RiskXtraDecember2018

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RISKXtra
BSIA Briefing
Back in 2013, Andrew Lacovou was brutally
murdered during a morning robbery at the
Ladbrokes outlet where he was lone
working. Just last month, a security officer
suffered a fractured cheekbone when he was
attacked after challenging a group of men
outside a Hampshire Bowling Centre, while
another was severely assaulted with a bicycle
seat and post outside a supermarket when
refusing entry to someone who was under the
influence of alcohol.
There’s a great deal of evidence that staff
classified as ‘lone workers’ are more likely to
be subjected to physical violence, aggression
and abuse. For front line and customer-facing
staff, this may be as a result of dealing with
angry customers, preventing theft, enforcing
rules or managing unacceptable behaviour.
Sadly, in today’s society we have to consider
the potential for particularly nasty incidents
such as knife attacks, sexual assault, acid
attacks and even major terrorist incidents.
While these kinds of incidents are very rare,
they can and do have an impact on the fear
levels and confidence of those working alone.
Lone working can also have an impact on
more general Health and Safety risks. Although
there’s nothing to suggest that a lone worker is
more likely to have a medical emergency or be
taken ill, there’s a very real potential for an
increase in the level of harm where help cannot
be summoned quickly. Similarly, if the lone
worker has an accident, without some means of
calling for assistance, any injury sustained may
increase in severity.
Aside from specific incidents, it’s commonly
accepted that working alone (and especially so
for long periods of time or in high pressure
situations) can increase levels of stress, which
in turn may well have a detrimental impact on a
given individual’s mental health and well-being.
These effects can place the businesses that
employ lone workers under extra strain, which
might then lead to business interruption, the
potential for prosecution or legal action, the
loss of staff, an impact on staff morale or
damage to brand and reputation. How, then,
can today’s organisations ensure that they’ve
fulfilled their legal and moral responsibility for
the safety of their lone workers?
Assessing the risks
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE)
definition of a lone worker is straightforward:
“Those that work by themselves without close
or direct supervision”. It makes no reference to
timespan and/or place of work. Organisations
often forget those people who only occasionally
lone work just for short periods of time, or who
Ensuring the Safety of
Lone Workers
Lone workers are more likely to be subjected to physical
violence, aggression and abuse while in the course of their
duty. As almost 25% of the working population can be
classed in this category, it’s important to ensure the safety –
both physically and mentally – of such employees. On behalf
of the British Security Industry Association, Nicole Vazquez
outlines the main points to note for today’s organisations
are left in the office when everyone else goes
out and about. It’s important for businesses to
capture and record episodes of lone working
wherever and whenever it occurs.
Once acknowledged, risk assessments
should identify how lone working can impact
existing risks or create new ones. The HSE has
set a benchmark that states: “Lone workers
should not be put at more risk than other
employees”. In reality, this can be a hard
standard to reach. There will be extra controls
needed and it may mean that certain tasks are
assessed as simply being too dangerous (and
uncontrollable) to be carried out by one person.
If lone working makes up a large element of
an organisation’s activities, then a Lone Worker
Policy is the ideal place to set out a new ethos
and approach towards lone working and its
associated risks. Working procedures are vital
and offer workers clear guidance and set
expectations and responsibilities for day-to-day
activities. It’s still common to come across
organisations where the procedures written for
lone working neither match the ethos in their
Nicole Vazquez:
Director of Worthwhile Training
15
www.riskxtra.com>