11 Ways to Evaluate Your Lone Worker Solution
Table of Contents
What is a lone worker solution?
Workplace safety policies
Types of safety policies
Occupational health and safety (OHS) policy statement
11 Ways to Evaluate Your Lone Worker Solution
What is a lone worker solution?
A lone worker solution is a system, service, and/or safety device that protect lone workers (people working alone and remotely). It will signal an emergency when the lone worker needs help and it monitors their well-being with safety check-ins.
A lone worker solution should include the following minimum features:
Cloud-based
Integration with existing technology like cellphones and satellite devices
Panic emergency button
GPS worker location
Automated check-in system
Lone worker solutions are usually online and cloud-based, allowing companies to watch their workers’ safety 24/7 and without a safety, monitor to be on the clock as well. They also provide a range of benefits in addition to lone worker safety:
Less stress
Greater engagement
Could comply with local safety laws
Safety due diligence with employer
More peace of mind
Increased productivity
Workplace safety policies
When you begin to evaluate the effectiveness of your lone worker system, start with your safety policies and any other related documents and safety plans. This is an opportunity to revisit and reassess these policies, determining if they are effective or not, as well as if they need to be updated or removed completely.
If you are a larger organization and have a large number of safety policies, prioritize them with the team and tackle them accordingly. This will allow you to update the most important policies first and not feel overwhelmed, which can impact the quality of the safety policy assessments.
Types of safety policies
Depending on where you work, you will have a number of safety policies in place to mitigate any existing workplace safety hazards your lone workers are facing. Regardless of the occupational hazards, every safety policy should provide the following information:
A written statement of the company’s commitment to a safe and healthy workplace
A written statement of principles and objectives
The local OHS legislation and regulations satisfies
The employees and departments it impacts
The date on which the policy was created and updated
Signature from company CEO or president
Examples of common safety policies include:
Fire safety policy
Emergency response policy
Workplace violence policy
Medical emergency policy
Mental health policy
Occupational health and safety (OHS) policy statement
In addition to your safety policies (and with overlap), employers must develop and provide occupational health and safety (OHS) policy statement. In Canada, an OHS policy statement is required by local safety legislation, however, with an OHS policy, the employer is performing due diligence and care, regardless of whether it’s mandatory.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) says that in order for the safety policy to be effective, it must:
“involve senior management and representatives in the preparation of the policy,
be seen as consistent with the workplace's objectives of operating in an efficient and predictable manner,
be relevant and appropriate to the nature, scale, and OHS hazards and risk associated with that workplaces’ needs (not adopted from another workplace), and
be accepted as equal in importance to the workplace's other policy objectives.”
Additionally, the CCOHS recommends the OHS policy statement cover the following OHS areas:
“senior management's commitment to the establishment of a healthy and safe workplace and to the integration of health and safety into all workplace activities,
the commitment to comply with applicable OHS legal requirements and other requirements – or better, the intention to treat applicable health and safety legislation as a minimum standard rather than maximum,
responsibility of appropriate personnel in maintaining a healthy and safe workplace and to protect the well-being of all persons in the workplace,
accountability of all levels of management for carrying out health and safety responsibilities,
importance of consultation and co-operation between management and employees for effective implementation of policy and any related programs,
commitment to continual improvement by conducting regular reviews of the policy,
commitment to monitor the policy’s effectiveness by having a method for setting and reviewing OHS objectives and targets,
that the policy will be documented, posted, and communicated internally as well as externally, as appropriate, and
commitment to provide adequate funds and details of how the money will be available.”
11 Ways to Evaluate Your Lone Worker Solution
Now that we have established what a lone worker solution is as well as the accompanying safety policies, let’s look at the 11 strategies to evaluate your lone worker solution.
1. Occupational safety risk assessment
When you evaluate your lone worker system, make sure you perform safety risk assessments of the team’s workspaces and areas. In order to determine how to best protect employees, you must recognize the safety hazards they are facing.
An effective hazard assessment will accomplish more than identifying safety hazards and risks that have the potential to harm the employees. It will also analyze the risk of that harm occurring and how serious the safety hazard is. Once identified, the risk assessment will look at strategies to eliminate the safety hazard or at least control and mitigate the hazard.
2. Workplace integrated safety and health assessment
An effective way to assess well-being and employee safety is to perform a Workplace Integrated Safety and Health (WISH) assessment. A WISH assessment addresses occupational safety as well as the overall well-being of the employee, focusing on six core constructs:
Leadership commitment
Participation
Policies
Programs and practices that foster supportive working conditions comprehensive and collaborative strategies
Adherence to federal and state regulations and ethical norms
Data-driven change.
When looking at the efficacy of WISH assessments, researchers found that there were “reductions in pain and occupational injury and disability rates; strengthened health and safety programs; improvements in health behaviors; enhanced rates of employee participation in programs; and reduced costs.”
3. Safety and health programs
An integral area of your lone worker system is the selection of safety and health programs for the employees. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides three action items for the success of these programs:
Monitor performance and progress
Verify the program is implemented and is operating
Correct program shortcomings and identify opportunities to improve
The OSHA also recommends certain steps to ensure the program is functioning as intended:
“Verify that the core elements of the program have been fully implemented.
Involve workers in all aspects of program evaluation, including reviewing information (such as incident reports and exposure monitoring results); establishing and tracking performance indicators; and identifying opportunities to improve the program.
Verify that the following key processes are in place and operating as intended:
Reporting injuries, illnesses, incidents, hazards, and concerns
Conducting workplace inspections and incident investigations
Tracking progress in controlling identified hazards and ensuring that hazard control measures remain effective
Collecting and reporting any data needed to monitor progress and performance
Review the results of any compliance audits to confirm that any program shortcomings are being identified. Verify that actions are being taken that will prevent a recurrence.”
4. Device integration
When evaluating your lone worker system, make sure you note which currently used devices can be integrated with the lone worker solution. While some lone worker systems may require the purchase of additional devices for lone workers, some like SafetyLine can be easily integrated with ubiquitous devices such as smartphones, tablets, and desktops.
Adopting a lone worker system such as this will result in significant cost savings as well as save your lone workers from having to carry an additional device while working. Additionally, using an existing device will require less training and will result in faster integration within the team, implementing the lone worker system much faster and more effectively.
5. Location tracking
When seconds and minutes can mean the difference between life and death, knowing the precise location of your lone workers is essential. Your lone worker system must have accurate location tracking so that help can be sent to the correct location in an emergency.
6. Satellite devices for poor cellular connection
Look at if your lone worker system has or is compatible with GPS satellite devices such as Garmin or Globalstar spot devices. This is particularly important with lone workers who are working in remote, isolated locations. Utilizing satellite devices empower employees to send and receive messages, plan and share routes through GPS, and in an emergency, alert an SOS to get aid from a 24/7 global emergency response coordination center.
When you look at your lone worker system, consider the reach and connectivity of the system and if your lone workers require more advanced satellite and GPS tracking technologies or devices.
7. Ease of use
The usability of your lone worker system is incredibly important as it needs to be easily accessible in stressful times of emergency. During times of need, the lone worker must be able to access the tool and system quickly so that they can signal an emergency and call for help.
Like device integration, look at lone worker solutions with ease of use so that the lone worker system can be implemented almost immediately. The ease of use also benefits the employer and managers who must also use the lone worker safety tools as well but in a different capacity.
8. Operations management
Lone worker safety has a huge impact on operations management. Depending on the devices and solutions being used, your lone worker system can improve operations management through online apps and other platforms that protect while improving worker safety and productivity.
Your lone worker system should, at the very least, complement your operations. In an ideal situation, your lone worker system should improve operations management, increasing communication and engagement with the lone and remote employees.
9. Cost and financial-based analysis
When looking to create or boost a lone worker program, of the costs must be considered. This can include the financial cost of extra devices and a monthly fee, but it can also cost time and energy with training/onboarding work hours with lone workers. This is where ease of use and device integration are important, as these factors will influence any one-time and ongoing costs.
When looking at the cost of the system, compare it to the return on investment on safety and the benefits it brings to lone workers and the organization. A lone worker system does not need to be expensive in order to be effective; it just requires some research and planning to find the best lone worker solution for your safety needs
10. How to measure the impact of safety programs
During this process of evaluation and research, it is important to continually ask this question: Why are my people safer because of this policy? It may be a simple question, however, the answer will determine how effective the policy is on occupational safety. Constantly ask why when doing your analysis and research, putting yourself in your lone workers’ shoes and circumstances.
Protecting people requires a certain level of empathy, looking at the work environment from different perspectives and positions. Look at your lone worker safety program and its impact, evaluating areas such as lone worker policies and protocols as well as communication. Is it satisfying the pre-planned objectives? Are injuries and close-calls decreasing?
Additionally, EHS Daily suggests some of the following steps when developing and planning a safety program:
Define the scope: Work collaboratively – involve employees and managers to define the purpose of the program, and the main questions, identify available resources, establish goals for the project, and specify a deadline.
Organize a committee of stakeholders: Be sure to include those who will communicate results, such as managers, worker representatives, and evaluation experts. You should look for members who have different perspectives. Getting buy-in from different divisions, departments and disciplines will ensure that your program benefits a wider segment of the organization, rather than a small niche.
Develop models: Attempt to predict how the program will work and try to identify any outside variables that may have an impact on the validity of your results. Work done at this stage should save you time and energy. No one wants to have to redesign a program after it’s been implemented.
11. Talk to your team
Finally, when evaluating your lone worker solution and lone worker system, don’t look any farther than your dedicated employees. These people recognize more potential safety hazards than anyone and are a valuable resource when evaluating your health and safety systems.
This can be performed in a number of ways such as a private one-on-one conversation between the worker and a manager. If they are comfortable, hold a brainstorming session with the team to identify safety issues. Another option is to email an internal survey to staff to gather honest feedback and suggestions for their wellness and safety.
What’s important is to create a work environment where employees feel safe and comfortable enough to raise concerns about safety and health; employers should also reward employees who report serious safety issues before an accident or emergency takes place.
Talk to your team about their safety and any concerns they might have about their work environment. Make this type of dialogue normal and welcome, and your lone workers will be safer – and happier – because of it.
Related article
Continue reading part 2 of this Lone Worker series: The Pros and Cons of a Manual Lone Worker Safety System. There are some great tips on how to determine if a manual lone worker system or an automated solution is right for your team.