Tag Archive for: lone working blog

Creating a positive safety culture

Humans by nature are highly influenced by our environment and those around us. When entering a new workplace, we are likely to adapt to our surroundings rather than go against the flow, even if it means ignoring the rules that are in place.

This is why creating a positive safety culture is crucial in establishing lasting behaviours in our staff. If the majority of our colleagues are behaving safely and following rules, the rest of the workforce are likely to follow suit. Read more

Guide to getting employees on board with safety devices

Introduction

Providing your lone workers with a safety solution like StaySafe is a great step to take as a business. But whether you have just begun your search or have already rolled out a solution, you may be concerned about experiencing resistance from your workforce.

For many, resistance comes from a lack of understanding or fear of the unknown. Your employees may feel they do not need a safety solution, do not have time for it or simply do not understand how it works. Yet there are simple steps you can take to break down some of these barriers and get your employees on board with their new lone worker devices.

Your employees may feel they do not need a safety solution, do not have time for it or simply do not understand how it works. Yet there are simple steps you can take to break down some of these barriers and get your employees on board with their new lone worker devices. Read more

Tips for ensuring employee wellbeing

Much of the debate around lone working focuses on physical safety and ways to keep employees protected remotely. However, lone and remote worker mental wellbeing often remains unaddressed.

Yet remote workers miss out on a number of factors that benefit our mental health such as colleague interaction, physical support and office provisions. Lone workers operating on isolated sites can easily go the whole day without interacting with anyone and many lead unhealthy lifestyles as they often go for the quickest and most accessible food and drink options. Read more

The New Zealand Health and Safety at Work Act 2015: A year on

Today (April 4, 2017) marks a year since the introduction of New Zealand’s new Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, and employees are beginning to see positive changes in their workplace.

A survey of 776 industry professionals conducted by Safeguard, has provided some insight into the changes the legislation has driven and the areas that still need addressing. Read more

GPS in the workplace

GPS tracking in the workplace can be used for a number of purposes such as mileage, auditing and of course safety monitoring. But when it comes to implementing GPS tracking, there are some common concerns. The most common being privacy, but also worries over data and battery usage. Businesses may even choose to avoid introducing GPS tracking apps and technologies for fear that they will be met with resistance from their workforce.

However, recent research by TSheets has found that employees are increasingly more open to adopting GPS tracking at work and the key to adoption is understanding and experience. Read more

Staff training is a crucial step in successfully implementing a lone worker system

For lone working staff, training is particularly important as they work in environments where there are no colleagues around to provide a helping hand or point out a mistake that could lead to an accident.

News stories regularly point out a lack of training as a contributing or sole factor for serious workplace injuries and fatalities. Just last week an incident was reported in the news of a lone worker being crushed by a falling vehicle. Aside from a lack in proper risk assessment, it was also found that the staff member involved was not properly trained or experienced to carry out the task in hand safely. Read more

Ground Control uses StaySafe to Enhance Safety of Employees Dealing with 62.5% of top Workplace Risks

A UK national environmental and external management company, Ground Control, have implemented the StaySafe solution across several key divisions to enhance the safety of their lone working employees.

ground-control-staysafe-case-studyStaySafe offers an app and monitoring service which allows an employer to monitor the location and safety status of their lone workers, while a session or alert is active. If an employee is in need of assistance, the Monitor will be informed via SMS, email and on screen.

Ground Control offers environmental and maintenance services to clients across the UK, 365 days a year. The business operates across a large number of sectors and has lone workers operating within roles such as high voltage power lines, Network Rail track works, water utilities and MOD sites. Read more

Country and Outback Health Community Workers using StaySafe even in low signal and remote areas

Country and Outback Health protect lone workers with smartphone app even in isolated areas with poor signal

CoBH-Logo-transRegional primary health care organisation, Country and Outback Health (COBH) use the StaySafe app and cloud-based monitoring hub to ensure their employees, including their community nurses and other community workers, are safe when visiting clients alone.

COBH was set up by the Australian Government to better organise and manage local front-line health services. They run Partners in Recovery (PIR) which offers personalised mental health support to individuals across a vast geographical footprint and over isolated Outback areas.

Working alone in roles that include closed-door situations and periods of travel, means that PIR staff are more vulnerable to certain safety risks. These risks include aggressive behaviour, hostage situations and road accidents, all of which are unpredictable and sometimes difficult to control. Read more

Beating the mobile blackspot with SMS and satellite options

The ‘mobile blackspot’ – those annoying pockets where you can’t connect to the network, rendering your top of the range smartphone or device useless when you need to make a call. This is of course particularly pertinent if you are trying to use your phone to call or signal for help in an emergency.

Luckily, mobile and internet coverage around the world is continuously expanding. According to Statista.com, the number of mobile phone users in the world is expected to pass the five billion mark by 2019. In 2014, nearly 60 per cent of the population worldwide owned a mobile phone. Penetration is forecast to continue to grow, going up to 67 per cent by 2019 – which gives a good indication of how much of the world we can reasonably expect to be able to use a mobile device in. Read more

Risk management: Knowledge is power

Encouraging incident reporting in the workplace is a great tool for managing risk and creating a safer, healthier, work environment. Whether an incident that resulted in injury or a near miss, employees should be encouraged to report on all workplace incidents so that the risks they face every day can be understood and managed by the business.

The importance of reporting an incident, no matter how small, should not be underestimated. Apart from personal harm, accidents can also have a detrimental effect on a business in reputational damage, compensation, fines and other penalties.

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