LONE WORKER PROTECTION KEEPING TRACK


Martin Port, CEO of BigChange outlines the role that technology plays in protecting lone workers on the frontline of business.


The number of people working remotely has soared in recent months, along with an appreciation for lone workers operating on the road or in locations far removed from traditional office environments.


What may also have increased, is business leaders’ understanding of the difficulties associated with managing and supporting people they can’t see.


IMPROVING SAFETY ON SITE We work with organisations in sectors such as


construction, logistics, drainage, facilities and waste management, where managing risk to life and limb is a fundamental part of day-to-day business operations.


Typically, managing risk in these environments relies on a combination of training and policy. Risk assessments will be done and documented, in advance or on a job-by-job basis, and lone workers will be required to consult method statements before starting work.


Organisations with responsibility for lone workers need to ensure that this documentation is in place, but also that it is read. It is vital that access to this information is made as easy as possible, and that workers are compelled to read it regularly. This is more challenging for organisations that still rely on paper documents.


PROTECTING LONE WORKERS ON THE ROAD While safety on site is vitally important, it should be


recognised that this is only part of the battle. Lone workers who are required to travel are at higher risk of coming to harm on the roads than on location itself.


According to the Health & Safety Executive, 147 people in Britain were fatally injured in accidents at work in the 12 months to March 2019, the last full year there are figures for, while a further 92 members of the public were killed due to work-related activities.


In comparison, figures from road safety charity Brake indicate that at least one in three fatal crashes involve someone driving for work - putting the annual death toll from work-related driving in Britain at over 500 a year.


Mitigating this risk requires a combination of company policy and safeguards relating to driving habits and how fleets are managed and maintained. Technology offers a clear road to improvements in both regards.


The ability to analyse vehicle tracking data remotely offers organisations significantly higher insight into how safely their people perform on the road and allows them to take appropriate actions. Organisations can see if drivers are speeding, cornering too quickly,


skipping rest breaks or taking inappropriate routes for their vehicles.


Proper scheduling of jobs and routes taken between them also contributes to road safety. Poor routing and job scheduling puts pressure on the workforce to meet unrealistic deadlines and encourages the wrong behaviours.


When work is scheduled effectively and efficiently, there is less likelihood of lone workers running late for appointments, and reduced temptation to speed.


Digitising the process involved in reporting vehicle defects also offers opportunities for improving road safety. Historically, mandatory daily vehicle checks would be completed using pen and paper and handed to fleet managers when the driver next visits the depot.


Allowing this information to be recorded to a tablet computer means that data is sent immediately to the workshop. Appropriate repairs are then scheduled according to urgency and completed more quickly, reducing the time a potentially defective vehicle is one the road, as well as the driving time spent submitting documentation.


THE NEW SAFETY CHALLENGES OF COVID-19 One final, but incredibly important consideration is the


new challenges associated with COVID-19.


Organisations have had to introduce a raft of new COVID-19 guidance and risk assessments for lone workers. Compulsory checks to assess fitness to work are vital for any organisation with mobile workers, as is also the ability to reassign jobs quickly to co-workers should employees have to self-isolate.


Technology shouldn’t be seen as the answer to all problems in business, however, it does have a huge role to play when it comes to protecting lone workers whose day-to-day activities happen beyond the view of managers. Fundamentally, it accelerates the exchange of crucial information and allows good practice to be encouraged more effectively among a remote workforce.


www.bigchange.com


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www.tomorrowshs.com


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