A Guide to Lone Work Solutions by Industry (A10005)

Lone workers in different industries face diverse risks, it is among the duties of the employer to protect them by ensuring their safety no matter what it is they are doing. Risks usually common while working alone could range from falls to burns or even crashes at a site. Hence risk assessment is very necessary, companies must access situations where they are working and know the possible risks their workers might undergo and then get solutions to them. Using technology in recent times has become a factor that has grown the population of lone workers. It is suddenly a believe there is a device they can rely on that could guarantee their safety and relay SOS messages in an automated manner if anything were to happen. We would be looking at some industries, the risks they face and the solutions that have a very high chance of changing things. The industries are:

1. Agricultural industries: lone workers at the agriculture sectors are either working with animals or operating machinery, workers in this field are prone to many risks as they work. In the UK agriculture has 18 times higher than other sectors fatal injury cases. The health challenges faced by these lone workers are however not to be ignored. There are many risks that are faced by workers on the farm, these risks are generated from doing jobs like working on the field with heavy vehicles and also moving materials by hand. According to a health safety report in the UK people dealing with animals are at high risk of getting injured. These risks could include. Some risks involved are:

• Falls from a height could result in injuries that are fatal, being trapped by collapsing equipment or logs resulted in a further 3 deaths in 2017 in the UK. A similar thing could happen anywhere in the world.
• Injuries are sustained a lot when working with animals, working with cattle was the biggest farm killer in 2017. It accounted for 33 fatalities.
• Moving tractors could hit workers and eventually injure or kill them. There is also a huge risk for those driving safety concerns around moving vehicles is important.

These problems must be checked and addressed while creating solutions to protect workers safety, conducting regular training can be very useful. Seasonal changes must be paid attention to, there should be updates to animal handling and equipment used. Machinery and equipment with vehicles must be well maintained and serviced, protective clothing must also be provided. All tasks must be well considered if they’ll require supervision or pairing up in a buddy system to get the job done. Also, ensure that monitor and check-in systems are working perfectly well. Most importantly use a lone worker safety solution that makes the process easy and effective. The best to rely on would be technology.

2. Mining industry: whoever owns or manages a mine is in charge of ensuring that the risks associated with any individual working alone is completely evaluated. Measures to ensure control of situation is also implemented, while working underground there is a legislative for workers working alone to be inspected and regularly visited at least every 2 hours. Depending on the hazardous nature of working in a place alone, then no work should be alone and when working with others must always remain in their line of sight. While working at a mine it is important you comply with the laws abiding the country or state mining rules. Some risks of working at a mine are:

• Coal dusts: these dust could be very harmful and knock out a worker in minutes
• Collapse of tunnel
• UV exposure
• Thermal stress
• Chemical hazards

While working at the mines, the supervisors should ensure that:

• There are all aware of the high risks hazards and that all communication is being adhered to
• All measures practices must be taken to control hazards and minimize the risk associated with work
• They must be familiar with the appropriate safety equipment and its location.

When a worker is down it is essential he gets attention as soon as possible. There are to be measures put in place to reduce time between an accident and medical attention. Some of these measures are:

1. Video surveillance cameras should be used
2. Lone workers must frequently make contact with other workers in the mine

• A two-way radio communication device should be used

1. A private duress alarm system can be used.

3. Construction industry: workers in the construction face a particularly unique problem of social and environmental risks, this includes robbery and also on site injuries. There is a sub sector of the construction work that requires lone working or having to work in small groups and it includes tasks such as: building new things, making alterations to already made buildings or even performing maintenance on an existing structure. Those in construction work are often involved in working far above the ground elevation and this could be quite dangerous. Working with heavy equipment and machinery also put them at substantial environmental risk. According to the bureau of labor statistics the US; falls, slips or trips caused 699 workers fatalities in 2013. Additionally, the same report stated that in that same year 717 work fatalities resulted from contact with a sharp object. Lone workers do their own projects with no one around to supervise them or even notify them if anything goes wrong. There are four events that lead to workers death at construction sites. They are named as the fatal four, they are:
   1. Electrocution (about 9%)
   2. Being struck by an object (over 10%)
   3. Falls (over 36%)
   4. Being caught between industry equipment (2.5%)

While these employees face a greater environmental risk than most other industry, they are not limited to this type of risk. Due to the lone nature of their job and odd hours of working they also face social risks. They need to pay close attention to their environment and everything happening around them too.

Due to the nature of the job done by a lone worker, it is important that they have a very good worker solution that could help remove the risks these jobs come with. Some devices that can be utilized by the management are:

• Ensuring employees wear correct protective gears
• Health and safety training
• Clear display signs
• Correctly constructing and maintaining scaffolding
• Inspection of tools and equipment regularly
• Fall sensors
• Safe Check system: this means that a guard checks in at regular intervals by responding to automated prompt
• SOS tools: this could be used to send an alarm when a worker is being harassed while on site

4. Manufacturing industries: this industry performs the role of converting raw materials to valuable products, teams work in about 20 subsectors which includes paper, plastic, food, electronics and biotech & pharma. To get a job done you employees need to spend long hours of work with heavy duty equipment in performing production activities. Ensuring the health of workers in this industry is very important, these workers are the most important asset to any industry. According to the bureau of labor statistics in the United States, this particular industry reports more than 300 work causalities yearly. Also in 2013 and 2014 according to the health safety executives manufacturing industry accounted for about 10% of fatalities of the British workforce in the UK. Thousands of workers annually have accidents that make them permanently disabled, many of which are unable to work for life. The ability to send a quick emergency response can reduce the suffering of lone workers waiting for help and reduce the impact of long-term injury. Some work setting such as chemical plants presents more dangers than others. The threat of chemical spilling and the exposure adds to the urgency of an effective lone worker safety policy. Employees must ensure that anyone working alone with heavy equipment has proper protection.

To protect lone workers health, it is first important that the company first identify all the lone workers working under them before instituting policies to safeguard their health. This enables them know which safety standards need to be used, managers aren’t always aware of those working with them or those working with a close by the team. Identification of aspects that might increase vulnerability is important. Conducting a risk assessment is very imperative as it allows you to know what risk is being faced and helps you match it with the right approach. Lone workers safety policy is also very important to have since it takes risks identified into consideration. Lone workers should use the latest technology solutions for their jobs. Manufacturing industries should be fitted with a telecommunications device that would allow a quick response when there is an incident.  Lone workers in the manufacturing industries face more risks than the group workers, it is very important the industry has a good policy and also a working lone worker solution.

5. Electricity: working with electricity can be very dangerous, workers at an electricity distribution industry face the risk of being electrocuted if they touch power lines carelessly or contact a grid system. Carrying maintenance on a remote site power system can also be a dangerous job too. When working alone there is that large chance of being in danger this is due to the high risks of hazards posed by the electricity industry, receiving aid and help also becomes a very hard task since the workers are inaccessible. Many times receiving immediate support or medical help could literally be the difference between a life changing minor and fatal injury. Some risks faced are:
   1. Faults in line which could cause a flame
   2. Contacts with life wire that could cause shock and burns

• Fire or explosion where electricity could be the source of ignition in a potentially flammable or explosive atmosphere.

As an employer, it becomes your duty to ensure some of the following is done to ensure lives are safe. They are:

• All electrically powered equipment is suitable for use
• The correct cable connector or coupler must be used to join a length of cable to together, the taped joint must be avoided they often result in sparks
• The socket-outlet must not be overloaded by the use of adaptors

6. Oil and gas industry: The oil industry like the electricity industry requires keen attention also and the lone workers safety must be ensured, when inspecting pipelines and leakages there are dangers. Sprain and strain are among the most common types of injuries suffered by employees in the oil and gas sector. Some of the risks suffered while working in the oil and gas sector are:
   1. Hydrocarbon release(this can be very harmful and dangerous)
   2. Fire or a sudden explosion
   3. Dropping of large and heavy objects

These risks mentioned above could cause major injury or even death in some cases, if a worker is alone it makes it worse since they can suffer fatal injury if not quickly attended to. The lone workers are the ones faced with the most dangerous of duty, they face hazards like slips, trips, falls, cuts and even get exposed to very toxic and flammable gases. Most oil refineries, offshore rigs, and even factories are also considered as explosive hazardous areas. These areas are often filled with flammable gases, mists, dust, liquids or vapors that could cause huge explosions. By all these, it becomes quite imperative that the organization has to use some technological devices like the iHelp that would help with two-way communication that doubles as tracker and also has fall detectors. The company should ensure these are also done to guarantee the safety of the lone workers. They are:

• Risk assessment
• Fire safety
• Training

7. Sanitary industry: the sanitary industry relates to the health industry and refers to all care in homes and nursing homes too. Staff usually function as part of a team. They might be spread out sometimes according to their duties and roles to play, this time they become lone workers since everyone now has to perform their own role while alone. They do get general support from their colleagues however but this is usually on time shifts. In addition, occasionally staff might be required by the company to accompany a resident to an appointment or on a trip out. These trips usually include lots of lone working. In domiciliary care staffing, they are usually with issues since they are usually placed alone in the service user’s homes without immediate support from colleagues and supervisors. The risks involved in this include:

• Increased risks of accidents, injury or even ill health
• Increased vulnerability e.g where there is violence, sudden illness, fire or other emergencies

Now that the risks have been seen we move to look at what can be done by the organization to ensure the health of workers isn’t compromised. Duties of the employer are:

1. Understanding their legal responsibilities as the employer
2. Ensuring that risk assessment is carried out and strategies are implemented

• Ensuring that lone workers have the necessary resources and training

1. Have the procedure to deal with a lone workers accident
2. Ensure they provide them with mobile phones and GPS trackers to improve communication and work.

8. Finance industry: this industry has to do with money and financial issues, lone workers here are more prone to social attacks than any other type of challenge. There is always that notion people believe whoever deals with money has money or can always give them access to these funds. This puts but the workers in financial institutions in a pinch when alone, they get robbed and harassed on the request they should provide money. These risks have brought some physical and even emotional trauma to many workers as they feel their safety is no longer guaranteed once they are aligned with a financial industry. Some risks these workers face are:
   1. gunpoint robbery
   2. abduction from the place of work

• requesting forceful access to financial institutions to steal funds

Some of the solutions that could be provided by the employers are:

• providing communication devices they can use to communicate and report a robbery
• giving trackers to help locate this workers in cases of abduction from work station
• providing some training to workers that enable them to expect and are prepared for situations such as that

9. Insurance industry: the insurance industry deals mainly in ensuring indemnity against future occurrences. This means they need worker to keep the insurance business working. Lone working comes in play here when they need an individual to go speak to another company of a big company owner to ask they insure his company. This might sound like just a very simple and easy tasks to get done without breaking a sweat however, it isn’t as easy as perceived. Many times these lone workers have to travel far and near and many instances leading to unforeseen situations can occur. A lone worker might be attacked by some animal, they might be robbed, they can be sexually abused since they are human, they could get caught up in situations that are dangerous and the individuals might also get ill along the way or even lost. To this end, it is necessary that the employer puts many programs in place to ensure they help their worker and keep them safe. Some of these are:
   1. providing vehicle to convey their staffs or lone worker to their location, they can even get a private driver this prevents a lot form going wrong
   2. risk assessment of the duty

• providing communication devices to the worker to enable good communication at all times

1. using GPS trackers would help in knowing the location of workers at every point in time
2. providing lone working staffs equipment for self-defense is also very essential

10. Real estate industry: A big concern for people who work in the property sector (realtor, real estate agents, and property managers, letting agents) is their safety. It is the nature of this industry that agents often work alone- at clients’ property or with prospective buyers or renters, which makes them particularly vulnerable to the risk of injury by the actions and behaviors of other people. You just never know for sure what you’re going to find behind that door. Naturally working alone increases the risk of any job, for agents who are isolated from help and support of colleagues, delay in getting help from medical or emergency services can dramatically increase the severity and consequences of the injury. However these agents are not only in the risk of other people but also roads accidents, trips, falls illnesses and even medical emergency are all real hazards that need to be anticipated and prepared for. The world is changing and there is a tonne of hazard waiting out there. It is impossible to always know where you are going to or the type of people you’ll meet there also. there are some solutions to dealing with some of these risk, they are:
    1. Never assume safety and never assume a property is safe
    2. Don’t assume the client is safe and risk free, the job is risk itself

• The employer should get enough details on clients

1. There should be a number to call or an individual to reach in cases of emergencies
2. Lone workers must be trained on importance of always keeping a phone charged, on person and always on speed dial
3. The company should provide an effective line of communication for their workers, these lines should be able to communicate with office, supervisor, buddy system and the police

• Providing a panic button for workers can be very important as it would be able to activate alert discreetly.
• Some basic self-defense training should be given to these workers

All these industries all have their diverse risks, but it is common to all that technology especially with communication devices has solved most of these risks that these workers would face. It however becomes necessary the worker use their discretion and are always conscious of their environment. They must remember that their work bears a lot of risks and they can’t all be dealt with and attended to immediately. Workers safety in the end, falls in the hands of the worker and the employers

Critical Success Factor of Implementing Lone Worker Solutions (A10004)

Lone worker solutions are the methods used in dealing with the risks that lone workers can face while attending to their duties. It is well known that lone workers are prone to get injured and having life-threatening accidents, but it is also important that proper risk assessment is done to enable the employer to know what could happen. With this knowledge of the possibility of what could happen, it is possible to create solutions to these risks. This is what a lone workers solution basically entails. It is a practice of monitoring the safety of employees that are exposed to lots of risks, this is due to the working conditions of their location and the fact that they work alone being isolated from others. In the event of an emergency, there is no one to call out to neither is there anyone to reach for help.  There are now numerous methods of lone workers solution that is utilized by companies and organization worldwide. Some of these methods are:

1. Safety monitoring device: with the aid of dedicated monitoring devices used for monitoring local environmental conditions such as: dangerous gas, seismic activity or even acidity of an area. The smartphone-based technology is able to account for all of this hence promoting the safety of individuals that would be working at such a site. Devices are however not carried as they could hinder work; they are usually carried or clipped to the lone workers safety suit as part of their dressing, they can also be attached to ID badge or a piece of vital equipment.

Pros

• With these devices, you can foretell an impending danger
• They can double as trackers to find the worker

Cons

• If taken off it would be unable to do its work

In many cases, this system lacks monitoring and proper training which is very important for its success. Its success rate isn’t so high since it is not completely possible to know if the workers are using or just see it as junks and drop it off before commencing work. To ensure that it’s used, proper training must be given to a worker to enable them to know how imperative it is that they use the monitoring devices especially before they commence work. The company should endeavor to buy a device that is lightweight and less complicated with “1, 2, 3 steps” for usage.

2. Buddy system: employees can be paired to ensure the safety of one of them is handled by the other in the case of an accident. This system involves placing to workers together to ensure they are “brother’s keeper” this way the safety of one becomes a responsibility of the other. It is a very efficient method as certain tasks where radio frequencies and EM waves wouldn’t allow for communication, the buddy system could ensure in case of emergency one applies first aid for the other.

Pros

• Reporting an incident is very prompt with such system
• One worker treats the other in any case of an accident

Cons

• An accident could involve both workers making the buddy system not so effective

The buddy system as perfect as it sounds isn’t, it lacks the consideration of the fact that an incident might occur and put both the workers in harms way making it impossible for either to communicate. The chances of this method being successful are about half, in many cases, things can go wrong affecting both workers. It will be good to ensure that the two workers are equipped with equipment that can send reports to the company if both of them are simultaneously down. Technology-based methods are now preferred over manual methods such as the buddy system

3. Phone-based check-in system: this a system whereby time is given whereby a worker has to call and report on the status of work. Having this regular calling interval helps the organization to know their work is okay and the job is going on smoothly. This type of call is usually made hourly or bi-hourly. There are two approaches used to these ends they are:
4. Call center driven: this means you can just call through the mobile carries using call tariffs
5. Cloud-based automated monitoring: this could employ software as a service model, this utilizes data through a particular software to connect both parties for online communication.

Pros

• Hourly/bi-weekly you can get status reports from the workers
• It becomes easy to know if something is wrong

Cons

• Calling via tariffs could be quite expensive especially when they have nothing to report
• After a call, an accident might occur and if by the next call it is discovered it might be too late to render help.

The phone-based check-in method requires a person in good health to take his time and call these methods could be quite unreliable as a worker might be critically down and immobile. To increase its success rates it could be used with sensors and trackers that send alarms in case of danger. This method should be used with other equipment and not solely relied upon

4. Safety monitoring smartphone application: with the popular on-demand smartphones and the ever-evolving smartphone technology, the development of an application that enables workers to request for help is now very possible. With the launch and taps of some buttons, a worker would get help coming as soon as possible at whatever location they are needed using the GPS technology these apps can utilize for tracking. These apps can sometimes have a panic button or allow quick check-ins without needing calls. Some smartphone apps allow for the hands-free trigger as well, this could involve pulling a tether from the headphone jack. This is way lone workers can quickly signal for help without unlocking their phones.

Pros

• Easy to use and report through
• With apps, you can monitor your workers real-time

Cons

• Setting up requires a technical expert to create
• Custom apps are usually expensive to set up and build
• Requires internet access, it might be difficult to report where there is no internet.

These methods requires a good internet connection to communicate steadily since it is a system built around technology and is automated it is amongst the most successful methods being used. Internet connectivity might affect its success rate as it needs the internet to send reports and trigger SOS alarms. The smartphone method is very important and has recorded many upvotes from the user experience.

Implementing a lone worker solution must be considered for the safety of the workers especially, but beyond choosing a method it might be best to incorporate while also checking the success rates of such solutions.

Implementing Man Down System / Lone Worker Safety (A10002)

A lone worker is someone who performs an activity that is carried out in isolation from other workers without close or direct supervision. Such staff may be exposed to risk because there is no-one to assist them. The seriousness of the issue can be understood by these facts. According to International data corporation (IDC) 1.3 billion people work in a remote area around the globe and 53 million are lone workers in the USA, Canada, and Europe only. This raises the concern of safety for these workers, the common issues are slip or fall, trips, vehicle collision, electrical fires, and chemical exposure. As per the report of the International labor organization, 6300 people die due to work-related incidents or diseases and 317 million occupational incident occurs annually.

Looking at these facts if we see in organizations, they are mostly using manual methods rather than going for the modern solution. Firstly, in this article, we will talk about currently used methods, secondly the risk assessment tool that organization should use to understand the level of risk related to particular job than to ensure the safety of lone workers by adopting latest technology so in last we will suggest modern technology that helps organization to eliminate these issues.

Currently, how does the company Ensure lone worker safety:

• Personal Protective Equipment’s (PPEs): Organizations currently are providing personal protective equipment (PPEs) to lone workers which help them in the work. For example, if a lone worker is doing electricity related work, the organization will provide them safety glasses, face shields, hard hats, safety shoes, insulating gloves, and other safety tools.
• Regular visit and frequent communication: If a lone worker is working in a remote area, the organization visit them regularly to see how he is working. Similarly, daily communication is also done through radio and phones.
• Emergency alarms: Its placed in the premises of the organization, a lone worker can activate this when he is feeling any danger.
• Non-verbal Cues: Another most common way is to place signs on the dangerous areas. For example, when the floor is wet, there is a sign placed there. However, overuse of signs also leads to accidents where lone work doesn’t understand the meaning of the signs. That’s why the organization must give them proper knowledge about signs.
• Automatic warning system: It’s an automatic system that sends warnings when fire or explosion happens. It’s one of the common tools that almost every organization uses.

PET Analysis: It’s a risk assessment tool that helps to understand the risk related to the job of lone workers. PET Analysis has three components, People, Environment and task.

• People: the organization must see the history of violence, aggression or criminal activities of a lone worker. do they have any health issues? They must also see their experience of working alone.
• Environment: In that organization must look for what is the risk associated with the environment. Does phone work where lone workers are going, are they working on height and other issues related to the environment.
• Task: what is the risk related to the task of lone workers such as dealing with cash, enforcing a rule, working with chemicals or another complex task.

After doing this analysis company goes for a modern solution like one described below. iHelp is the full package solution that can help the organization to cope up with the issues that lone workers are facing.

Technology to Ensure Lone worker Safety:

If we see a lone worker do not want anyone to supervise them, they want to enjoy their freedom by working alone and at the same time, they demand safety and security. Looking at this situation technology is the only solution that is better than currently used manual methods as well. The one-point solution is provided by the ihelp-man down system which is the world’s smallest 3G GPS tracker device. It a small device so lone workers will not feel irritated while carrying the device. It also has the GPS tracker which sends continuously location to the organization. It has an amazing super accurate falling detection system when a person falls it automatically sends the message with location to the organization to take immediate measures which can save lone worker’s life. Apart from that is has a button on the device when a person feels any danger, he can press the button and it sends the location to the management. Its two-way communication enables you to talk with lone workers whenever you want to and have continuous information.

Way to Encourage Adoption of Man Down System (A10003)

The lone workers like autonomy, they want to work alone, and they do not want someone to supervise them but at the same time, they also want safety and security measures to protect their lives. Employees are resistance to change, introducing solutions or system To Ensure their safety might not be so welcoming. Therefore, it’s a challenge for an organization to increase the usage of the lone worker’s solution. For that first, they have to remove any barriers related to lone worker’s solution and then they should take measures to increase the usage of the lone worker’s solution.

Common Barriers:

• it’s not necessary to carry devices: Many lone workers feel it’s not necessary to carry devices, it will only waste their time and attention. They also assume what happened to others will not happen with them. That’s why it’s important for managers to give them full knowledge and how it can reduce the potential risk associated with the lone workers.
• Lone Workers do not know how to use: Lone worker’s solution has many features and that’s why it is hard for lone workers to understand how it operates. Therefore, organizations must provide the proper guidelines about these lone workers’ solution devices.
• Fear of activating the alarm by mistake: Many lone workers fear that their small mistake can activate the alarm especially in the ‘’ man down system’ ’therefore they must be able to adjust the device setting and off the alert when its activities by mistake.
• Irritations in the work: Employees resist to use devices because they think it will irritate them while doing their jobs, that’s why the organization should use the latest technology like the ihelp-man down system which is the world’s smallest GPS tracking device described in the last section of the article. Apart from that organizations can tell the about cost-benefit relationship of having the devices, which means if they do not use the devices it may cost their lives.
• Mistrust of device: Lone worker’s solutions have a GPS system in the device that’s why many workers fear to be tracker other than the job. Therefore, it creates mistrust for the device.
• Fear of change: It’s human nature, we all resist change but however once the benefits are communicated through awareness, we are likely to follow the change. Similarly, organizations must properly communicate and try to reduce the fear in the usage of solutions related to lone workers.

Give them a part in decision making:

If you are looking for where to invest in the lone worker’s solution, then it’s a great opportunity to take the input of the lone workers. Involving them in the decision-making process will increase their commitment to use the devices. However, if you already have solutions related to the lone workers you can ask them what the potential barriers lone workers are facing, how can these solutions be improved, and other input related to the enhancement of the system.

Training: Lone worker’s safety solutions come with the bulk of features that’s why it’s important for an organization to help lone workers to understand how these things work. By doing this we can reduce many potential barriers that we explained above.

Carrot and stick Approach: by using this approach organizations should reward those who are using lone workers’ safety devices properly. On the other hand, it should impose penalties on those who are not using it as per instruction. Doing this organization creates incentives for those who are doing well and at the same time discourage those who are going against the organization’s policies.

Master your lone worker solution with ihelp-Man down system:

You can master your lone worker solution by using one device which provides you full solution related to the lone worker’s risks. Yes, its ihelp-man down system which is the world’s smallest 3G GPS tracking device. It’s easy to carry so lone workers will not feel irritate while carrying it during the job and at the same time it has a user-friendly operation that is easy to understand by lone workers. It has one button on the device, a lone worker can press in while he is any danger which will send alert to the organization with the location. Its amazing super accurate fall sensors will send message to the organization when lone work fall from somewhere so it can save the life of lone worker through timely first aid. Apart from that, it has a two-way voice communication system which will play a key role for the organization to be in touch with lone workers.

In conclusion, to increase the usage of lone workers solution organizations must break the barriers first and then take input of lone workers, train them, use carrot and stick approach to ensure the use of safety devices. Organizations should use devices like ihelp to master the lone worker’s solutions by using one device which includes all solutions.