Do Your People Understand the Risks of Working Alone?
It is no secret that lone workers are faced with infinitely more risks than many other workers within a company, given the isolated nature of their work. Organizations that employ lone workers must provide those workers with the necessary knowledge and tools to work safely. A lone worker policy is an effective way to ensure that your lone workers are well-educated on your company’s work-alone rules and have extensive knowledge of all workplace hazards that could be encountered on the job. It’s a useful tool that ensures employers and employees know the risks involved with lone work. Your company’s lone workers should be equally as safe as the rest of your workforce. A thorough lone worker policy will play a key role in ensuring the safety of all your people, regardless of their location or work activity.
Why Your Company Needs a Lone Worker Policy
The health and safety of your people are of the utmost importance. A lone worker policy is your company’s most reliable tactic for protecting its workers’ health and safety. Not only does it provide your workforce with the resources needed to work safely, but it will also prepare and educate your employees on emergency response procedures. A lone worker policy will also enable lone workers to make more informed decisions and take ownership of their safety at work.
Need Help Creating Your Lone Worker Policy?
For your lone worker policy to be effective, protocols must be crystal-clear and easy to follow. You must include a policy purpose statement to define why you have chosen to create this lone worker policy, how this policy will be a benefit to all members of your organization, and how the policy fits in with your company’s values and goals. Defining the scope of your policy is the next step. All company employees must know to whom the lone worker policy applies. Your policy should concern all staff who work alone – whether they are lone workers every day, every other day, or once per month.
Disclaimer: This Lone Worker Policy template and guideline provided by SafetyLine Lone Worker is for general information purposes only. You should not rely upon the material or information on the website to make any business, legal, or other decisions.
Consider Lone Worker Roles
It should also be taken into consideration that being a “lone worker” is a very broad category that encompasses various job roles and responsibilities, each with varying levels of risk. Consider a broad range of factors, such as:
Does the employee travel alone?
Do they perform their job duties in the presence of clients?
Are they also working in a remote area, in addition to being alone? Does the employee work regular hours or shift work?
Do they do their work in a public place?
Asking these types of questions will help you determine the level of risk each lone worker faces regularly.
Conduct a Hazard Risk Assessment
Before creating your lone worker policy, you must first carry out a hazard risk assessment to identify the hazards. All safety hazards associated with lone work must be accurately outlined and depicted in detail. Since all companies are different and various industries involve unique risks, the rules and regulations found in your lone worker safety policy will be specific to your company. Involving your lone workers in this process is a great idea since they are the ones who experience the risks first-hand and will have valuable insight. Mitigation techniques must also be included to provide lone workers with clear tactics that will enable them to minimize their risk on the job.
Define Your Lone Worker Procedures
From these risk management techniques, you can now define company procedures and rules that are specific for your lone workers. These may include but are not limited to: How to safely manage or escape from a hazardous environment, what PPE (personal protective equipment) is required, who to call if there is an emergency, how often to check in during a shift, and what types of workplace incidents should be reported. If there is an incident, employees must know whose responsibility it is to report it.
Keep Communication Lines Open
Although your lone worker policy will primarily concern lone workers, all members of your organization must be up to date on lone working protocols. Lines of communication must be kept open for feedback in order to monitor what is working, what isn’t working, and whether or not there are any gaps in your current system. Be aware that your policy is not set in stone. Making continuous improvements as you go is a great way to maximize your policy’s coverage and effectiveness. Of course, ensure that your workforce is always updated on any changes made.
