managing lone workers: risk assessment, policy & training › wp-content › uploads › 2018...
TRANSCRIPT
Managing Lone Workers:
Risk Assessment, Policy & Training
Practical Guide
Introduction
Assessing the risks that your lone workers face is an important step in complying with health and safety legislation, whilst demonstrating your duty of care.
The risk assessment process is not about creating huge amounts of paperwork; it is about identifying risks and taking proportionate measures to control them.
You may already be taking steps to control these risks, but the process outlined in the following pages will help you to decide whether you should be doing more.
Introduction
Assessing the risks that your lone workers face is an important step in complying with health and safety legislation, whilst demonstrating your duty of care.
The risk assessment process is not about creating huge amounts of paperwork; it is about identifying risks and taking proportionate measures to control them.
You may already be taking steps to control these risks, but the process outlined in the following pages will help you to decide whether you should be doing more.
Identify Risks01.
Risk Assessment02.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Employers are required to evaluate health and safety risks and take action to improve the level of
protection provided to staff. For clarity, we have outlined seven steps
required to support the continual safety of your lone workers.
Seven Steps
Risk Assessment02.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk management should begin by addressing concerns from within your organisation.
Risks can be established through:
— Focus groups to discuss and explore potential risks— Surveys and questionnaires (online or paper-based)— Observing staff in their working environment— Analysing incident reports— Formal auditing
The types of risks that may be identified include physical attack, verbal abuse, kidnap, and accidents.
BCH gather the opinions of their lone workers to support decision making...This is really important to us,” explains Denise Williams, head of housing operations. “We ran an initial trial with our new safety devices, and throughout this time we gathered feedback through surveys, questionnaires and one-to-one consultations. We then used this feedback to identify training requirements, and it helped for staff to feel involved in the process.
Den
ise W
illiam
s spe
akin
g at
Saf
ety
& H
ealth
Exp
o 20
16
Identify Risks01.
Risk Assessment02.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk management should begin by addressing concerns from within your organisation.
Risks can be established through:
— Focus groups to discuss and explore potential risks— Surveys and questionnaires (online or paper-based)— Observing staff in their working environment— Analysing incident reports— Formal auditing
The types of risks that may be identified include physical attack, verbal abuse, kidnap, and accidents.
BCH gather the opinions of their lone workers to support decision making...This is really important to us,” explains Denise Williams, head of housing operations. “We ran an initial trial with our new safety devices, and throughout this time we gathered feedback through surveys, questionnaires and one-to-one consultations. We then used this feedback to identify training requirements, and it helped for staff to feel involved in the process.
Den
ise W
illiam
s spe
akin
g at
Saf
ety
& H
ealth
Exp
o 20
16
Identify Risks01. Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk Assessment 02.
A risk assessment is an important step in protecting your workers and your business, as well as complying with the law. It also helps you focus on the risks that really matter.
Risk assessment should only be performed by individuals with the required experience, qualifications and knowledge. It is advisable that an assessment is conducted by more than one person, for example jointly by a line manager and a health and safety advisor.
What are the steps?Assess all activities undertaken by staff by breaking them down into people, environment and task (PET) — Who are the PEOPLE involved? What ENVIRONMENT are they working in? And what does the TASK involve?
Clarify the level of risk by comparing severity vs. likelihood to provide a rating from which an action plan can be created to manage and reduce risk.
State how risk is intended to be managed. What actions should be taken...?
— Stop the task?— Double up on staff?— Provide training?— Change working procedures?— Providing personal safety alarms?
— Formal
Risk assessments should be reviewed
at least once a year, or when:
— A task changes significantly
— There is a change in staff
— A new task is added
— A significant incident has occurred
Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk Assessment 02.
Best practice has shown that a provision for dynamic risk assessments is a key element to manage safety within a business. Dynamic risk assessments are made by workers as a situation develops, and do not necessarily follow the template of a formal assessment.
Rigid rules for risk management make it difficult for workers to act upon common sense, and in many cases can have a detrimental effect by pressurising workers to act in way that may be counter intuitive to what’s actually happening.
By equipping staff with the skills to make quick decisions, safety can be improved and a culture for situation-based decision making can be developed.
Regular situational judgement assessments that map employee competence, confidence, engagement and behaviour, will help you to determine what your staff truly know. This knowledge could be key to preventing future errors.
If staff can make common sense decisions that are objective, logical and justifiable, then their dynamic risk assessment is likely to be clear and effective.
It is also vital that staff who have to carry out dynamic risk assessment are trained in good personal safety techniques and are provided with the necessary skills and tools to make a safe retreat.
— Dynamic
Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk Assessment 02.
A lone worker policy is a written document outlining an organisation’s culture and commitment towards the personal safety of their employees.
It is something that staff should understand, providing a framework to tackle lone worker issues within your organisation.
What should be included?— The definition of ‘lone worker’— The purpose of the lone worker policy— The organisation’s approach to staff safety— Commitments of the employer— Manager’s responsibilities— Employee’s responsibilities— How and when to report an incident and what further action will be taken— What help and support is available— When the policy will be reviewed
Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk Assessment 02.
Best practice has shown that a provision for dynamic risk assessments is a key element to manage safety within a business. Dynamic risk assessments are made by workers as a situation develops, and do not necessarily follow the template of a formal assessment.
Rigid rules for risk management make it difficult for workers to act upon common sense, and in many cases can have a detrimental effect by pressurising workers to act in way that may be counter intuitive to what’s actually happening.
By equipping staff with the skills to make quick decisions, safety can be improved and a culture for situation-based decision making can be developed.
Regular situational judgement assessments that map employee competence, confidence, engagement and behaviour, will help you to determine what your staff truly know. This knowledge could be key to preventing future errors.
If staff can make common sense decisions that are objective, logical and justifiable, then their dynamic risk assessment is likely to be clear and effective.
It is also vital that staff who have to carry out dynamic risk assessment are trained in good personal safety techniques and are provided with the necessary skills and tools to make a safe retreat.
— Dynamic
Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk Assessment 02.
A lone worker policy is a written document outlining an organisation’s culture and commitment towards the personal safety of their employees.
It is something that staff should understand, providing a framework to tackle lone worker issues within your organisation.
What should be included?— The definition of ‘lone worker’— The purpose of the lone worker policy— The organisation’s approach to staff safety— Commitments of the employer— Manager’s responsibilities— Employee’s responsibilities— How and when to report an incident and what further action will be taken— What help and support is available— When the policy will be reviewed
Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk Assessment 02.
Education is vital for the protection of staff within the workplace to understand and mitigate risks that can occur. Training should focus on the avoidance of conflict and provide best practice for non-violent resolution.
Training topics should cover:
— Awareness of lone worker safety— Importance of policies and procedures set out for personal safety— Planning and preparation to reduce risk— Practical risk avoidance strategies— Communication skills including diffusion and de-escalation techniques— Good practice— Use of personal protective equipment e.g. safety devices— Ongoing communications
In order to successfully implement a lone worker policy and create a safe working culture, management need to lead by example. This includes attending training sessions with staff and broadening their knowledge on personal safety and what systems are available in the market.
It should also be noted that lone worker policies and systems will only work if people adhere to procedure and use the information provided. When policy and procedure are not followed, incidents are most likely to occur.
Info & Training04.
Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk Assessment 02.
Education is vital for the protection of staff within the workplace to understand and mitigate risks that can occur. Training should focus on the avoidance of conflict and provide best practice for non-violent resolution.
Training topics should cover:
— Awareness of lone worker safety— Importance of policies and procedures set out for personal safety— Planning and preparation to reduce risk— Practical risk avoidance strategies— Communication skills including diffusion and de-escalation techniques— Good practice— Use of personal protective equipment e.g. safety devices— Ongoing communications
In order to successfully implement a lone worker policy and create a safe working culture, management need to lead by example. This includes attending training sessions with staff and broadening their knowledge on personal safety and what systems are available in the market.
It should also be noted that lone worker policies and systems will only work if people adhere to procedure and use the information provided. When policy and procedure are not followed, incidents are most likely to occur.
Info & Training04.
Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk Assessment 02.
Communication is a process that is continuous and ongoing. Policy and advice should be regular and consistently distributed though your organisation.
Ways to provide information include:— Staff meetings and discussions— Resources such as newsletters, magazines and videos— Staff intranet— Handbooks— Mentoring or buddy system
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Your lone worker safety partners
should be able to provide you with
various information and templates
to support your internal comms.
Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk Assessment 02.
Monitoring is the regular and ongoing collection and recording of information in relation to current policies and guidelines. Evaluation is analysing the effectiveness of the information gained from this monitoring.
By using this approach, lone worker policy can be improved through informed judgements. The types of data that need to be collected include:
— The number and severity of incidents— Areas in which an incident has occurred— Time of day an incident has occurred— Staff feedback regarding their personal safety and existing LW systems— The number of staff who have attend safety training— The number of days lost due to absence— The cost of compensation and litigation— Increases in insurance premiums
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Various tools are available to monitor LW
activity. Vision from Peoplesafe provides
a snapshot of recent activity helping
managers to promote device usage.
Various tools are available to monitor LW
activity. Peoplesafe’s online portal provides
a snapshot of recent activity helping
managers to promote device usage.
Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Ongoing Support07.
Risk Assessment 02.
Monitoring is the regular and ongoing collection and recording of information in relation to current policies and guidelines. Evaluation is analysing the effectiveness of the information gained from this monitoring.
By using this approach, lone worker policy can be improved through informed judgements. The types of data that need to be collected include:
— The number and severity of incidents— Areas in which an incident has occurred— Time of day an incident has occurred— Staff feedback regarding their personal safety and existing LW systems— The number of staff who have attend safety training— The number of days lost due to absence— The cost of compensation and litigation— Increases in insurance premiums
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Various tools are available to monitor LW
activity. Vision from Peoplesafe provides
a snapshot of recent activity helping
managers to promote device usage.
Identify Risks01.
Lone Worker Policy03.
Risk Assessment 02.
If an incident does occur, there are some immediate actions and long term activities which can be used to support employees:
Info & Training04.
Communication05.
Monitor & Evaluate06.
Ongoing Support07.
There are no absolute restrictions on working alone, it depends on the findings of a risk assessment and the implementation of a robust policy.
A risk assessment is an important step in protecting your lone workers — it helps you to focus on the risks that really matter, as well as complying with the law.
Within 24 hours
1–7 days
7+ days
— Provide medical assistance— Police attendance— Contact family/next of kin
— Reporting on incident— Counselling if appropriate— Support from colleagues and management
— Follow up with police/employer— Continued counselling if appropriate— Legal advice and support for the individual where necessary
— Debrief— Escort home if necessary
Call:
Email:
Visit:
0800 990 [email protected]
Peoplesafe help organisations to protect their lone workers.
We combine bespoke training and consultancy with the comprehensive implementation
of device based solutions, to optimise the lone worker safety culture within your business.
Copyright © 2016 Peoplesafe. All rights reserved.
If all steps have been taken to eliminate, reduce and control the risks of lone working, then you may want to explore how technology can further enhance this.
To learn more about the options available to you, or for further information regarding lone worker risk assessment and policy creation, please get in touch.
Summary
Copyright © 2018 Peoplesafe. All rights reserved.
We specialise in lone worker safety, delivering a tailored and fully-managed service to organisations across the UK. We’re here to give you clear guidance on what’s best for you, your organisation and your lone workers when it comes to round-the-clock protection.