How to protect your lone workers in 2022
Increasingly, the benefits offered by remote and lone workers are being recognised. Working in a diverse array of capacities, they can offer an incredible degree of flexibility, responding to situations as and when they’re required.
Additionally, the rise of technology in a wide variety of workplaces is facilitating such an approach to remote employment. Looking after these workers, who provide incredible value but are often somewhat invisible, can be tricky.
We take a look at some tips on protecting your lone workers in 2022, to help ensure a happy and safe workforce. For further information we recommend reading guidance from resources such as the ANT Telecom website.
Embrace the latest technology
The reality of many lone workers’ average working day is that they’ll be out in the field, away from civilisation and easily accessible help. Lone workers in such capacities need to be equipped with technology that can help mitigate risk in these environments.
This might mean providing communication devices to ensure that help can be called in at all times, and ones with SOS functions that provide geolocation. Making sure that these devices are always up to date will require diligence, and checks should regularly be made on their functionality.
Identify all your workers
The very nature of lone workers’ general functions means that they can often be overlooked. Make sure that you identify every lone worker in your organisation, from those out in the field conducting surveys to the analysts working from home most days of the week.
To properly protect your lone workers, you need to identify them first, which is often a somewhat complex task. For example, with hybrid working models, it’s important to recognise the need to protect workers who you often see in the office when they’re out in the field or working from home.
Conduct risk assessments
Risk assessments are a vital component of protecting all your workers, especially those working in remote capacities. The ever-changing nature of these roles means that it’s even more important to regularly conduct these assessments. New hazards can pop up at any moment, potentially slipping through the net.
It’ll often be the case that lone workers themselves will have to be responsible for conducting at least part of these risk assessments, as only they will be able to analyse risk factors inherent to their specific work environment. If this necessitates additional training in risk assessment practices, ensure that this is provided in a timely manner.
Monitor systems going forward
No system is perfect, and it’s important to recognise this. Your current system may be well adapted at the moment, but as working conditions change and new risks pop up, those systems will likely need to be tweaked.
Risk assessments need to be properly analysed, along with accident reports. Staying up to date with the risks that lone workers face requires constant attention and the flexibility to update systems as and when it’s necessary.
