BSIA update guidelines for essential safety advice for lone workers

The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has published a guide to help lone workers understand their own responsibilities as well as their employer’s obligations, and giving essential advice on using lone worker devices.

'Lone Workers - An Employees' Guide' provides those working alone with advice on how to stay safe at work, including information on risk assessments and the use of monitored lone worker services, including devices used to call for help. Advice is also given on what lone workers can expect from their employers, explaining duty of care and training.

Alex Carmichael, Technical Director at the BSIA, says: "This guide recognises the importance of keeping lone workers safe and secure. Responsible employers will consider the health and safety of their lone workers as a top priority, and the use of lone worker devices can help by connecting such employees with an emergency response system that has direct links to the police."

"The BSIA and its members have been at the forefront of the drive to raise standards and awareness of lone worker systems through its work with British Standards, key involvement in the development of the standard relating to lone workers (BS8484) and its Lone Worker focus group. BSIA members meet strict corporate requirements, so customers who source lone worker services from them can be confident that they will receive quality advice and service."

Employees can download the guide on this link:

http://www.bsia.co.uk/web_images/documents/284_lone_workers_employees_guide_MAY11.pdf

(Source: http://www.bsia.co.uk)

Lone Worker Protection

This positive and very informative annual became a well established platform for professionals to exchange information, recommendations and codes of practice with reference to all aspects of lone worker protection.

Providing a stage for all the colleagues who share a passion for the protection of lone workers with accurate and updated information, which go far beyond mere theory, some something that really should be allowed.

Why is the issue of lone worker protection so important? A study by the NHS 81% of lone workers are concerned about violence or aggression, and 56% of people in the NHS, local authorities and housing associations have been attacked at least once in their career . Looking over 2.5 million workers in the isolated UK alone, it is essential that we meet our legal obligations and ensure the protection of lone workers and providing a safe work environment.

After a number of events focusing on health and safety, public sector organizations and private sectors have shown great interest in the Conference Lone worker safety and exhibitions, which focuses its attention specifically and directly on the protection of lone workers.

Everyone responsible for the protection of lone workers must include all legal responsibilities. Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, management of health and safety at work regulations 1999 and the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 and other laws do not It is illegal for employees to work alone, but they do place responsibility on the employer to ensure it is safe to do so.

Employers are responsible not only for their own employees but also for others who are affected by their activities, such as self-employed and entrepreneurs. However, isolated workers also have a responsibility to take reasonable care of themselves and others affected by their work activities. This includes cooperation with employers to ensure that their legal responsibilities are met.

How changes to the Corporate Manslaughter Act may affect you

Last month saw the third anniversary of one of the key pieces of legislation affecting businesses today. The Corporate Manslaughter Act, which came into force on 6 April 2008, now involves new sentencing guidelines recommending appropriate fines to start from £500,000 in the event of a conviction.

While some smaller companies may make the mistake of thinking such legislation isn’t relevant to them, the recent high profile prosecution of a Gloucester-based SME is a grave reminder that the Act is something which all businesses, regardless of size, must take seriously. This particular case (Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings) followed the death of an engineer and the firm was fined £385,000 (115% of the company’s turnover in 2008) after being found to have seriously failed in its obligations to keep its workforce safe. The company ignored industry advice which prohibited entry to pits over 1.2 metres deep, and at the time of his death, had left the engineer unsupervised and alone.

Three years on from the legislation coming into effect, and in light of this recent prosecution, you would have thought SMEs would be doing all they can to protect their staff, right? Sadly not.

Recent economic cutbacks are just one reason for companies compromising on health and safety, and as more businesses have been forced to make reductions in spend, the rise of lone workers is one of the most significant risks for SMEs in relation to health and safety legislation.

This new breed of employee can include those working alone from home due to office closure, or one person performing a task that two people might have carried out previously. Lone working can bring huge benefits to both businesses, particularly smaller, growing enterprises, and employees. However, some organisations are frequently not properly adapting or implementing strategies to protect these staff.

Businesses need to reassess how realistic their health and safety policies are, and ensure they are being followed given the different circumstances many organisations are now operating in. For example if there are safety systems to monitor lone workers, it’s important that employees can raise the alarm when needed. Systems should be checked to make sure they work practically – if lone workers have a safety device, it should be charged and carried at all times. After all, the technology is only useful if it is being used properly.

The key to creating a safe working environment is reviewing policies frequently and ensuring their suitability and workability for the business. Directors or those within the team with HR or a health and safety remit should understand the systems in place across the business.

The importance of a health and safety policy is a key priority in many businesses, but it can be something which slips – or is ignored – within smaller organisations. It is vital that SME owners make themselves aware, taking specialist advice where necessary, and implement the necessary safeguards to protect employees and the business.

The Corporate Manslaughter Act has brought health and safety to the forefront of many organisations minds, however it should only be considered as one of the many guidelines put in place to protect workers. Organisations of all sizes need to execute their obligations,whether employees are based in the traditional office, or have joined the growing breed of lone workers. Keeping in line with health and safety legislation will not only protect an organisation, but most importantly, keep its workers safe.

Elephants being poached near cabin where Prince William proposed to Kate

Mount Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya – In Nairobi, Kenya, of seven elephants that were fitted with GPS tracking devices, four were killed in the hills of Mount Kenya over the past few months.

The area in question is very near the rustic, little cabin where Prince William’s proposal to Kate Middleton took place.

The group “Save The Elephants” put collars on the seven animals to keep track of their movements.  Over half of the elephants were killed and the founder of the group, Iain Douglas-Hamilton says he is concerned about what could be happening to those elephants that aren’t collared.

There is a “poaching crisis” in the area of Mount Kenya of which we weren’t previously aware, said Douglas-Hamilton.  He thinks the dense forest creates difficulties for rangers in patrolling and protecting un-collared elephants.

Lucy King, an official of “Save The Elephants,” says they have suspicions that the increase in poaching in the north of Kenya is connected to Asian demand for ivory.  This is nothing new in Kenya, as poaching for ivory over the past century is one of the main reasons for the decrease in numbers of elephants overall.

The deaths of four elephants are not a threat to the population of the 30,000 local Kenyan elephants, but those deaths are cruel and inhumane.

In October, the first killings occurred, which is the same month when Prince William and Kate Middleton occupied a rustic log cabin where the couple enjoyed fishing in the nearby pond and tried to keep warm during the chilly nights at this high altitude.  Whether the Royal couple saw any elephants or not, has not been made known to the public, but of the 4 poached animals, 1 died about 5 miles from the cabin, said King.

One elephant, “Marani” was shot and killed in October with a second killing in February and 2 more were killed in April, including a shooting and a death by a snare.  The agony of the last death was horrific.    The animal was found starved to death.  The elephant’s body had been snared with a rope around one leg, which was tied to a tree. She must have thrashed about to get loose, but lost strength as her poor body became emaciated from lack of water and food. 

The snares and traps are everywhere in this area. The ivory poaching started on Mount Kenya in 2009.

Even though the snares might be set for small animals, elephant calves are often found in these indiscriminate and brutal traps, and the amputated or snared calves get severe infections, which they can’t possibly survive.

The movements of elephants are tracked with the GPS collars and their paths are recorded on a Google Earth mapping program, so conservationists are alerted when they stop moving, which means the elephant has a problem or is in trouble.

King says one of the collars was shot off by poachers, with 2 AK-47 bullets.  She believes that the poachers think the chances they will be caught are increased by use of the collars, so they try to destroy the collars.

More financial support and ranger patrols are needed in the Mount Kenya vicinity to prevent these attacks on the elephants.  “Save The Elephants” does their best with what they have to control or stop the destruction of the elephants.

It’s hard to believe that people can, in all conscience, commit such violent crimes against these beautiful, innocent, mature elephants and their little calves. 

These are wanton, cruel and useless killings that need to be stopped.

* For more information about Elephants, check out ExoticAnimalLover.com

GPS tracking systems save company fuel costs

The use of GPS-operated machine control and mining machinery tracking systems has been proven to cut both fuel consumption and operational costs of fleet machinery and vehicles.

A study carried by the Aberdeen Group, a US-based industry research firm that examines the effects and implications of industrial technology, has shown that vehicles and fleets with GPS tracking installed experience a 13 per cent reduction in fuel costs on average.

One of the most obvious and money-saving ways in which a GPS tracking device can cut these costs is by monitoring the idling time of a vehicle or machine.

According to Ford Motor Company, every hour of idle time is equal to approximately 25 miles of driving, where as, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, restarting an engine uses no more fuel than 30 seconds of idling and has very little harmful impact on vehicle components.

A quality GPS tracking systems notifies when a vehicle idles for excessive periods of time, wasting fuel and being non-productive. A survey of trucking and haulage companies in the US by Aberdeen showed that many already take advantage of idling reports found on most GPS tracking systems, and are able to monitor the efficient usage of their vehicles and machines.

Promoting safety among lone workers

KEY POINTS

    * Lone workers typically are very self-motivated and independent by nature, so a command and control style of safety management often is ineffective.
    * Using Internet-based programs can help promote communication and safety among lone workers, but should not be relied on exclusively for training purposes.
    * Working together with lone workers can help managers better understand their needs and help them invest in safety while in the field.

Monitoring and managing the safe behavior of a workforce can be a difficult task, even in an enclosed environment. Yet employees who work autonomously create even greater challenges for safety managers and workplace supervisors.

Although the term “lone worker” also covers those performing individual jobs on a worksite – such as a job task in an area of the plant that cannot be easily viewed by co-workers, or even a receptionist in a large office building – the needs of remote workers who cannot be supervised through conventional means present perhaps the greatest challenge.

'The issue of managing lone workers is one more organizations are facing,' said Robert Pater, managing director of the training program MoveSMART for Portland, OR-based Strategic Safety Associates. Autonomous work is a growing trend. “The model that many organizations are using is to get out to where the work is,” he said. “We have found that almost every organization has some lone workers. … Autonomous workers are [accounting for] an increasingly large percentage of the workforce.”