Lone working – does your team feel safe when working alone?

Landlord Focus magazine article – Issue 47

The dangers faced by lone workers have made headline news over the years, but there are things that businesses can do to keep their people safe, writes Amanda Wiewiorka.

Stephanie Slater, the estate agent kidnapped in 1992 by a fake buyer, provided a reminder of the importance of maintaining a “lone-working policy”.  Most prominently, Suzy Lamplugh, a young estate agent, disappeared in Fulham after a client meeting in July 1986.

How do you protect your team? When was the last time you reviewed the safety risks of employees within your agency?

Research carried out by PeopleSafe found that 21 per cent of employees have personal safety concerns at least once a week and most employers (57 per cent) underestimate the level of personal concerns that they have. Over half of the employees they surveyed had experienced a negative event at work or on their way to work. This rises to 63 per cent for lone workers.

The research also identified that the most likely negative event is to receive verbal or physical abuse. This also varies significantly based on gender, with 27 per cent of male employees experiencing it, which rises to 38 per cent for female employees. Furthermore, female employees recounted situations they had been placed in due to their work, reflecting fears of working alone with the public or when travelling. In addition to the verbal and physical abuse highlighted in the PeopleSafe survey, additional risks include harassment, theft and accidents such as slips, trips and falls, which can lead to a medical emergency. It is standard practice to work alone in our industry since we spend a lot of time meeting a variety of people in the office, on viewings, valuations, or property inspections.

There has always been a higher risk associated with working alone than working as part of a team. The tasks undertaken are not necessarily higher risk, but if something does go wrong, there are no colleagues nearby to help.

Every agent should have appropriate safety measures in place for all their employees who work alone on or off site. Home working should also be included within the safety measures.

Employers have a duty towards all lone workers under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management 
of Health and Safety at 
Work Regulations.

The safety measures should be formalised and become part of the everyday go-to procedures within your agency. If a company has five or more employees, a risk assessment must be recorded. A risk assessment and lone-worker policy is imperative in creating an environment where lone workers are confident and safe.

Regular and thorough risk assessments will highlight lone-working risks within the business and specific job roles. Its aim is to identify what steps can be taken to avoid or minimise those risks where possible. Areas to review as part of the assessment may include prevention, response, training, and management supervision. This is not a one-off task and should be reviewed periodically. The review should evaluate any working conditions or job roles that may have changed, whether there are any tasks too dangerous to be carried out by a lone worker and any appropriate procedures or arrangements that should be reviewed to provide help or back-up. Involving your team during the risk assessment process and discussing the risks they face when working alone can be beneficial. They may inform you of lone-working risks you hadn’t considered or were not aware of.

Once you have completed and documented your risk assessment it will allow you to introduce your company lone-worker policy. The policy should offer practical health and safety guidance for employees and employers when working alone and ensure that all necessary safety measures are in place. The policy should become a valuable tool when team members are working alone on site or off site.

Ensure that you explain the purpose of the policy, why it was created, how it will contribute to lone-worker safety, and how it fits into your company objectives. Common roles and tasks can be performed differently across different letting agents so make sure you identify the risks specific to your company, environment, and geographical area. The effectiveness of a lone-working policy depends on workers, managers, safety teams, and others’ participation and contributions. Each person should know what they are responsible for, including who they report an incident to and when. Provide instructions on how to report an incident and easy access to the relevant people that employees can approach to answer their questions and discuss their safety concerns.

Employees themselves have a responsibility to cooperate with each other and their employer. They should take reasonable care of their own health and safety, as well as those affected by their work, reporting potential safety hazards, incidents or near misses. All employees should understand and cooperate with the lone-worker policy and procedures, and use equipment and software properly. An employee also has a responsibility to disclose any medical conditions or disability which makes them unsuitable for lone working.

Since there is limited supervision for lone workers, it is crucial to train them to cope with unexpected circumstances. Leadership plays a crucial role in setting the tone for policy compliance and managers should be a model for the behaviour. No matter how busy your day is, if you take short cuts then so will your team. Technology has improved lone-worker safety tremendously over the past two decades and can play a critical role in addressing the safety concerns.

Smartphones and tablets can now be turned into effective lone-worker safety devices via mobile apps thanks to advances in mobile technology. Employees working remotely have access to a wide range of hand-held gadgets, fobs, simple panic buttons for raising alarms and numerous apps. Alarms can be activated discreetly using a wearable Bluetooth button, so the device does not have to be carried around or removed from clothing or a bag.

Throughout the UK, body cameras are becoming more common. The solution, previously used mostly by police forces, is now being adopted across a growing number of sectors due to increased threats to workers. In combination with lone-worker technology, body cameras can provide enhanced protection by adding visual information in real-time when an alarm is raised, while capturing vital footage.

The latest version of lone-worker protection technology calls for assistance, can collect important audio and video evidence, increases monitoring during times of risk, and confirms the whereabouts of an individual. The devices automatically detect if an employee has fallen over or been knocked down and log their locations and activities.

A central alarm receiving centre can escalate a situation rapidly to emergency services utilising multiple technologies such as 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth.

For lone workers, technology is creating a safer, more connected, and responsive environment. Investing in personal safety technology can, not only keep lone workers safer, but also improve their morale and productivity.

Combining technical solutions with comprehensive training and developing robust health and safety policies and procedures, will make employees feel safe and protected. Landlord Accreditation Scotland (LAS) will soon be running information and training sessions on 
this topic.

Keep updated by signing up to the  mailing list on the LAS website www.landlordaccreditationscotland.com

We recently welcomed Rez Duncan from PeopleSafe to our member meeting to discuss opportunities for technology in our everyday work practices and the risks of lone working. For more information, visit www.peoplesafe.co.uk

For more information on the Suzy Lamplugh charity please visit www.suzylamplugh.org