Argyll Lone Worker Service Principles
A robust lone worker safety service is based on 5 key principles:
- Risk management
- Location management
- Solution management
- Incident management
- Compliance management.
1. Risk Management
A good lone worker solution should meet the needs of the individuals risk assessment and address key issues such as:
- Personal well being risk
- Occupational risk
- Violence and aggression risk.
2. Location Management
During an emergency or where there is cause for concern, it is vital that responders know the location of any incident. A range of location technologies are available and deployment should contain fail-safe methods for locating you in your time of need. To respect your privacy all device location data should be handled with the utmost confidentiality and operated with due respect for relevant privacy laws, legislation and industry codes of practice. Any personnel with access to your sensitive location data should be highly trained and vetted in accordance with the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, Disclosure process and preferably BS 7858.
3. Solution Management
Devices
It is widely acknowledged that a mass deployment of a single lone worker device does not meet the risk management needs of all staff. Business core needs demand flexibility in the choice of device and quality lone worker service providers should be able to provide the same quality level of service across multiple devices and mobile networks. High specification, dedicated lone worker devices are only needed for high risk scenarios and businesses may need to share devices across multiple end users to maximise available budget.
Organisations demand a flexible solution that operates with existing mobile phones, blackberry, smart-phone (pda’s), specialised lone worker devices and back office applications.
Initial Deployment
Simple implementation and effective training is vital to ensure staff adoption. Your service provider should be able to assist you to understand services and devices, explain escalation processes and police engagement scenarios and work with you to ensure your lone worker solution is fail-safe. Ideally they should then design a Customer Service Charter agreeing the service levels and KPI’s you can expect from them.
Ongoing Support
Change happens and a simple change of contact detail; a new mobile network provider; a new manager within the staff alerting process or a faulty device can all threaten the safety and integrity of your solution. Changes need to be translated quickly to maintain the integrity of your lone worker solution. A robust lone worker solution should offer 24 hour customer services and technical support and provide Internet administration services. These enable you to dynamically update staff personal details, allocate devices, modify alert processes and update risk policy configurations as soon as you become aware of the need to change.
4. Incident Management
An Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) can form a vital component of your lone worker monitoring solution managing any incidents on your behalf, particularly useful if your lone workers operate outside of normal business hours and after the local support finishes for the day! However, if your lone worker policy requires a guaranteed police response, then your ARC service must comply with both BS 8484 and BS 5979 CatII as a minimum and provide voice recording technologies suitable for use in evidence.
Ideally, the ARC would be part of an integrated solution and not subcontracted. Also the ARC would not deploy multi-tasking and only assign teams of operators (controllers) dedicated to monitoring the safety of vulnerable individuals and lone workers.
- Full disaster recovery protocols
- Linked to Police forces across UK
- Voice Recording - ensures every incident is captured and can be used in court as evidence
- Integrated location technologies
- Customised Incident Management.
5. Compliance Management
Lone worker service providers should provide comprehensive reports that enable you to demonstrate and manage compliance with both corporate policy and health & safety legislation. Ideally these will be provided via secure Internet services enabling you to dynamically review activity reports; assess individual staff, assess training needs and demonstrate compliance.
Argyll’s Communicare service is robust, resilient and flexible and can be tailored for individuals. It offers a variety of devices and services catering for almost every type of lone worker risk.
