Developing a Free Lone Worker Program
If an emergency occurs, lone workers rarely have the resources or back-up necessary to safely deal with the situation alone. Situations that involve confrontation, personal injury, or violence, can quickly become serious if immediate help is not available. Many organizations employ staff who are considered to be lone workers. Any adverse situation can become life-threatening if not immediately detected and resolved. This is why every organization should have a check-in system in place to ensure the safety of their people throughout the day, regardless of their location or activity.
Developing your FREE lone worker check-in system for small teams
An effective lone worker monitoring system does not necessarily have to come with a large price tag. In fact, with the right planning and implementation, your company can easily develop its own system – without spending a cent. Here is a step-by-step guide to developing your own FREE lone-worker check-in system. The process itself is straightforward, can be implemented by any business, and will grant your company a multitude of benefits, including reduced instances of workplace injuries, accidents, and a lower probability of litigation. Our guide also includes a comprehensive checklist that will keep you on track while developing your program and a worksheet that provides additional details on each step.
Assess and document the safety hazards and risks your team faces
Regardless of what your lone worker check-in system and the program look like, the first thing you must do is conduct a risk and hazard assessment of your workplace. That can include working out in the field somewhere on powerlines or pipelines, in the community providing care at a patient’s home, in hotel rooms cleaning, at a for-sale home for customer viewings, at a water treatment plant, in a building or home for electrical repairs and maintenance, on a construction site, at a 24-hours convenience store or gas station, in a grain field or a fruit and vegetable orchard, an office, and especially these days, hazards in the home.
Develop safety protocols and policies for lone workers
Once you’ve assessed and documented all of your workplace’s safety hazards and risks, you then need to develop protocols and policies to mitigate these hazards and risks. When developing the protocols, make sure you consult with everyone in the organization who is affected so that they can provide their unique feedback, ensuring any new regulations and rules are well-researched and informed. In this case, communication is key and you must connect with team members via channels and in ways, they are comfortable with so you can create the most effective safety policies and procedures.
Engaging communication and education
As we just mentioned, communication is essential when developing protocols and policies to keep your team safe. Communication is also extremely important when educating your team about any new safety rules, making sure they are on board and thoroughly understand the rationale and reasons for these new rules – how it impacts themselves, their co-workers and the organization as a whole. This can include engaging and fun online training sessions and workshops, and/or socially-distance company lunch-and-learns. Whatever you decide, make sure training and education is regularly conducted as these policies are updated or modified.
Have channels available for feedback and questions
So far in this article, there has been a strong emphasis on worker engagement and involvement when developing a lone worker safety program. Therefore, it is crucial you provide your team with the means to discreetly contribute their feedback about safety protocols and concerns. This can include a special email address designated only for safety-related messages, an online form on your safety program’s web page or anonymous company-wide surveys.
Have confidence in your team’s safety
Maintaining regular contact with your workforce is an essential part of keeping them safe. All you need to do is determine pre-set intervals where monitors can expect to hear from your workers on the job. If an employee misses a check-in, you will immediately know that something is wrong and be able to act quickly. Having a check-in system in place is effective because it does not rely on an employee’s ability to call for help.
What is the difference between manual vs automated check-in systems for lone workers?
For small teams, free manual check-in systems may be the answer. However, because they depend on monitors and other worker input, they may be prone to human error. Automated, cloud-based systems are 100% failproof and can be integrated with a wide variety of existing devices to provide comprehensive coverage for each worker in your organization, no matter the size. Discover the benefits of implementing a traditional vs an automated work-alone solution.
Are free lone worker apps worth it?
At SafetyLine, we make lone worker safety easy and effective. With a complete safety network that’s compatible with all your devices, you can have peace of mind that your workforce is safe. Access features proactive check-in timers, GPS maps, and motion features, including Fall Detection, Man-Down Detection, and Shake for Emergency – all in SafetyLine’s lone worker safety app. The fully automated nature of our service grants your company 24 hours coverage, reduces human error, improves efficiency, integrates important technological benefits, and ultimately keeps money in your pocket.
eBook Download: How To Set Up A Free Lone Worker Program for Small Teams
You will instantly gain access to a complete guide that contains:
A step-by-step breakdown on how to develop your own free lone worker program
A comprehensive program checklist that’s easy to follow and will keep you on track
A simple worksheet that breaks down the components of developing your program
Additional information on automating your check-in system
A discussion on the benefits of an automated lone worker check-in system
A brief comparison of manual versus automated check-in systems
