How Assistive Technology and Connected Care Can Keep Lone Workers Safe
In this article:
How Assistive Technology and Connected Care Can Keep Lone Workers Safe
Tunstall Healthcare’s Lone Worker Safety Systems & Lone Worker Safety Devices
Tunstall Healthcare: Your Partner in Lone Worker Safety Solutions
Many jobs require employees to work alone, travel often, or work in hazardous environments. These roles include caregivers, truck drivers, construction workers, security, and many more. Lone workers and the tasks they carry out are important but can expose your employees to both physical and mental health risks.
As an employer, you should provide your staff with a safe and secure working environment, especially when you have lone workers on your payroll. This article will help you identify isolated workers among your employees and how you can best secure their health and safety with lone worker safety solutions.
According to the WA Department of Mines, Industry Regulations, and Safety, an isolated worker, also known as a lone worker, is alone in any place and time as part of their work. In simpler words, a lone worker is someone who works by themselves or in a community but with little to no contact with others.
An employee doesn’t have to be working alone to be called a lone worker for a specific time. So long as their job requires them to work independently, be stationed in a hazardous environment, or travel alone, they’re considered an isolated worker. This is important to know because sometimes employees you may not consider to be lone workers can still face the same risks.
Contrary to the name, lone workers are not alone all the time. They are still considered a lone worker if they:
● Are often isolated from co-workers, supervisors, and even other members of the public
● Work remotely or separately from others (e.g., stationed in a regional office, working from home)
● Work past regular office hours (e.g., security personnel, call centre employees)
● Travel long distances as part of their work (e.g., taxi drivers, freight transport drivers)
● Work in a downsized team (i.e., less manpower on holidays)
● Work that requires them to be isolated from others (i.e., healthcare workers, caregivers)
● Work in hazardous environments (e.g., construction sites, power plants)
Some common lone worker roles include: social workers, taxi drivers, truck drivers, gas station attendants, tradespeople, technicians, security, cleaners, and anyone working from home.
Related reading: Duress Alarms in Healthcare: A Lifeline for Carers
Working alone is part of many Australians' working lives. However, working alone can expose your employees to a variety of risks. The longer they stay working by themself, the riskier it will be – for both employee and employer –in the long run. We can classify the risks lone workers are exposed to into two categories:
One of the most obvious risks of working alone is that it’s much harder to call for help in emergencies. If you have employees living with a medical condition or disability, or at risk of having accidents, not having any co-workers or supervisors around to check up on them makes working alone even more dangerous. Having limited or inadequate access to emergency facilities can make the job even riskier than it already is.
Working in hazardous places can be risky for many lone workers. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2017–2018 Work-Related Injuries report, 15% of working Australians sustained work-related injuries from a fall. Those falls can quickly turn fatal without anyone there to help.
Lone workers are also more vulnerable to violence and confrontation. For example, security personnel often work unpredictable hours and confront intruders and other aggressive members of the public.
Working alone for long periods can also put your workers’ mental health at risk. Being away from co-workers can increase feelings of isolation, which can lead to frustration and stress. Stress can have significant adverse effects on your employees—decreased productivity, anxiety, unhappiness—and your company. In fact, Australian businesses lose more than $10 billion a year to employee unproductivity.
As an employer, you are responsible for the health, safety, and welfare of your workers. You're no doubt aware of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Australia) and the Health and Safety at Work Act (New Zealand) and hopefully fulfil your obligations to provide a safe and risk-free work environment for all your employees. However, lone workers can be easily forgotten, and their safety and the safety of their work environment can be overlooked since they can be seen as being somewhat detached from the workforce.
As an employer, you are responsible for providing and maintaining Work Health and Safety (WHS) protocols such as providing:
● A workplace with safe machinery and equipment
● An organised and safe work system (i.e., controlling entry and exit of employees within the work area)
● A safe way to use, handle, store, and transport substances (when applicable)
● A workplace with functional safety precautions in case of emergencies (i.e., fire exits and systems, reinforced walls for earthquakes)
● A program that informs, instructs, and trains them on doing work in a safe health risk-free way
Employees are also responsible for taking proper care of themselves. Make sure to remind your staff to comply with the WHS rules implemented in your company, and provide adequate resources, training and means for them to do so.
Working in isolation poses a risk to both you and your employees. Should an unforeseen accident occur, immediate assistance may be unavailable. This leaves your workers with a sense of uncertainty and can leave you looking for alternate ways of minimising workplace risk.
On top of complying with WHS protocols in your workplace, you can take extra steps to increase workplace safety with lone worker safety solutions.
Tunstall Healthcare’s Connected Care service is a simple yet effective option that provides a better base of support for lone workers all over Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific. With our 60 years of data-driven experience and global expertise, we’ve developed a range of mobile and fixed devices perfect for all types of work environments and situations. All our devices are connected to our 24/7 care monitoring service, ensuring your employees’ safety each time they clock in for work.
Tunstall’s Connected Care model for lone workers places employees at the heart of workplace safety. With Connected Care added to your company’s WHS protocols, you can protect your employees from when they clock in up to the time they clock out.
All your employee needs to do is log in their attendance at the start and end of their shift with Tunstall's Lifestream by Guardian app. Should the app not record any logs, it will alert a 24/7 Tunstall Healthcare Care Consultant who will check whether your employee is okay. Our Care Consultant will assess the situation and send help should the situation call for it.
You can read more detail about how our Connected Care Model supports Lone Workers at our designated Lone Worker safety Solutions page, but here’s a snapshot of how the entire process works:
The Lifestream mobile app is designed to improve safety for your lone workers in a mobile and easy-to-use way. The app has many features that help identify lone workers in need of assistance, including:
● GPS location
● 24/7 monitoring
● Check-in and -out functions
● SOS button
The app has a built-in check-in and -out system. Employees use this to note when and where they begin their remote work, which keeps you up to date on their whereabouts. Should your employee fail to check-out, our Care Consultant will follow up and assess the situation, by directly contacting both the lone worker and the employer. If necessary, and if part of the protocols we've agreed with the employer, we could escalate the situation by sending an emergency response team to help the lone worker in need.
Your employees can also tap on the 24/7 SOS call button should they experience an accident, or require other forms of assistance.
The Lifestream mobile app’s GPS location can track your employee’s location during an SOS alert and forward it to our Care Consultant, who will coordinate the necessary emergency response. This way, both you and your lone workers have an added network of WHS support.
Lone workers in remote areas and hazardous environments are more susceptible to fatal accidents. Equipping your isolated employees with a fall detector or lone worker alarm like the Tunstall Gem4 can help minimise workplace accidents.
The Tunstall Gem4, is an innovative lone worker safety solution that alerts our Customer Care Centre when it is pressed or when it detects that the worker wearing the alarm has fallen or become injured in the workplace. Tunstall’s man down alarm comes in the form of a personal pendant or a wearable device that can be triggered to signal for help if an employee has been injured or is in distress.
Accidents can happen at any time, especially when they’re least expected. The risks isolated workers face alone make them susceptible to accidents. Tunstall’s personal alarms are designed to help your employees seek immediate assistance in such emergencies, whether it be a minor slip or a significant fall. Equipping your employees with personal alarms and assistive apps means help can come to them that much faster. Lone worker safety solutions can build confidence in your employees, allowing them to work productively even in challenging work situations. Here are other benefits of lone worker safety solutions to employees:
Knowing that they have access to a safety solution can help lone workers feel more secure and less anxious while on the job.
In the event of an emergency or other incident, lone worker safety solutions can provide employees with immediate access to help, such as emergency services or a supervisor.
Lone worker safety solutions often include communication features, such as two-way radios or mobile apps, that can help lone workers stay in contact with their employer or Tunstall’s Customer Care Centre in case of emergency.
Lone worker safety solutions often include training programs and resources that can help employees learn how to recognise and respond to potential hazards or threats.
By providing employees with tools and resources to help them stay safe, assistive technolog can reduce the risk of injury or harm to lone workers.
Implementing lone worker safety solutions can provide a number of benefits to employers, including:
When employees feel safe and secure on the job, they are often more productive and efficient. Implementing a lone worker safety solution can help employers create a safer and more productive work environment for their lone workers.
Lone worker safety solutions often include communication features, such as two-way radios or mobile apps, that can help lone workers stay in contact with their supervisor or Tunstall’s Customer Care Centre. This can help facilitate better communication, especially during crucial times.
By demonstrating a commitment to the safety and well-being of their employees, employers can improve their reputation within the industry. This can help attract and retain top talent and can help build positive relationships with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders
Overall, implementing a lone worker safety solution can help employers demonstrate their commitment to the safety and well-being of their employees, and can help lone workers feel more confident and secure while on the job.
Ozcare is a leading not-for-profit organisation of professional and caring individuals, delivering innovative and superior health and human services to the Queensland community for over 25 years. Ozcare supports Queenslanders with a range of aged care, retirement living, hospital, disability care, respite care, nursing, allied health and dementia advisory and support services.
Prompted by a concern for the safety and well-being of their staff who work alone after hours and on weekends, Ozcare partnered with Tunstall to improve employee security. The Lifestream by Guardian App allows check-in, check-out, activity reporting, SOS and GPS functionality monitored by Tunstall’s 24-hour Customer Care Centre, and allows users to notify Tunstall in distress situations. With the help of Tunstall, Ozcare’s management can have peace of mind knowing that help is just a press of a button away for their lone workers.
Securing your lone worker’s confidence in doing their job efficiently and safely is much easier now with Tunstall Healthcare’s range of lone worker safety solutions. Coupled with our Connected Care services, you can be assured that when your isolated employees set out for work, you’ve already secured help for whenever and wherever they’ll need it.
At Tunstall Healthcare, we understand that every company has its own unique work environment. We believe your input is crucial in figuring out an ideal lone worker safety solution plan that best suits your business and employees. As such, our installation and price points are tailor-fit to consider your company’s size as well as the products and services you require.
Contact us to learn more about our tailored lone-worker solutions packages or arrange a quote. We’d love to hear from you.
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