Lone Worker Risk Assessment Checklist

A Speedy Evaluation for the Safety of Your Lone Workers

Manage the unique challenges Lone Workers face:

  • Assess Environmental Risks and Considerations
  • Ensure Adequate Safety Processes and Communication
  • Complete in less than 5 minutes

Assess the risks your lone workers face with our specialised risk assessment guide

What is a Lone Worker Risk Assessment?

A Lone Worker Risk Assessment enables you to assess and mitigate potential high-risk scenarios before a person works alone. One of the biggest risks that separate lone workers from other workers is they have no one to turn to if they become injured, and there is no one nearby to check up on them if they seem distracted, fatigued or generally not themselves. This is why it is essential to proactively assess risks and prevent potential accidents. A Lone Worker Risk Assessment is often a checklist/survey that assesses the worker’s well-being, the environment they are working in and the potential people in the location (e.g. a home visit with a potentially aggressive person). This can give you clarity on whether the right risk mitigation strategies and processes are in place.

When to use the Lone Worker Risk Assessment?

We recommend completing the risk assessment before commencing any lone work so that you can understand the risks involved, and whether there is a system in place to mitigate these risks. If the scenario is too high-risk, it should not be completed by someone by themselves.

How to use the Lone Worker Risk Assessment?

Users can fill out the form online through an interactive PDF and email the results to their supervisors. Similarly, you can print the form and fill by hand. Then following the risk matrix at the end of the document, calculate the risk score by adding up the answers. If the results indicate low risk, the work can go on ahead without review. However if medium-high risk, we suggested that a supervisor reviews the results and makes considerations such as:

  • Should they use a GPS device for out-of-coverage communication?
  • Do you have a duress system available for quick emergency response?
  • Is someone monitoring their well-being and will know if something goes wrong?

FAQs

Is lone working suitable for everyone?

Not all individuals are suitable for lone working. Some employees may have specific vulnerabilities or medical conditions that make lone working unsafe. It is important to consider individual capabilities, health, training, and personal circumstances when determining whether someone is suitable for lone working or if additional support or accommodations are required.

How often should a lone worker risk assessment be reviewed?

The frequency of reviewing lone worker risk assessments may vary based on the nature of the work, associated risks, and any changes in work conditions. It is generally recommended to review and update the assessment at least annually or whenever there are significant changes in work processes, environments, or regulations.

Are lone worker risk assessments a legal requirement?

In many jurisdictions, conducting lone worker risk assessments is a legal requirement. Regulations and standards may vary, but employers are generally obligated to assess and manage the risks associated with lone working to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of their employees.

Centralised visibility of your entire workforce

Why use SafetyIQ?

SafetyIQ’s Lone Worker Module Module transforms traditional solutions into a streamlined, and automated approach, whilst ensuring the safety of your lone workers despite the high risk of isolation.

How do we do this?

Users create a Lone Worker Activity with Check-Ins at scheduled time intervals. There is an optional risk assessment attached to the activity that includes an automated approval process. This calculates the risk score and automatically approves low-risk results and notifies a supervisor for review in high-risk scenarios.

If approved, the user can start their lone work and they are given automatic SMS and email reminders to check-in at predetermined times to confirm their safety. If they fail to check-in, the escalation process is triggered and managers are alerted to respond.

Benefits of an Automated Approval Process:

  1. Real-time emergency response: If a check-in is missed or an emergency arises, the system can trigger immediate notifications to designated contacts or a central monitoring station, ensuring timely assistance.
  2. Integration with Satelite and GPS technology: With real-time location data available, managers can know the precise location of a lone worker, enabling quick response and accurate dispatch of assistance.
  3. Data Collection and Reporting: Digital solutions provide comprehensive data collection and reporting capabilities. They capture relevant information such as check-in records, incidents, response times, and location data. This data can be used for analysis, trend identification, compliance reporting, and continuous improvement of lone worker safety programs.
  4. Compliance and Documentation: Digital lone worker solutions help organisations meet regulatory requirements and demonstrate compliance with lone worker safety standards. They provide a robust documentation trail of communication logs, check-in records, incident reports, and response activities. This documentation can be valuable during audits, investigations, or legal proceedings.

Real Results Experienced by Our Customers:

On average, our customers have seen 85.17% productivity improvements.

Sandvik in particular experienced:

  • Complete visibility of workers across Sandvik’s entire operations
  • Over $1000 a month saved by switching to SafetyIQ
  • 42 hours a month saved by eliminating manual processes

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