Managing Lone Workers within the Safety Management System - Essay Example

Managing Lone Workers within the Safety Management System Introduction Safety management system or SMS is the top-down and formal business method to properly manage safety risk. SMS includes the necessary procedures and policies, accountability, proper organizational structure, and a systematic framework for successfully managing risks of the establishment ("Safety Management System (SMS)", 2016). Sometimes, for different reasons, employees have to work alone, which is referred to as ‘lone working’. In today’s dynamic and diverse work settings, more and more employees are working alone. Therefore, ensuring the well-being and safety of the lone workers and thereby protecting the organization from workplace health and safety related complications along with severe accidents, should be an issue of high significance to the management. As a result, this paper will outline what the management should do for improving the safety of the workers and the organization as a whole regarding lone working. Definition of ‘Lone Workers’ K. Wachter & L. Yorio (2014) defined lone workers as, “Lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. They are: people in fixed establishments where only one person works on the premises, e.g. in small workshops, kiosks, shops and home workers. Also, service workers who collect rents, postal workers, home helps, community nursing staff, pest control workers, drivers, engineers, estate agents, sales representatives and similar professionals visiting domestic and commercial premises.” The authors also said that, the term ‘lone workers’ also includes- forestry and agricultural workers, maintenance workers, cleaning workers, lift workers, people who work in construction sites, vehicle recovery, decorating and painting, plant installation, electrical repairs etc. It also includes people such as security personnel, cleaners, night shift workers, special production, repair and maintenance workers that work outside conventional and regular working hours. In addition, people whose job responsibilities require them to work separately from their coworkers on a regular basis, should also be included in the definition of lone workers. Evaluating and managing the risks of lone workers It is not illegal to work alone. However, there are different kinds of personal and occupational risks associated with working alone. They are- health risks of the workers, accidents, kidnap, verbal abuse, physical attack etc. As a result, ‘The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (1999)’ and ‘The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)’ should be followed strictly in order to effectively assess the risks related to working alone ("Lone workers face ongoing safety risk", 2012). These laws mandate that it is unconditionally mandatory for the organizations to identify the hazards and risks related to work, and take precautionary measures to control these risks effectively. Huang et al. (2014) said that a risk assessment must be conducted to make sure that risk is being controlled effectively within the organization and also to ensure the successful implementation of the safety management system. Consequently, the risk evaluation must entail identifying all the risks no matter how big or small they are, then finding out and implementing corrective measures for controlling risks adequately and making lone working safe within the organization. Risk evaluation should identify the accurate level of backup or supervision needed for ensuring the safety of the lone workers. In this regard, Leveson (2015) suggests that in situations, where working in cramped spaces is required, there should be arrangements for rescue and communication, with at least one more coworker as immediate backup. Risk prevention measures should entail- modern safety gears, proper supervision, instruction, training and flawless communications. If after the risk assessment, it is seemed unsafe to let workers work alone, then there must be arrangements for appropriate backup and help to guarantee the safety of the lone workers. Finally, Reiman & Rollenhagen (2011) suggested that organizations with 5 or more workers must record the most important findings of its risk assessments so that it becomes easier for the organization to take protective actions. Steps of ensuring the safety of lone workers within the SMS According to Leveson (2015), the following steps should be followed in order to guarantee the continuous safety of lone workers within the safety management system- Figure 1: Steps of Continuous Safety for Lone Workers (Leveson, 2015). These steps are discussed below- 1. Detailed risk assessment: Vinodkumar & Bhasi (2011) think that the risks of the lone workers can be identified through: formal auditing, analyzing previous incidents or examples from the industry, observing workers in their work settings, different kinds of questionnaires and surveys, and focus group discussions. Previous researches on workplace health and safety have figured out that these methods are very effective in exploring the safety in the workplace, especially the risks of the lone workers. In this context, Zio & Guedes Soares (2008) mentioned that, “Risk assessment should only be performed by individuals with the required experience, qualifications and knowledge. It is advisable that an assessment is conducted by more than one person, for example jointly by a line manager and a health and safety advisor.” In addition, according to the authors, the P.E.T (People, Environment, Task) method will be very effective in identifying risks accurately. This method requires the proper breakdown of the entire work process. It considers the People (workers) involved in the task, the Environment (workplace setting) they are working in and the Task itself. After identifying the risks using the P.E.T method, it is necessary to compare the likelihood and severity of each risk and assign a rating (either on a scale of 1 to 5 or 1 to 10) to them based on the comparison. This will help the management to come up with preventive measures for correctly reducing and managing the risks of the lone workers and thereby making sure that the SMS is successfully implemented all through the organization. Preventive measures to reduce and manage the health and safety risks of the lone workers can include the following actions- Installing safety alarms, Changing work processes and procedures, Providing training, Providing backup, help and support as required, Stopping the task altogether etc. And finally, once the risk assessment is done, it should be reviewed regularly, either annually or biannually ("Lone workers face ongoing safety risk", 2012). 2. Policy for lone workers K. Wachter & L. Yorio (2014) defined lone worker policy as the written manuscript that outlines the organization’s commitment and culture for addressing the personal safety risks of its employees. This policy should be mutually beneficial and clear enough for the workers. According to the researchers, an ideal lone worker policy should include the following- a) A clear definition of lone worker in the context of the organization in particular, b) The objective of the policy, c) The organization’s commitment toward the safety of lone workers, d) Responsibilities and accountabilities of both the managers and the workers, e) Proper incident reporting procedures along with all the necessary safety measures, f) Discussion on all the available supports and help (safety gears, training etc.) for the lone workers, and g) The next policy evaluation date. 3. Training for lone workers Huang et al. (2014) mentioned that it is extremely necessary to educate the workers through all the necessary materials and training. This will enable the workers to be efficient enough for dealing with sudden and unexpected risks. Training is also necessary to mitigate routine and usual risks related to the works of a lone worker. The training must emphasis on conflict avoidance techniques and providing the most effective solutions to resolve an issue in a non-violent manner. Training should include the following topics: Continuous communication, Best risk reduction and risk management practices in the industry, The use of individual safety gears, Risk and conflict avoidance techniques, Awareness about the risks associated with working alone, Ensuring personal and organizational safety For implementing the lone worker policy successfully and for creating the work environment safe for the lone workers, the management should lead from the front. For instance, the management can attend the training sessions with the workers to keep them motivated and broaden the safety-knowledge. The management should also make sure that the workers adhere to the safety policy. Otherwise, all the time and effort used to create and implement the policy will be in vain (Reiman & Rollenhagen, 2011). 4. Communication According to Zio & Guedes Soares (2008), when it comes to SMS and the safety of lone workers, communication is an ongoing and continuous process. Safety advice and policy must be consistently and regularly communicated all through the organization. Communication sharing can be done in the following ways- staff discussions and meetings, staff intranet, newsletters, bulletins, emails, videos or magazines, handbooks or written reports, and peer-to-peer mentoring. 5. Monitoring & Evaluation Monitoring refers to the process of collecting and recording data related to the proper implementation and execution of safety guidelines and policies. And evaluation is examining the usefulness of the existing safety guidelines and policies based on the information collected during the monitoring phase (K. Wachter & L. Yorio, 2014). The following data should be collected during the monitoring phase- The number, seriousness and frequency of occurrences, Areas and tasks in which the incidents took place, The most common times of the incidence, The rate of absenteeism because of injury or other safety related issues, The costs associated with litigation and compensation, The rate of attendance during the safety training sessions, Feedback and opinions collected from collected from the workers about the implemented safety procedures and also about their personal safety at work. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation is extremely important for the constant improvement and necessary adjustments of the current safety guidelines and policies within the SMS. 6. Support If an incident really takes place, then the management should be prompt at taking corrective actions in order to provide all the necessary support to the lone workers. Reiman & Rollenhagen (2011) mentioned that support to the lone workers should take three forms. They are as follows: Within 24 hours of the incident Provide healthcare and medical support, legal support, contact their families, and ask questions in details regarding the incident. Within the first week Report the incident to the concerned authorities, provide counselling if needed, and ensure support from the management and coworkers. After 7 days Follow up with the management (and from the law enforcement authorities if necessary), continue counselling whenever required, and provide legal support and advice if required. It is quite common for organizations to struggle with providing support to the lone workers after an incident. As a result, K. Wachter & L. Yorio (2014) suggested that, organizations can take professional help from experts who specialize in providing safety solutions before, during and after a safety incident related to the lone workers. There are some generalized solution providers who help out any kind of organization that is need of safety solutions. However, there are also some industry-specific specialists that provide particular safety advices and solutions to a particular industry. Consequently, the management needs to decide what kind of solution provider will be best in their situation if they themselves fail to provide appropriate support to the lone workers. Conclusion As mentioned above, it is not against the law to let workers work alone. But the law requires organizations to have appropriate safety measures in place to make sure that all the workers can perform their job related duties and responsibilities safely. This will ultimately keep the organization safe from any future financial and reputation losses along with any legal complications arising from the safety issues of the lone workers. Moreover, while implementing the safety management system (SMS) within the organization, the management must make sure that the safety policy for lone workers is integrated into SMS. Because, SMS does not only recognize the overall safety of the organization, but it also focuses on the safety of every single employee of the organization. One of SMS’ key features is that it stresses the employers’ responsibilities of protecting their employees at the workplace. So, the safety of lone workers must be an integral part of SMS and the management has to ensure that SMS and the lone worker safety policy are well compatible with each other. This way, SMS and the lone worker safety policy will provide better support to one another. The information presented throughout this paper will help employers combine SMS and the lone worker safety policy in a more effective way to make SMS better. As a result, it is in the best interest of any organization to properly assess the risks of its lone workers and afterwards, implement robust, effective and comprehensive safety measures in order to eliminate every kind of safety risk. This will also guarantee the effective application of the Safety Management System within the organization. References Huang, Y., Robertson, M., Lee, J., Rineer, J., Murphy, L., Garabet, A., & Dainoff, M. (2014). Supervisory interpretation of safety climate versus employee safety climate perception: Association with safety behavior and outcomes for lone workers. Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, 26, 348-360. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trf.2014.04.006 K. Wachter, J. & L. Yorio, P. (2014). The Mediating Role of Workers’ Climate and Behavioral Perceptions on Safety Management System Performance. Open Journal of Safety Science And Technology, 04(02), 84-97. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojsst.2014.42010 Leveson, N. (2015). A systems approach to risk management through leading safety indicators. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 136, 17-34. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2014.10.008 Lone workers face ongoing safety risk. (2012). Nursing Standard, 26(19), 8-8. http://dx.doi.org/10.7748/ns2012.01.26.19.8.p7271 Reiman, T. & Rollenhagen, C. (2011). Human and organizational biases affecting the management of safety.Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 96(10), 1263-1274. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2011.05.010 Safety Management System (SMS). (2016). Faa.gov. Retrieved 11 June 2016, from https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/sms/ Vinodkumar, M. & Bhasi, M. (2011). A study on the impact of management system certification on safety management. Safety Science, 49(3), 498-507. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2010.11.009 Zio, E. & Guedes Soares, C. (2008). Safety and reliability for managing risk. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 93(12), 1779-1780. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ress.2008.03.019 Read More