9 Key Features Of Lone Worker Security Solutions

We don’t have to think long and hard to realize the inherent dangers of working alone. When you’re alone at work, you can get hurt more easily, as there’s no one there to warn you of an impending danger. When you’re sick or hurt, no one can attend to help you, and you may not be strong enough to ask for help right away. Violent criminals may target you because you’re alone and therefore more helpless. All these risks require the right lone worker security solutions.

But what are the right solutions? Your best options are those that implement measures that eliminate or at least minimize the risks of working alone. These solutions should also include provisions for providing assistance if anything turns dangerous.

Such Measures May Include:

1. The use of PPE. This means wearing personal protective equipment when the workplace environment contains special hazards that can cause injuries and sickness. The equipment list may include helmets, gloves, goggles, bright yellow vests, and other protective clothing that can help against environmental hazards.
2. Easy communications. Most people have smartphones these days, but if you’re the employer you may want to make sure they have a landline phone on the premises as well as a walkie-talkie.
3. A dedicated response center. Who do your lone workers call when they’re in danger or when something goes wrong? Sometimes they may even need to talk to someone when they suspect that something’s wrong, even if they don’t have enough evidence to call for police emergency units. A response center can schedule regular communication checks, and call for backup or police assistance if the lone worker doesn’t respond to calls.
4. This is a crucial bit of technology, and it’s great that GPS is now quite affordable. With GPS, you now can now where your workers are at all times, and you can even tell that something’s wrong when they stop moving and remain in the same spot for too long.
5. Automatic alarms. These are alarms that may automatically be raised in certain situations. For example, the alarm may activate if the worker’s GPS unit stops moving for a certain length of time. The alarm may also be sent out if the worker fails to cancel an alarm for a specific time. Other alarms may simply be panic buttons that can call for help immediately.
6. Recorded surveillance. It’s great if you can have a security camera within the lone worker’s premises so that others can keep an eye out for the worker. People can at least see when something goes wrong. Other types of surveillance include audio communications, so you can listen in to what’s happening with your worker. This works like a baby audio monitor.
7. Locks and other security measures for intruders and customers. Often a locked door is all that’s needed to greatly increase the security of your lone worker, especially when they’re alone dealing with angry customers. You may also want to use a special protective glass to separate your worker from the public. Another measure is the use of a laser beam that sounds an alarm when unauthorized people enter your worker’s area.
8. First aid kits. These should be mandatory in your shops, and especially crucial in places where a worker may have to work alone.
9. Training for special emergencies. Your lone workers should receive training on what they have to do for various types of emergencies. This may include the use of code words when they talk to the response center when they check-in and the worker was actually held captive by a criminal.

Working alone is inherently more dangerous than working with other people, but sometimes it can’t be helped and one of your workers will have to work alone. When this happens, as the employer it’s your responsibility to at least minimize the possible dangers. By providing suitable lone worker security solutions, you can help make sure that your worker is safe on the job.