As an employer it is your responsibility to ensure that you manage any health and safety risks faced by your lone workers. With no one there to help them, those working alone will always face greater risks. The good news is there are lots of things you can implement to mitigate these risks and protect your lone workers. Below outlines how to protect those working alone, whatever industry you work in.
Conduct a Lone Worker Risk Assessment
To comply with health and safety regulations you should conduct a risk assessment which identifies the risks associated with the job roles of your lone workers. You then need to assess these risks to identify the magnitude of the hazards that are posed and the steps required to protect your lone working members of staff from these hazards.
The risks and hazards associated with working alone can include, but are not limited to: the people they may come into contact with (usually in the context of social or health care), the actual work being carried out, whether any driving is involved and the types of environment they work in.
Devise a communication strategy
To protect your lone workers it is also vital to maintain contact with them. It is therefore best to devise a communication strategy which details how you will keep in touch with those working alone, without being intrusive. This provides reassurance for your lone workers that although they work on their own, they should never feel alone.
Your communication strategy may include regular catch-ups via phone, video call or in-person. In addition to this lone worker safety devices or lone worker apps may form part of this strategy. These give lone workers a way to raise an alert in the event of an emergency as well as ways to communicate when and where they are working with managers.
Provide training and education
It is essential you provide training for your lone workers so that they have the skills & knowledge to minimise risks and to know what to do in the event of an emergency situation. You may be able to provide some of this yourself or you can use accredited training providers.
Dependent on the industry you work in, training for your lone workers may cover some of the following:
- Emergency procedures & first-aid
- Safety device operation
- Situational awareness and self defense
- Conflict management
- Manual handling
- Using DSE(display screen equipment) workstation
- Safe remote working
- Safe driving
Plan an emergency response procedure
To protect those working alone (and all other employees) you must have an emergency response plan in place which advises:
- Who lone workers should contact in the event of an emergency (this may differ depending on the situation)
- When and how to contact the emergency services.
- What you will do to investigate incidents and how you will support those affected.
It's important to ensure that all of your employees are aware of this emergency response plan and that you have regular practice drills and refresher training.
Supply adequate safety equipment
Under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 you must supply your employees with safe equipment. As an employer, you also have a legal obligation to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when necessary. According to the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, you must provide suitable PPE to employees who may be exposed to a risk to their health or safety while at work. This must be supplied free of charge.
As well as supplying safe equipment and PPE it is important that you train employees how to use it, ensure it is being used correctly and continually review whether it is adequate and in good condition.
Offer mental health support
Working alone can cause feelings of isolation, work-related stress and affect mental health & wellbeing. It is therefore important that you build relationships with, and support, your lone workers. Having a supportive work culture reassures lone workers they have people they can talk to however they are feeling. It also helps managers to recognise the signs of stress and isolation quickly.
To mitigate the risk of work-related stress it's important to maintain regular contact with your lone workers. Poor contact can result in lone workers feeling abandoned, disconnected and isolated. This can affect their mental health and performance and in the long-term may lead to poor staff retention.
In summary, to protect your lone workers as an employer you must; conduct a lone worker risk assessment, devise a communication strategy. provide training and education, plan an emergency response procedure, supply adequate safety equipment and offer mental health support.
