop and implement a Lone Working Policy The direct investment in health and safety is not always visible, but the cost of not protecting your employees can be significant to a business. There are 6 million lone workers in the UK Charity Transport Factory work Hi-tech Lab work Office work Outdoors Security ARE YOUR LONE WORKERS SAFE? That’s around one fifth of the UK’s working population Working across many industries Control any risks faced by lone workers How to keep your workers safe Involve workers. They are often the best people to tell you about any hazards and risks they face. Put control measures in place. Use appropriate work equipment and ensure your employees carry a lone worker device to use in the event of an accident or emergency. Training. Provide training to ensure employees are familiar with operating machinery, Training is also crucial to enable employees to cope in unexpected circumstances and with potential exposure to threats or danger. Carry out and regularly review a risk assessment. This should help employers decide on the right level of supervision. Record significant findings. Businesses with 5 or more employees must record significant findings of all risk assessments. Who is responsible for lone workers within your organisation? Lone working is pretty much common sense, but we all know that common sense can be easily forgotten in threatening or dangerous situations – so here’s a quick reminder of some common lone worker safety principles: Tips for working alone Communication: Let your supervisor know where you are and what time you will be expected back Lone worker alarm: Consider implementing a lone worker monitoring system so your employees can raise an alert in the event of an emergency Mobile phone: Always carry a mobile phone with you when working alone Use good judgement: Assess and re-assess situations to help yourself become aware of risks as early as possible lonealert.co.uk | 0121 501 2288 | [email protected] sources: hse.go.uk/violence/conclusions.html, Office of National Statistics Lone Worker Study within the NHS, Local Government and Housing Associations, Cambridge Resolution, 2005 LoneALERT is the global provider of lone worker protection solutions. We provide a range of lone worker devices and solutions to protect staff who work remotely, alone or are vulnerable. It’s a two-way street: the employer must put protection measures in place... and employees must take reasonable care of themselves and co-operate with you. Health & Safety Manager Are the products safe to use in certain areas? Is the lone worker protection in place fit for purpose? Employees I work in hazardous areas on my own – how can I feel more protected? What happens if I fall whilst working alone? I work late in the office on my own and feel vulnerable. Supervisors How do I know if my staff are in trouble? How can I quickly produce reports to show the whereabouts of employees? How can I monitor the safety of staff if they’re working out of office? THINK SAFETY CAUTION CAUTION Company Director How do I make sure I’m looking after all my employees? Can I monitor when my employees are checking in and out? Can I remotely monitor the safety of my employees? 1 2 3
