Lone workers are people who are required to on their own without close or direct supervision from senior staff or peers. Though they will be trained and well equipped to perform their duties, they are at a higher risk purely on the basis of being on their own.
To comply with health and safety best practice, businesses that have employees classified as lone workers should provide them with a mechanism for keeping in touch.
Solutions for keeping in touch
The lone worker communication solutions available fall into two categories – proactive and reactive. Proactive systems automatically report changes to activity levels without worker intervention, while workers need to trigger an alert on a reactive system. Both have their advantages and drawbacks. Let’s explore these now.
Proactive systems
Proactive systems include such devices as two-way radios with in-built lone worker protection. These devices remind workers to check in periodically but also trigger automatically in the event of unexpected impact or a prolonged period of inactivity, alerting supervisors to the need to check on the worker’s welfare.
Reactive systems
Reactive systems can be two-way radios or wireless call buttons such as https://www.dinggly.com/products/wireless-call-buttons/, which a worker presses to alert a supervisor if they need help or backup.
Combining systems
The best solution is a combined system, in which workers have proactive technology but also access to immediate backup via a reactive system. Eliminating the gaps that exist between the technologies is the most effective way to ensure lone workers are protected.