Employees who work alone, without the assistance of coworkers or superiors, are known as “lone workers.” Due to this, they are always at risk of facing certain dangers, no matter what kind of work they have to do.
Define the term “lone worker.”
Lone workers, as the term implies, are those who go about their day-to-day tasks without the benefit of company or supervision from anybody else. People who are physically close by but out of earshot are likewise considered lone workers. Lone employees may be accompanied by others, but are they doing something for which you would be unable to intervene quickly? If we use these criteria, the number of individuals who are considered to be working alone grows considerably. This is particularly true when we consider the growing number of people who are working remotely or from their homes.
Why are those who work alone more at risk?
There is as wide a variety of businesses that hire people to work alone so there are potential dangers for those individuals. Seven hundred people lost their lives in 2016 due to slips, trips, and falls, and about 50,000 people were injured to the point that they needed time off work. This is true even for workers who are never alone.
Individuals who work in public or just with patients or customers one-on-one are more likely to be victims of violence, which may result in not only physical but also psychological injury. This may cause post-traumatic stress disorder in certain workers. Machines and equipment pose a threat to the safety of lone workers since they may easily tip over and injure or trap them if they aren’t properly secured. Workers often suffer life-altering or fatal injuries when they get caught in equipment.
To what extent can risk assessments help lone workers?
Although serious, the aforementioned dangers are not the only ones that may befall a lone worker. The risks and close calls that employees must constantly navigate vary from one company to the next. The greatest defense against such threats is a comprehensive safety hazard assessment (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_assessment) as well as an audit of all possible safety dangers (of varying degrees of seriousness) that lone employees face.
After identifying potential threats, you may start thinking about ways to lessen their impact, if not eradicate them altogether. Physical changes to the workplace are just one part of a comprehensive hazard mitigation strategy; employees also need to be provided with safety information and training, and a supportive culture in which they may freely voice any concerns they may have.
Why is it Beneficial to Use a Computerized Check-in Procedure?
Smartphones and other linked wireless devices provide a reliable channel for rapid, easy contact in an emergency, allowing employers to safeguard the security of their lone employees. An efficient tool, an autonomous lone worker tracking system has the lone worker check in and out at set intervals, verifying their safety as well as well-being with a supervisor. If an employee forgets to clock out, the system may quickly send out a rescue call, pinpointing their exact position using sophisticated satellite and GPS monitoring.
Lone worker monitoring systems: what’s their impact?
More reliable means of communication are always preferable for the lone worker, regardless of their location. It’s easy to see how lone worker monitoring solutions, which enable employees to communicate by voice or text in case of an emergency, may be crucial.
Quality communication between a boss and a lone worker is more than just a way to ask for assistance when necessary. The psychological lone worker safety is bolstered by the knowledge that someone is keeping an eye on them, and they experience a stronger sense of care and worth in their jobs as a result. Whatever method an organization uses to keep in touch with its remote workforce, it should be a tried-and-true safety net on which employees can always fall in times of crisis, no matter how big or little.
What Advantages Does Contact Tracing Offer to Individual Employees?
Once upon a time, a person would personally go through and contact everyone who had come into touch with an isolated individual. Automated contact tracing has been made possible by today’s interconnected digital infrastructure. Workers may already have access to a variety of applications on their own devices that may significantly cut down on costs and increase productivity.
Nonetheless, many people are worried that their employers might track them down via their contacts due to their ongoing connection to the office. However, work-only applications and gadgets preserve employees’ privacy. Employees must provide their informed permission and understand why and how their data will be used before any company may collect it. If an epidemic of something like COVID-19 should arise in the workplace, contact tracing may be used to halt the virus’s transmission and provide an extra layer of protection for the small team.
If investing in solo professionals is so worthwhile, why do we not do it already?
Employers that prioritize the well-being of their most important asset, their employees, by investing in monitoring and check-in tools or systems, never squander their money. Hundreds of North American lone and remote employees use connected worker technologies to secure themselves and their teams.
Strong Dissuader To Harm
When it comes to protecting lone workers, one of the most compelling arguments is that these applications serve as an effective deterrent against any potential danger they may encounter as they carry out their responsibilities and perform their jobs. The fact that most apps designed for lone workers also include an alert is further evidence of their usefulness. An assailant or assault on a lone worker may be startled by the alert.
When a person presses the panic button, an auditory alarm goes out at the same time, alerting not just the person’s immediate supervisor but also the company’s upper management. They may also listen in on the proceedings as they happen. Then they may take the necessary steps to help their lone worker.
