If your business employs workers who are not directly supervised and at risk of accident or injury you are required, by law in some jurisdictions and according to occupational health and safety regulations in others, to have a lone worker policy in place to protect them. It is the employer’s duty to assess risks to lone workers and take steps to avoid or manage the risks. Some companies ignore these obligations and should a worker suffer injury while on duty without lone worker monitoring in place, may face severe consequences.
Here are a few lone worker policy options to help keep your employees safe:
- Change the schedules of lone workers – review the working hours of your lone workers, you may be able to adjust them for safety. For example, some businesses have scheduled cleaners to work during office hours, to avoid having them work in an otherwise empty building. This strategy is very effective, where it’s practical.
- Use a ‘white board’ system – keep a white board showing the schedules and locations of employees and update it when lone workers call in to verify their safety and whereabouts. The downside of this system is that it works only within business hours and it’s reliant on whoever is managing the board. If they fall ill or are just too busy the board may be neglected.
- Work with, or tell a ‘buddy’ – some companies use the buddy system to protect workers, but even though it’s generally a good idea, it’s far from fool proof. What happens if both people are injured in an accident, leaving no one able to call for help?
What kind of lone worker policy works best?
Without a doubt, the best lone worker policy takes advantage of the latest technologies. Ok Alone gives you the control you need within a flexible and comprehensive system that offers multiple check in options including a smartphone app and cell phone call or text check-ins. Lone workers can also check in with a land line or using a satellite enabled device.
You decide how you want to have check-ins reported and missed check ins or help requests are managed by the call centre according to your work alone policy. Your employees can also make notes that will help improve your policy and everything can be easily monitored from your console.
Compare our lone worker monitoring system with others – Ok Alone offers the best value for cost conscious businesses
Our flexible plans start at just $8/£7 per month, per employee. We can help you craft a lone worker policy and customize a monitoring system perfectly suited to your needs and budget. Contact us for a free trial today.
The Ok Alone team writes informative articles about lone working. Through our articles, we aim to educate readers on the benefits and best practices of using our lone worker app, and how Ok Alone can help mitigate risks and enhance communication between workers and monitors. Learn about other areas including legislation, risk management, and legal compliance plus lone worker features such as man down, high-risk check ins and location monitoring.