Lone Worker Security for Facilities Management

Keep your facilities workers safe

The facilities industry is a multi-billion-pound sector in the UK.

It accounts for 10% of the UK’s workforce (according to the British Institute of Facilities Management) so it’s imperative for facilities managers to be fully aware of their obligations towards worker safety, including the risks involved and how to mitigate them.

What are the safety risks for facilities workers?

The health and safety risks in the facilities industry are extremely diverse – reflective of the varied sector.

However, some of the most common health and safety risks include:

• Working at height
• Handling machinery
• Electrical risks
• Fire safety
• Social risks e.g. customer aggression

All of these risks are exacerbated by the high level of lone working within the facilities industry. Therefore, it’s imperative that facilities managers keep their risk assessments up to date and they take the time to consider the impact of lone worker safety on their staff.

The risk assessment should include things such as:

• What is your process for incident management? Does this process need to be adapted for those who work alone?
• Do your facilities staff have appropriate training for working at height? What additional measures are in place for those who work at height without the support of a colleague?
• Are your facilities workers trained to use appropriate equipment on their own?
• In larger facilities, e.g. stadiums, shopping centres, racecourses etc, how will you ensure your facilities workers can be located in the event of an emergency?
• How do weather conditions affect your facilities staff? Do you need to provide additional precautions for lone or mobile workers in adverse conditions?

How can a personal safety solution help workers in the facilities industry?

Deploying a SoloProtect Personal Safety Solution can deliver safety benefits to facilities workers whether they’re on-site or mobile.

A personal safety solution, including a lone worker device, provides facilities workers with:

• A discreet, 24/7, emergency personal alarm, providing peace of mind that someone will be able to locate them and provide a rapid response should they need it. This can have a significant improvement on staff wellbeing and, therefore, retention.
• A man-down alarm to deliver protection against slips, trips, and falls, or incapacitation due to a health issue.

How can implementing a personal safety solution help facilities managers?

A personal safety or lone working solution can also help department managers and the wider organisation to deliver genuine value: operationally, financially and, of course, in terms of safety.

A personal safety or lone working solution can help facilities managers to:

• Ensure greater visibility of mobile personnel, including recent location information to facilitate better coordination across mobile teams
• View dashboard reporting for key stakeholders on solution usage reflected across an organisation's department structure
• See up-to-date and credible information regarding the working status of employees across a team or group
• Document verbal abuse or aggression to support any future legal proceedings, and inform training and best practice
• Report incidents within the business and externally
• Demonstrate compliance with standards and policies.

Find out more about how to keep your facilities workers safe

We work with many Facilities Management organisations that have benefited from our range of mix and match lone worker devices, scalable functionality, and our personal safety mobile app: SoloProtect Mobile.

Take a look at our Personal Safety Solutions for more information, or book a no-obligation demo.

Health and Safety for Contractors

Contractors are vital for keeping the facilities industry moving. But are you aware of your health and safety responsibilities towards contractors? Take a look at our guide - available on the Knowledge Base.

Business Case Support

You can read more about the benefits of investing in a personal safety or lone working solution in our Business Case Support document - available on the Knowledge Base.

Guide to Personal Safety Solutions for Facilities Workers

Download our short guide which explains the risks that facilities workers regularly face, how the SoloProtect solution can help you to manage those risks, and the operational benefits for managers.

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