Lone Working: The Dangers It Presents
23/12/2022
Lone working is common practice in the UK. In fact, it accounts for over 20 per cent of the nation’s workforce.
And those operating in isolated environments are often more vulnerable to workplace risks.
Especially when it comes to accidents, injuries, and fatalities. Today we’re going to highlight just how important it is to protect workers who work on their own.
Why lone working is so common in the UK
Lone working is so common in the UK because we are country built on industry and have a host of sectors where one person is required to carry out a specific job.
Examples of lone workers can be electricians, delivery drivers, maintenance staff, postal workers, and engineers.
Emergency situations most certainly become more problematic for workers in isolated environments. If no-one is around to react quickly, the consequences can be disastrous.
Businesses can take things lightly in respect to protecting these kind of workers. Each should have open communication with either other people within the business, or with their next of kin.
They should in essence be treated with almost too much due diligence and care because it should always be safety first in these types of situations.
One fall, slip, heated conversation can be fatal. That’s exactly the attitude business leaders should take for lone working.
Lone working in dangerous environments
We work with a lot of chemical manufacturers, oil and gas companies, and water suppliers. Due to the nature of their work, and their surroundings, lone workers are put into a position where other workers need to know their safe.
This notion is backed up by an unfortunate incident that took place back in 2013.
A father of two was working to unblock a filter at the Falmouth Water Treatment Works and fell through a hole and plunged into 6.5ft of water.
He triggered the company’s lone worker alarm system, but it wasn’t until 90 minutes later than someone went to check on him – only to find him dead.
It led to South West Water receiving a £1.8 million fine, with a judge claiming the incident was an “accident waiting to happen”.
The incident led to the company reviewing its lone working procedures, but the fact it was able to take place is a reminder that every business should consider carefully how they protect lone workers.
Protecting lone workers with two-way radios
There are many ways to protect those working in isolated environments. But at the heart of every solution, there needs to be one common goal – making sure their welfare is priority number one.
One potential option for protecting lone workers is using a two-way radio that comes with a feature known as Lone Worker.
And it’s designed for exactly who says on the tin. From a centralised dispatch system, a supervisor can send out pre-timed welfare checks to a lone worker via their radio device.
A periodic alarm will be sent to their radio, and they respond accordingly to let the other person know they are fine, without having to be manually checked on all the time.
If the user doesn’t respond, an emergency alarm will be triggered – alerting users to go and check on the lone worker.
The lone worker is also able to raise an emergency alarm themselves, which then speeds up response time in precarious situations.
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