LONEALERT September Newsletter

Taking your services to the
NEXT LEVEL with O.W.L updates
We are delighted to be taking
LONEALERT’s services to its customers
to the next level, with the addition of extra
capacity and security features to The
O.W.L operating system that will provide
even more protection for lone workers
from all walks of life.
All customers were given prior warning of
behind-the-scenes improvement works to
the unique operating system.
The scheduled work, which took place
between 23:00 and 23:45 on July 3rd,
was the first of a small number of system
upgrades that will take place over the
coming months to allow us to continue
offering the very best
protection to all of
our lone workers.
Customers will be
10,000
LONEALERT is responsible for
protecting more than 10,000
lone workers from across the
UK & the world. Each of our
devices and solutions work
in conjunction with the
O.W.L to ensure the very best
protection, whatever their
working circumstances
kept informed of any
upcoming improvement
works going
forward, which will be
scheduled to cause
minimal disruption to
our thousands of lone
workers.
LONEALERT employs
an in-house team
of IT experts who
work to constantly
develop the technological
capabilities
of its systems and
software so we can
fulfil our promise of offering only the best
protection to all lone workers.
The result of this ongoing effort is The
O.W.L - the BS8484-compliant, unique,
highly advanced, responsive and intuitive
operating system that is at the heart of our
lone worker protection solutions.
As the behind-the-scenes mechanics of all
of our solutions, The O.W.L has undergone
a complete redesign, rebuild and transformation
into the most advanced lone
worker management tool available - and
these system upgrades form part of our
ongoing dedication to continually improving
its capabilities.
The O.W.L enables all of LONEALERT’s
lone working devices to send alerts in any
given situation. Once an alarm has been
raised the system will automatically notify
staff who monitor and respond to lone
worker alarms so the right response can
be actioned immediately.
The O.W.L is integral in supporting businesses
to manage and locate; control and
comply; respond and review their lone
working staff efficiently, and in a responsible
manner. Mathew Colley, LONEALERT’s
Sales & Marketing Manager, said: “We
protect around 10,000 lone and vulnerable
workers from
all walks of life.
Each of their
circumstances,
job roles
and risks are
different, which
is why it is so
important to
have a system
that is flexible
and can be tailored
to meet
their individual
needs. The
O.W.L is designed
to improve
business
efficiencies
for everyone
we work with. Investing in a lone worker
solution can be a significant investment
for an employer, so we want to ensure our
lone worker solution provides you with a
return on investment that you can easily
demonstrate to staff at all levels.
“Just like the industry, we never stand still
at LONEALERT and are constantly looking
for ways to improve and expand to ensure
we offer only the very best lone worker
protection, whatever the situation. Thank
you to everyone for their understanding
whilst any system upgrades and improvement
work takes place.”
Is it time to
change the
definition of a
lone worker?
A commonly occurring question is: “What
is the definition of a lone worker?” This is
quite a difficult question to answer, as the
HSE’s version is:
“Someone who works by themselves
without close or direct supervision”.
According to the HSE, lone workers
include those who:
•work from a fixed base, such as one
person working alone on a premises (eg,
shops, petrol stations etc);
•work separately from others on the
same premises (eg security staff) or work
outside normal hours;
•work away from a fixed base (eg, maintenance
workers, health care workers,
environment inspectors);
•work at home (homeworkers); and
•mobile workers (eg, taxi drivers)
However, this is quite vague, and can
lead to a wide range of interpretations
from businesses. At LONEALERT, we will
now be expanding on this definition to incorporate
circumstances where workers
may not necessarily be physically alone,
but still require effective lone worker
protection:
“Anyone who works alone, without
close or direct supervision, or with a
colleague who would not understand
the risks or know what to do in an
emergency”.
Mat Colley, LONEALERT Sales &
Marketing Manager, said: “I heard this
description recently, and it is one that
we will now be adopting at LONEALERT
when asked to give a definition of a lone
worker.
“An example of someone who fits this bill
could be a someone working with a new
starter/young person/apprentice. E.g. the
new starter is not a lone worker as their
colleague has experience both of the role
and life experiences. However the ‘old
hand’ is a lone worker as the reverse is
not true.
“I think this definition gives a bit more
meat to the bone and also expands on
the misconception that lone workers are
just people who are physically alone.”
Introducing a lone worker protection system
is only half of the story. It’s vital that
your company culture fully understands
and embraces the need to protect lone
workers, by training and educating staff
about its importance, as well as its use
and management, so your solution can
do its job properly.
Here are 5 reasons why training is vital
for lone worker protection to be effective
- and how to implement it.
1) Allows workers to feel connected
with the business and
promotes the overall wellbeing
of lone working staff
Why this training is important:
Lone workers, by the very nature of
their job, can feel isolated and disconnected
from the business, which in turn
can have a huge impact on their mental
health and wellbeing. Providing effective
training allows for two-way dialect
between the lone worker/line manager,
improving company and worker morale.
Training themes could encompass:
•Working alone doesn’t mean you are
alone
•Providing programmes on mental health
and wellbeing
•Adopting an ‘open door’ policy
•Risk assessment training
•Encouraging communication
•Role play activities
2) Increases productivity and
confidence in lone working employees,
so that they know help
is available at all times
Why this training is important:
Explaining how the system and the
devices work together at all times emphasises
to the lone worker that they
aren’t ever really alone - and that help is
available at the press of a button should
the worst ever happen. Statistics show
that having this peace of mind increases
their confidence within their role and
their employer, ultimately leading to an
increase in productivity.
Training themes could encompass:
•1/2 day LONEALERT training on the devices
you have purchased and how they
work in conjunction with the O.W.L
3) Illustrates how lone workers
can effectively defuse potentially
threatening situations
for those who work in volatile
environments
Why this training is important:
Working in potentially hostile environments
can create panic if a situation was
to get out of hand. Training your lone
workers effectively will give them the
tools and skills needed to be able handle
5 reasons why lone
worker protection
the situation calmly and appropriately, as
well as illustrating just how effective their
lone worker device and solution can be
in getting them help quickly if needed.
Highlighting the risks they face - as well
as how to safely negotiate any potentially
volatile situations - will give them greater
peace of mind that the company is investing
heavily in protecting their safety.
Training could encompass:
•Role play activities
•Device training in heated situations
•Understanding check-in and check-out
and the frequency
4) Helps employees to understand
what should happen
in an emergency and how to
effectively and efficiently respond
to alarms raised by lone
workers.
Why this training is important:
Many employees need to understand
exactly what happens in the event of an
alarm being raised.
Imagine being woken by an Alarm
Receiving Centre call at 2am to be told
that a member of staff has activated an
alarm. It has been verified and the police
are en route, and you need to enact your
organisation’s response protocols. What
are these? What is the first call the manager
needs to make? How does he notify
next of kin (if at all)?
These questions - and the answers to
them - all form part of each organisation’s
escalation procedure, and staff
training is vital
need proper and thorough training and
support to obtain a clear set of guidelines
in order to respond appropriately,
quickly and calmly.
Training could encompass:
•Role play activities
•Training of the lone worker system The
O.W.L
•Knowing your company’s escalation
procedures
•Establishing emergency procedures
5) Provides adequate risk assessments
and emphasises the
importance of these to ensure
competency in safety matters
Why this is important:
This provides lone workers with a clear
set of limits of what can and cannot be
done whilst working alone. It’s especially
important employers ensure that lone
workers are competent to deal with new
or unfamiliar tasks, or those beyond the
scope of training, so they are aware of
when to stop work and seek advice from
a line manager/supervisor.
Training could encompass:
•Mock risk assessments to illustrate how
the lone worker identifies foreseeable
events
•Providing information about emergency
procedures and danger to lone workers
visiting your site
•Identifying how a lone worker responds
to emergencies
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