Lone Worker Devices

Any employee (or volunteer) that spends some (or all) of their working time by themselves, or by themselves interacting with members of the public. This can include in an office.

To promote a strong safety culture among employees and reduce the risk of legal issues. A strong policy will consider the potential risks that lone working employees face and offer solutions, for example, lone worker alarms.

A duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of employees. Do whatever is reasonably practicable to achieve this. Employers have duties under health and safety law to assess risks in the workplace.

A man down alarm is another name for a lone working device or lone worker alarm. Often a man down alarm specifically refers to the type of device used to protect lone workers who are at higher risk of a slip, trip or fall. Other types of lone worker include those that work by themselves for some or all of their day, those that work by themselves and come into contact with the public, and those who work alone and have special medical needs. A man down alarm typically has a built-in fall detector, making it best suited for professions who have higher risk of falling while at work. This includes people who work at height, who work with chemicals or who work around water or slippery surfaces. Both of SureSafe’s lone working devices include fall detection as standard, so they are true man down alarms as well.

It really depends on the type of work carried out, and the subsequent exposures the employees face. We strongly recommend calling us on 800 644 2554 and we can help you choose the right solution.

SureSafe lone worker devices use GPS tracking to locate an employee based on the location of their lone working device. This information is shared with emergency contacts when help is needed. It can also be requested by company management if needed.

Depending on the type of lone working device that you have, you can either cancel it yourself by pressing a button on the pendant or covering your hand over the wristband face, or simply wait to speak to the operator/colleague and tell them that it is a false alarm.

Yes – absolutely! Adoption of the service into corporate culture is the ultimate goal. We provide full training and support to help you achieve this.

Additionally, it is worth noting that our lone worker devices are designed with simplicity in mind. Employee adoption can be low or slow with new technology. With a SureSafe lone worker alarm, all the employee needs to do it carry it with them. There are no complicated systems they need to log into, just keep it with them when they work.

Lone worker alarm systems give employees who work alone the ability to call for help in the event of an emergency. The call for help is usually made on a piece of wearable technology (typically on a wristband or pendant), and the alert is sent either to a 24/7 monitoring service, or directly to the employer.

Here is a list of examples of lone workers:

• a person working alone in a retail store for example in a shop or a gas station
• people working alone in warehouses, factories, manufacturing companies or chemical plants
• people working alone outdoors for example on a farm or cleaning windows
• people working alone at unsociable hours for example security, maintenance or cleaning staff
• people working from home (those with medical conditions are of higher risk)

There are several simple ways that you can monitor lone workers. For low-risk workers these include:

• knowing where lone workers are
• setting pre-agreed intervals of regular contact
• maintaining regular contact with phones, mobiles, radios and email

For high-risk workers you should provide them with lone working devices or man down alarms for raising the alarm. These devices can be operated manually by pressing an SOS button, or can detect slips, trips and falls using fall detection.

People that work alone have several risks that they could be exposed to:

• workplace violence with members of the public
• feelings of isolation impacting mental health and wellbeing
• slips, trips and falls with no one there to help them
• the workplace environment itself, for example if it's in a rural or dangerous in nature

Here are a number of ways to keep a lone worker safe:

• complete a thorough risk assessment
• identify workplace hazards and risks
• provide health & safety training for all employees
• have a robust lone working policy and share it with employees
• develop a culture of workplace safety amongst employees and management
• provide lone working devices and man down alarms where appropriate
• keep up to date and current with workplace safety policies and procedures

Yes – someone working from home is considered a lone worker. By definition, a lone worker is someone who cannot be seen or heard by a colleague, whether that be for all or part of their working day. This also includes staff who work from home. Employees who have special medical conditions are especially at risk when working from home, as they may be isolated and alone and require emergency medical assistance. Examples of this include those with epilepsy, heart conditions or a history of strokes. Providing at-risk work from home employees with a lone working device or man down alarm significantly reduces the risk they face, and protects the business against potential liabilities.

Any time that an employee is driving and not with a colleague, supervisor or manager, they are classed as lone working. This means that whether your employee is a long distance lorry driver, alone for several hours at a time, or simply driving between depots, they could be classed as lone workers.

Driving jobs that can be lone workers include:

• Long distance drivers
• Taxis
• Couriers/delivery drivers
• Chauffeurs
• Driving instructors
• Take-away driver