A lone worker is defined by the Health and Safety Executive as those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. Within the Utilities sector, there are a range of roles classified as lone working whether it’s an engineer carrying out maintenance on an electricity cable or pylon, to water repairs on a burst road pipe, field sales reps calling door to door as well as staff carrying out repairs in a customers’ home. According to The British Safety Council there are between 6-8 million UK lone workers with 150 lone workers attacked or injured each day. It’s therefore vital that organisations implement lone worker safety solutions to protect the wellbeing of their staff and adhere to health and safety regulations.
Why lone worker safety solutions are important in the Utilities sector
Lone working is a significant part of Utilities’ staff day to day roles. Field staff often face dangerous situations and hazardous risks daily including:
- Working from a height fixing electricity cables or pylons posing the risk of falling or electrocution
- Working within confined spaces perhaps underground repairing gas or water pipes which can result in exposure to harmful substances such as carbon monoxide, fire, explosions or contaminated water
- Operating in rural locations with little or no signal
- Visiting an unsafe home environment when calling out to customers homes for repairs or sales visits such as verbal or physical attacks from residents
Utilities staff therefore could be subject to injury or attack such as slips, trips and falls, or they could be more exposed to toxic chemicals and threatening environments. If such an issue occurred, this could result in the field worker being alone with no support to either assist them or call for emergency help.
Providing field staff with lone worker safety solutions such as safety alarms and mobile devices to access or ring for emergency, organisations can ensure the safety of their staff at all times. More than ever, it’s now crucial to provide staff with the relevant safety support and reassurance when carrying out their role. Not only will lone worker safety solutions provide staff with confidence to undertake their job, but it ensures Utilities organisations have the correct health and safety procedures in place to protect their staff and remain compliant.
Benefits of lone worker safety solutions in the utilities sector
- Ensures compliance and safety measures are met by empowering staff with the relevant equipment to enhance their safety while adhering to industry regulations
- Improved employee wellbeing and experience – ensures staff feel safe, increasing their morale and they can easily report incidents
- Full visibility of information and worker location while out in the field enabling employers to mitigate against risk
- Improved communication through instant access to devices which provide immediate contact with response teams when necessary
Totalmobile’s Lone Worker Safety Solutions
Protect from Totalmobile is a lone worker protection solution that enables organisations to ensure the wellbeing of employees and enhance their compliance as a responsible employer.
Providing a fully managed lone worker service, Protect offers a range of integrated devices and apps that enable employees to request assistance and highlight potential, or occurring emergencies, as they undertake their daily role. These alerts can then be immediately actioned and escalated, ensuring that lone workers are fully supported and that organisations are taking proactive steps, in real time, that enhance the safety and wellbeing of their staff.
Totalmobile provide a range of lone working protection solutions to the Utilities sector including Northumbrian Water, Centrica, United Utilities and Bristol Water.
To find out more on our lone worker safety solutions, visit our website here or download our brochure. For further information on Totalmobile in the Utilities sector, visit the website links below.
Totalmobile in Utilities & Infrastructure
Field Service Management in the Water & Electricity Industry
