LONE WORKER PROTECTION YOU’RE NOT ALONE


Lockdown has created more lone workers than ever before and as restrictions are gradually lifted it appears that many will continue to carry out their duties remotely. Reliance Protect’s Lone Worker Services Director, Chris Allcard, examines the current operational landscape, identifies the risks and explains how technology can play a vital role in enhancing personal safety and wellbeing.


Prior to the pandemic the Office of National Statistics (ONS) estimated that there were around six million lone workers in the UK – defined as those who carry out their duties alone without close or direct supervision. However, lockdown led to an exponential increase in lone working, often without the advantage of experience, planning or preparation. According to Finder, during March 2021 60% of the UK’s adult population were working from home while, at the same time, thousands of people classed as key workers continued to carry out their activities on their own.


HOME HELP Working from home is likely to remain even after the


pandemic finishes, with employers planning to give staff greater flexibility about where and when they do their jobs. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) claims that two-thirds of companies are currently developing a hybrid work model, where people spend only part of the time in the office.


This increase in home working has, for some, meant a welcome change from the daily commute and allowed them to save the money otherwise spent on fuel and/ or public transport. For others it has heightened their sense of isolation, amplified stress levels and has also led to increased levels of domestic abuse.


Employers have a legal responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of their employees, wherever they are carrying out their work, and overall physical and mental health must be considered. For organisations this has not been easy to administer during the pandemic, with most staff no longer working in the office environment. The issue is exacerbated with field-based personnel, as knowing where they are, the tasks they are performing, if they have left a visit and whether they have finished for the day and are safe at home can be more difficult to manage due to line managers also working remotely from home. At the same time, if contact is poor, employees may feel disconnected, isolated or abandoned, with obvious mental health implications.


ON THE FRONTLINE Although home working has become commonplace


for office-based personnel, the nation’s healthcare workers, cleaners, security officers, social workers, traffic wardens, bus drivers, estate agents, tradespeople, utilities workers, delivery drivers, postal workers and those employed in certain parts of the retail sector have continued to carry out their duties throughout the pandemic.


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Yet one of the most disturbing trends over the last year has been the increase in aggressive and antisocial behaviour towards these key workers by some members of the general public. The South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) reported 1,747 incidents of violence and aggression from patients and other members of the public during the 12 months after the UK first went into lockdown last year – a 33% increase on the previous 12 months.


Meanwhile, the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) has stated that retail workers have been assaulted, threatened or abused at least once a week on average since the start of pandemic. Many of these events occur when people are asked to comply with social distancing rules and the wearing of face coverings.


RISKY BUSINESS There is no room for error when it comes to employee


safety and all reasonable measures should be put in place to lessen the possibility of danger. Different roles come with different risks, so a thorough risk assessment should be undertaken to pinpoint any hazards, consider who might be harmed and how, and identify preventative measures.


For instance, are the remote working environments safe and adequate for the tasks to be performed? Are there any health risks associated with staff that may need to be taken into account? If there are health risks to staff, do they live alone? A robust risk assessment should not be overlooked.


The latest lone worker protection technology can help mitigate those risks and provide a welcome level of reassurance as individuals go about their activities – whether they are working from home or not.


SOLUTION PROVIDER The solutions, for example, provided by Reliance


Protect utilise both GPS and Wi-Fi to provide quicker and more accurate location positions, whether users are indoors or outdoors. This allows users to be swiftly and accurately located, wherever they are, when they need support. These devices are also dust and water ingress proof, which is an important feature for those working outside and/or in harsh environments, and they should have enough battery life to ensure that they are able to remain active all day every day.


Such devices and lone worker safety apps also have timer-based check-in features that allow users to check in at the start of a day, or potentially the start of commencing a heightened risk activity. Regular


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