Lone Working
Protecting Britain’s lone worker force
Martin Stiven focuses on mobile tools and applications that can help protect lone workers while ensuring that employers meet their legal responsibilities
F
lexible working practices and the abil- ity to work remotely mean that many people are making fewer trips into the
offi ce. A wide range of fi eld workers, such as travelling salesmen, delivery drivers, emergency services personnel and community health visi- tors, can be far more effi cient if they are able to work on the move and fi le admin or collect work schedules remotely. A potential downside of this situation, how-
ever, is that more workers than ever are spend- ing increased periods of time working on their own. In fact, results from a survey conducted by Orange have shown that more than three quarters of Britain’s employees now work alone for part or all of their normal working day.
Legal obligations Currently all employers in the UK have a legal responsibility to protect the health and safety of their employees while they are at work. T ere- fore, while it may be perfectly safe to leave em- ployees to work on their own, it is also neces- sary for employers to be aware of the ways in which they can protect their staff . Currently, as shown by the Orange survey, only 53 per cent of lone workers believe their employers do all they can to keep them safe while working out of the offi ce, leaving busi- nesses plenty of room for improvement. So what could employers do to better protect their staff ? A smarter use of mobile tools is undoubt- edly part of the answer.
About the author
Martin Stiven is vice president of business for Everything Everywhere, the company which operates the Orange and T-Mobile networks in the UK
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Protective systems Lone working systems are a technology-based solution that encourages dynamic risk assess- ment but also provides a way of raising an alert and then tracing staff when they are alone or simply off -site to monitor their safety. T e best way to establish whether staff would
benefi t from a lone worker system is by carry- ing out a risk assessment. T is should involve identifying all the hazards present in the work- place and other outside factors and then evalu- ating the extent of the risks involved, taking into account any precautions already in place. With mobile working tools becoming more and more common in business, it is not surpris- ing that 75 per cent of lone workers are current- ly provided with mobile phones, and 41 per cent are given laptops or netbooks with mobile Internet access. Mobile tools are important to provide support and an extra confi dence boost to employees spending an extended period of time working on their own. However, other tools are available for people
working alone – such as a discreet alarm but- ton that can be attached to clothing or a simple phone application, which can connect back to the offi ce or a central help desk at a single touch.
GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking can also be enabled on these tools – so should an employee not be where the team expects them to be, colleagues can be alerted to check that the employee is OK. T ese tools can not only give employees and businesses peace of mind but they can also head off the escalation of incidents.
Freedom for employees Consulting with staff on the introduction of any new system is also worthwhile, especially when it is being done with their safety in mind. Every lone worker faces diff erent challenges
and diff erent potential risks, and has their own way of working. HR managers should be able to provide employees with a range of custom- izable solutions to address their specifi c needs,
including the choice of a mobile phone or smartphone or a specialist lone worker device. Employees should also be given the freedom to choose technology which would allow them to report their every activity or just have the ca- pability to create a ‘panic alarm’. Research by Orange shows that 70 per cent of lone workers would at the very least like to have a mobile phone to make a call if they have reason to feel uncomfortable, while 18 per cent would like to have a panic button or other discreet device to send an emergency alert.
Explaining the reasons Above all, employees need to know that a busi- ness is introducing the system to improve their safety and not in order to track their move- ments or check whether they are doing their job properly. Managers should explain to staff why the
new system is being introduced as well as mak- ing sure employees understand how to use it and are encouraged to use it consistently.
Advice and tips on working alone
I
n addition to the range of technology solu- tions available, employers should be aware of some of the simple tips and advice that they can give to lone workers. Orange and The Suzy Lamplugh Trust have teamed up to develop The Orange Guide to Working Alone Safely – a guide that offers advice on how to keep employees safe and feeling confi dent when working alone. Whether on the road, walking, working from home or visiting other offi ces, employees can benefi t from learning about the options avail- able to them in certain ‘what if’ scenarios.
• The guide can be downloaded from
http://business.orange.co.uk/documents/ ice/business/orange_lone_worker_guide. pdf
LAND mobile August 2011
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