Risk and Control Measures of Alone Working
What
is a lone worker?
A lone
worker is the one who works on his own without direct or close supervision and
can be found in a different type of activities. Mostly we consider lone worker
which is working alone without direct supervision and without his co-workers as
well.
Here are
some examples of lone worker:
Watchman
which are working alone most of the times.
Personal
which are working outside the normal working hours.
Agriculture
worker are also the example of lone working.
Drivers and
operators are also fall in lone worker category.
Crane
operator specially Tower Carne Operators
We have to
consider about the safety arrangements for the lone workers as we care about
the workers which working on the controlled workplace. It is important to make
sure that the worker which is performing the activity alone is competent
enough. Is he able to handle all the risk which can be there?
For the
personal which are working out side the normal working hours can be instructed
to work in the normal working hours.
Things which
need to be keep in mind related to lone working:
1.
Is there any risk of violence for
the lone worker?
2.
Does the place is safe to work?
3.
Can young personal involved in the
lone working?
4.
Can women be at risk?
5.
Is the medical condition of the
worker suitable to allow him to work alone?
6.
Can a worker use effectively all the
temporary tools, plants and equipments?
7.
Experience personal should educate
the worker about the risks and control measure. Basically, teach them what they
can do in case of emergency while working alone.
Only
consider experience employees for lone working, new employee should not be sent
for the job until they are fully qualified for the task.
Regular
communications required for the employees which are working alone. It could be achieve
by radio or mobile phones and supervisors responsibility is there to check them
time to time.
If no other means
of communication is there, automatic alerts should be activated which raises
the alarm in case of emergency.
Risks
of working alone
Alone
workers may face similar risks to others in your company, but the reality is
that if they are lonely, the risks of a incident increase.
In
particular, additional work-related risks include:
Lack of
supervisors
Accidents
Emergency
Medical
conditions
Violence or threats
from others
These risks
mean additional risk. If you are working alone, and there is no one around you
to help in an emergency. If something goes wrong or you are in trouble, how
will anyone else know that you are in need of help? If you have an emergency
and no one around you then it will create delay, that delay can be fatal some
time.
That is the
reason it is always important to reduce the risks before working alone.
Remember
that when working alone, there is no backup on site and no other team member
comes close for helping.
Control
measures
Steps to
overcome the hazards of the working alone:
Proceed with
eliminate the need to work alone and make sure there are at least two people
available all the times.
Working
alone time amount can be reduce.
Provide
emergency alarms for the lone worker in the workplace as a guideline for
emergency services.
Provide an
individual alarm for mobile users.
Provide suitable
communication devices (such as radios and mobile phones) to alone workers.
