LONEALERT Newsletter May 2020

NEWSLETTER

COVID-19 blog
Helping you to
keep your staff safe
Working together
to help us stay
safe apart
With the coronavirus pandemic meaning millions of people are
now working from home, there has never been a more important
time to protect lone and remote workers, as LONEALERT’s
Sales and Marketing Manager, Mathew Colley, discusses
In the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
country has come together in the most remarkable
way - by being apart.
As we deal with an unparalleled national crisis, the
most normal things in life that we have long taken
for granted - BBQs with friends in the back garden, evenings
in the beer garden and family meals surrounded by loved
ones - are currently on hold, as we work together towards a
post-coronavirus future.
Similarly, for workers from all walks of life, the script has been
well and truly ripped up.
For millions of us, home is now the office.
The response from employers and employees alike to transform
working practices in an instant in the interests of national
safety has been phenomenal.
But the cosmic shift in people’s lives and working habits -
implemented without precedent in just days - does bring with it
some headaches for company bosses, who remain responsible
for their workers’ safety and mental wellbeing from afar.
Remote working is now the new norm, and with the national
trend showing a growing army of UK workers were already
‘flexi’ working from home before panic over the pandemic
reached fever pitch, it is something that is likely to continue for
many people once the crisis is over.
The rise in remote working pre-pandemic has been on such a
scale that the Government body responsible for the research
and regulation of workplace health and safety recently released
new guidance specifically dealing with lone workers.
The new HSE guidance puts particular emphasis on the wellbeing
of workers - as well as their physical safety and security -
due to the amount of time they spend alone and unsupervised.
The guidance highlights the legal responsibility employers have
for assessing and controlling the risks in their workers’ workplaces
- even if this workplace is now, on the whole, their own
front room.
As we navigate through uncharted waters as a country, this
guidance comes at a welcome time for companies who had,
up until now, not had to consider the implications of keeping
lone workers safe and well.
There’s lots to consider when an entire workforce suddenly
becomes remote. Workers may feel increasingly detached,
whilst employers can feel like they’re losing grip on company
output without their usual overview of the centralised business
operation. At the same time, key operational staff still in the
field whose jobs cannot be conducted from home are now increasingly
isolated at work without supervision and interaction
with colleagues.
Out of sight should never be out of mind, though, even as we
are comprehending the new ‘normal’ - with workers setting up
makeshift offices in their spare rooms, and company bosses
desperately trying to maintain business operations at a distance
to keep their staff in a job.
Judging by the hundreds of social media posts over the past
ew days, video conference calls previously saved for quarterly
round-ups have now become part of the daily diary for many.
And as helpful (and often unintentionally hilarious) they can be
for virtually beaming a workforce together in one place, there’s
no reason why systems cannot be more robust to keep remote
workers safe and business moving - even if it was the last thing
you had considered only a couple of weeks ago.
Nobody could ever have prepared us for what we’re going
through as a country, but providing systems to keep lone
workers safe is what we do - and it is something that can be
addressed easily and cheaply within minutes.
We’re all in the same boat during these tough times, so to help
companies meet their obligations to safety we’ve removed
monthly premiums for our Access Range to allow you to
implement safety solutions for your newly-remote workers on
a rolling basis - which can be removed once they’re back in
the office when this crisis is over. And as always, there are no
connection fees or other upfront payments.
As well as keeping your workers connected with each other,
you can ensure they are keeping safe at home, whilst maintaining
a central visibility on workloads and tasks from afar, without
having to introduce any secondary processes.
There’s so many unprecedented issues facing businesses at
the moment, but ensuring your newly-remote workforce is safe
and happy - whilst keeping your operation moving - is one
headache you can do without.
Stay safe and well.
Mathew Colley
Sales & Marketing Manager
LONEALERT freezes
rates for lone worker
protection for 2020/21
LONEALERT has frozen all of
its prices at last year’s rates in
a bid to help companies keep
increasing numbers of lone
working staff safe.
The coronavirus pandemic
has led to a surge in the
number of people working remotely
from home, whilst increasing
absence levels have
seen workforces depleted.
LONEALERT already protects
tens of thousands of lone and
remote workers across the
UK - and as annual contracts
were due for renewal in April,
bosses made the decision to
freeze its prices as companies
across the UK face the
All companies
have a Duty of
Care to staff,
whether they
are in an office
or working from
home, alone
challenge of protecting their
workers in unprecedented
circumstances.
Mathew Colley, LO-
NEALERT’s Sales & Marketing
Manager, said: “The
COVID 19 crisis continues
to affect businesses from all
industries, and whilst it may
be tempting to cut costs at
this time, the issue of protecting
the safety and wellbeing
of lone workers has
never been more important.
“All companies have a
Duty of Care to their staff,
whether they are in an office
surrounded by colleagues,
or working from home alone.
“The benefits of having
an effective lone worker
protection system in place
are huge, but we understand
there are many companies
that have never had to consider
this before.
“Implementing an effective
and robust lone worker protection
system can be done
cheaply and quickly utilising
smartphones and existing
equipment, such as laptops
and desk phones.
“Additionally, we have frozen
prices for all of our devices
and services at last year’s
rates as a gesture to companies
that we are here to help
wherever we can during this
difficult time.”
HSE releases new guidance on protecting
safety and wellbeing of lone workers
The HSE has issued updated guidance for employers to protect the safety, security and wellbeing of lone workers.
This guidance - ‘Protecting lone workers: How to manage the risks of working alone’ - is particularly timely given the coronavirus
pandemic, which has seen millions of additional people now working remotely from home, or with within reduced workforces
due to absence. Prior to the pandemic, there had already been a huge increase in the numbers of people classed as lone
workers due to advances in technology that has allowed more flexible and remote working.
Although lone working is not often considered a risk in itself, with workers facing the same hazards as any other worker, there
are greater risks to consider due to the fact that they are working without close or direct supervision should problems arise.
The new guidance highlights this increasing trend of lone working nationally, whilst also highlighting the changing demographic
of workers, including ageing workforces and the increasing use of short-term contractors or freelancers.
All of these factors need to be considered by employers in their approach to health and safety to ensure they provide adequate
training, supervision, monitoring and support for their lone workers.
The guidance includes factors to be considered in risk assessments, including a lone worker’s environment and equipment, and
whether/how work activities can trigger incidents. It also features advice on protecting lone workers from work-related violence,
ensuring management maintain regular contact, and the impact lone working can have on stress, mental health and wellbeing.
Click here to access the complete HSE document
C
Some of the
benefits of having
an effective lone
worker system in
place:
• Ensuring safety of remote
working staff with ‘check
ins’ that trigger tailored
response procedures
• A centralised system that
keeps workers connected
with each other
• A management portal for
work to be assigned and
completed in allocated
timeframes to ensure staff
productivity
• Additional protection for
on-site workers at more risk
of physical harm, including
tailored response procedures
that detect accidents
and issue appropriate help
if needed
• Central overview of entire
business operation for
managers

Working together, from afar
Dozens join in community lone working webinar
Lone Worker
Safety Live hosts
its first webinar
Lone Worker Safety Live hosted
the first in its planned series of
community webinars to help
companies protect the health
and wellbeing of their lone and
remote workers. The webinar
was hosted by LWSL Director,
Nicole Vazquez, who also runs
Worthwhile Training.
Around 100 people joined
in the webinar on April 16th,
which focused on the ergonomics
of lone working, and
how company bosses can
ensure their staff have suitable
working environments at
home following the COVID-19
pandemic.
Dozens more have since
viewed the event on YouTube.
The webinar, called ‘Home
Working, Managing the New
‘Norm’. Ergonomics - A Holistic
Guide from the Experts’,
featured three guest speakers
(opposite) - Nigel Heaton, Ed
Milnes and Kirsty Angerer -
providing advice and guidance
about creating suitable
home working environments
for workers, including lighting
and air quality, whilst ensuring
It’s thinking
about the
bigger picture.
What hours
are people
working, and
with what
equipment?
appropriate risk assessments
are carried out under
the unprecedented circumstances.
Nicole said: “There was
a real mixture of people,
including those working in
security, housing, charities
and retail. Some are new to
home working themselves or
have teams that are working
from home for the first time.”
“Among the topics discussed
was the importance
of carrying out work station
risk assessments for people
sitting at home doing an
office job.
“It is all about thinking of
the bigger picture, such as
hours people are working
and the fact that they are sat
at desks longer, potentially
without the right equipment.
“Whilst some people may
have an office at home, others
will be working on their
laptops sat on their beds.”
The webinar also explored
the idea that physical
boundaries in the home can
help workers make mental
boundaries. Participants
were given suggestions of
how to physically zone off
areas of their homes to ensure
they can separate home
and work life.
Nicole said that some of the
biggest issues raised by participants
was how to suitably
risk assess people working
from home, and how to have
meaningful conversations
with staff about their home
working environments, to
ensure their safety and wellbeing,
without appearing like
they were nagging.
The webinar took place after
recent statistics were released
from the Institute For
Employment Studies, following
a survey into home worker
wellbeing commissioned
specifically amidst COVID-19.
Figures show that 58% of
workers reported aches and
pains in their neck, whilst
56% had aches in their
shoulder and 55% in their
back. A further 55% reported
headaches or migraines, and
60% said they were suffering
fatigue.
The webinar was the first in a
number of planned webinars.
Upcoming webinars include:
• 14th May: Building
resilient and effective remote
teams
• 2nd June: HSE lone
worker guidance
GET IN TOUCH
SIGN UP TO THE NEXT WEBINAR HERE
Address:
LONEALERT
Waterfall Lane,
Cradley Heath,
West Midlands
B64 6PU
Phone:
0330 999 8484
© All rights reserved. 2020. Advance IT Solutions
Web/Email/Twitter:
www.lonealert.co.uk
enquiries@lonealert.co.uk
@LONEALERT