By its very nature, lone working means that lone workers are statistically far more likely to encounter risks than those that work in teams.

Whether it is dealing with a sudden illness, a dangerous or aggressive encounter, getting lost in the dark or working too many hours without an adequate break, there are a multitude of risks that they can be faced with.

If you employ lone workers it is very important, in fact it is a legal requirement, that they are comprehensively trained and protected.

With that in mind, this week we are going to take a look at the many benefits of lone worker training.

Lone Working, Not Working Alone

It is all too easy to allow lone workers to become detached from their friends and colleagues.

This in turn could have an adverse effect on their health, both mentally and physically.

If training is provided at the earliest stage possible, then lone workers will feel part of a wider team and be more likely to communicate with colleagues and managers.

One huge benefit of this is that if there are any issues they can be identified quickly and resolved. Instead of the lone workers carrying the burden and thinking that they have to deal with any problems on their own.

Risk Assessment

All businesses are required by law to carry out risk assessments and because of the increased risks they can contend with, if lone workers are employed then it is imperative that risk assessments are completed.

These assessments should always be carried out on a regular basis to ensure that the work environment is always as safe as possible.

Health And Wellbeing

As we mentioned earlier, lone workers are more like to have to deal with a sudden illness or accident on their own. Or cope with a potentially dangerous and aggressive situation.

As well as ensuring that they feel they are fully trained and have all the necessary support, it is important to offer training on health and wellbeing, especially mental health training.

If there isn’t an existing lone workers health and safety policy in place then one must be created and kept up to date.

Lone Worker Safety Device Training

Lone worker safety devices, such as the devices we at First2HelpYou provide here, are one of the best ways to help keep workers protected.

Thorough training of these devices is essential, in essence if they have a lone worker device then they always have someone they can communicate with at all times with one press of a button.

So, it is vital that any lone workers understand all the functionality of any devices.

As well as the practical benefits, this will increase morale, confidence and productivity, for both the employee and their colleagues and managers.

Personal Safety Training.

Lone Workers often have to assess escalating situations very quickly. So, training on how to operate in these potentially dangerous incidents is crucial.

If, as a business you don’t feel that you have the adequate knowledge or resources available to offer the necessary training, then organisations such as the Suzy Lamplugh Trust provide comprehensive Personal Safety Training.

The Suzy Lamplugh Trust in particular have spent over thirty years at the forefront of the lone worker and safety world.

You can have a look at their Personal Safety Training page here. We would also recommend that managers and lone workers attend some sort of personal safety training, it will always be of benefit to the whole business.

Talking of which, The Suzy Lamplugh Trust provide training for workers, managers and even train the trainers training.

How Can First2HelpYou Help With Lone Worker Training?

Of course, as with all aspects of lone workers and lone working, here at First2HelpYou, we provide bespoke lone worker training, so regardless of the sector or industry you or your company work in, we can tailor the training to ensure that it is the most suitable for the needs of your business.

So, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We have a team of highly trained experts that are more than happy to provide you with all the advice and training that employers and workers need in order to maximise the benefits of lone worker training and personal safety.

Get in touch with us via our online contact form here. Alternatively, you can email us at support@first2helpyou.co.uk or you can call us on 0333 772 9401 to have a talk about what we can do to help you.