Lone worker safety training and the need for clear policies has become more and more paramount and relevant, with recent headlines proving this point in an ever so apparent way. Over the past two months alone, headlines included: ‘Traffic Warden attacked’, ‘Warden punched by ticketed driver’, ‘Dundee Nurse’s After Dark Fear’ and ‘Violence Life of Hospital Staff’ to name just a few.
Nigel Dean, Head of Health Sector Development, Telefonica O2 UK Limited, stated in October 2008: “81% of Lone Workers are concerned about violence or aggression”. While lone worker safety training alone will not reduce the incidence of violence but it must be an essential part of an organisation’s approach to managing violence and aggression in the workplace. Front-line staff who have gained a better understanding of the risks involved when working alone, will by far be more likely to make the right decisions in situations of conflict, aggression and hostility.
Good lone worker safety training will focus on the prevention of incidents, rather than on how to deal with conflict itself. Conflict management training and conflict resolution training is of great importance, but the great British saying ‘prevention is better than cure’, ~Could not make more sense, than within the world of lone worker safety training.
Improving the communication and reporting procedures, within teams of lone workers has to be top priority. It is a matter of fact that family relationships, business partnerships and friendships have broken apart, and even wars have broken and innocent people lost their lives, simply due to a breakdown of communication and inadequate flow of information. Effective lone worker safety training must include clear guidelines and often a ‘wake up call’ on what accurate information needs to be passed on to co-workers in order for them to get a clear understanding of what exact risk factors are associated to what client.
Every human being and subsequently every lone worker has got his or her own perception of the terminology ‘risk’ and every lone worker has got an own opinion what can be classed as ‘I think I have handled this situation quite well!’ or ‘Was this really important enough to report and inform my co-workers?’ One might be brave, one might be more confident, one might be more experienced and another one might be inexperienced or not aware of certain risk factors associated to a client. Good quality lone worker safety training is about creating a platform or standard, every team member will work to. It is about making absolutely clear that gathering accurate and up-to-date information and making them easily accessible to co-workers, is crucial for them to make effective plans on how to successfully reduce the risk of workplace violence and improve their personal safety.
Lone worker safety training can in my professional opinion not be a ‘lecture’ or ’speech’ based around a PowerPoint Presentation only. It really should be about sitting down with you, listening to what you have got to say and then come up with the best possible plan everyone understands and will work to.
Some of the most important subjects that deserve to be covered and discussed when aiming to improving the personal safety of frontline staff are as follows:
- How to reduce violence at work?
- Improving Communication between Team Members
- Improving Reporting Procedures
- Correct Preparation, Completion and Understanding of Risk Assessments
- Effective Control of Lone Worker Visits
- Your Heightened State of Awareness
- Clear Understanding of Your Job Role
- The Importance of Body Language & Confidence
- Responding to Physical & Verbal Aggression
If I can give one good advise to trainers and instructors who take on the great task of delivering training programs, engage with the audience, ask them questions, and allow them to explain to you what they personally have experienced and what situations they might fear. Don’t get into the habit of just doing your job. The words you chose and the advise you give can potentially save human lives. Be aware of that and don’t forget it!
Nigel Dean, Head of Health Sector Development, Telefonica O2 UK Limited, stated in October 2008: “81% of Lone Workers are concerned about violence or aggression”. While lone worker safety training alone will not reduce the incidence of violence but it must be an essential part of an organisation’s approach to managing violence and aggression in the workplace. Front-line staff who have gained a better understanding of the risks involved when working alone, will by far be more likely to make the right decisions in situations of conflict, aggression and hostility.
Good lone worker safety training will focus on the prevention of incidents, rather than on how to deal with conflict itself. Conflict management training and conflict resolution training is of great importance, but the great British saying ‘prevention is better than cure’, ~Could not make more sense, than within the world of lone worker safety training.
Improving the communication and reporting procedures, within teams of lone workers has to be top priority. It is a matter of fact that family relationships, business partnerships and friendships have broken apart, and even wars have broken and innocent people lost their lives, simply due to a breakdown of communication and inadequate flow of information. Effective lone worker safety training must include clear guidelines and often a ‘wake up call’ on what accurate information needs to be passed on to co-workers in order for them to get a clear understanding of what exact risk factors are associated to what client.
Every human being and subsequently every lone worker has got his or her own perception of the terminology ‘risk’ and every lone worker has got an own opinion what can be classed as ‘I think I have handled this situation quite well!’ or ‘Was this really important enough to report and inform my co-workers?’ One might be brave, one might be more confident, one might be more experienced and another one might be inexperienced or not aware of certain risk factors associated to a client. Good quality lone worker safety training is about creating a platform or standard, every team member will work to. It is about making absolutely clear that gathering accurate and up-to-date information and making them easily accessible to co-workers, is crucial for them to make effective plans on how to successfully reduce the risk of workplace violence and improve their personal safety.
Lone worker safety training can in my professional opinion not be a ‘lecture’ or ’speech’ based around a PowerPoint Presentation only. It really should be about sitting down with you, listening to what you have got to say and then come up with the best possible plan everyone understands and will work to.
Some of the most important subjects that deserve to be covered and discussed when aiming to improving the personal safety of frontline staff are as follows:
- How to reduce violence at work?
- Improving Communication between Team Members
- Improving Reporting Procedures
- Correct Preparation, Completion and Understanding of Risk Assessments
- Effective Control of Lone Worker Visits
- Your Heightened State of Awareness
- Clear Understanding of Your Job Role
- The Importance of Body Language & Confidence
- Responding to Physical & Verbal Aggression
If I can give one good advise to trainers and instructors who take on the great task of delivering training programs, engage with the audience, ask them questions, and allow them to explain to you what they personally have experienced and what situations they might fear. Don’t get into the habit of just doing your job. The words you chose and the advise you give can potentially save human lives. Be aware of that and don’t forget it!
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