Top tips to keep lone workers safe - Rachel Griffin - Safety & Health Expo 2014
1. Safety & Health Expo 2014
Top tips to keep your lone workers safe
Rachel Griffin
Director,
Suzy Lamplugh Trust
2. Top tips to keep your lone workers safe
• travelling and visiting clients
• recognising aggression
• de-escalating and de-fusing
• developing policies and procedures and
training your staff to follow them
3. Suzy Lamplugh Trust
It may be common
sense but it is not
always common
practice
Diana Lamplugh
12. What are the warning signs of violence
and aggression?
13. What are the warning signs of violence
and aggression?
• Tapping of fingers
• Crossed arms
• Pacing
• Raised voice
• Facial expressions
• Any sudden changes in behaviour
• Looking down on the other person
Remember: think about your own behaviour as
well as the other person’s
15. Assess and respond
• What is the person’s aggression about? Is it
directed at me, the organisation or
themselves?
• Is the anger a form of distress?
• Am I in danger?
17. Many techniques…
…not all of them work all of the time!
• Make sure you know your potential escape routes
• Avoid hazards such as stairs or equipment that could
be used as a weapon
• Talk your way out of problems: don’t meet
aggression with aggression
• Avoid aggressive body language: wagging finger,
crossed arms, hands on hips, raised arms
• Stand at a 45⁰ angle rather than squaring up to
someone confrontationally
• Remember that aggression often arises from a lack
of information: keep channels of communication
open
18. Many techniques…
…not all of them work all of the time!
• Don’t get drawn into someone else’s anger; try to
encourage compromise
• Try to stay calm, speak gently and clearly
• Think about not just what you say but how you say
it: speak calmly and avoid sarcasm/being patronising
• Be aware of personal space and keep a safe
distance; never put a hand on someone who is angry
• Humour is a high-risk strategy for dealing with
aggression and is best avoided
• Trust your instincts: if a situation feels
uncomfortable, make an excuse and leave
21. 3. We have a clear procedure to follow in
case someone does not return at the
expected time.
4. We have a system for me to raise the
alarm covertly in case of emergency while
working alone.
9. If I do not follow my team’s agreed tracing
system, there will be consequences.
1. My colleagues will know where to start
looking should I not return to base on
time.
5. I am confident that an appropriate
person will pick up the phone if I call the
office in an emergency.
7. There is information available so that my
manager could contact my partner, family or
next of kin (to ensure my safety) should I fail
to return from an appointment.
2. If I decide to change my plans during
the day someone would be aware of this.
8. My partner, family or next of kin would
have contact details of a colleague should I
fail to return from work, even if this should
happen after office hours.
6. When (if) I am lone working out of office
hours, we have a system to monitor my
safety.
Thinking about personal safety
23. If a colleague rings and asks you to check this Blue File this
means that they may be in a threatening situation.
Ask them if they are where they are expected to be as
detailed in the day book.
Please alert a member of the management team.
The manager (or in the unlikely event that a manager is
not present, a staff member) should call the initial caller
back within five minutes to check on their welfare.
If a colleague rings and asks you to check this Red File
this means that they need immediate help.
Ask them if they are where they expected to be as
detailed in the day book.
If the answer is “yes” – immediately notify the most senior
manager present who should take immediate action – i.e.
call the police.
Raising the alarm
24. If a colleague rings and asks you to
check this Blue File this means that they
may be in a threatening situation.
Ask them if they are where they
expected to be as detailed in the day
book.
Please alert a member of the
management team.
The manager (or in the unlikely event
that a manager is not present, a staff
member) should call the initial caller
back within five minutes to check on
their welfare.
25. If a colleague rings and asks you
to check this Red File it means
that they need immediate help.
Ask them if they are where they
expected to be as detailed in the
day book.
If the answer is “yes” –
immediately notify the most
senior manager present who
should take immediate action –
i.e. call the police.
26. Developing policies and procedures
• Tailor your policies and procedures to the activities of
your workforce
• Engage the staff in identifying the solution: they know
what will and won’t work
• Adopt the solution(s) – high or low tech – that will
work for your organisation (one size will not fit all)
• Communicate what is required of staff and why – staff
need to know that this is about their safety, not ‘Big
Brother’
• If it’s a policy it must be policed: check that your lone
workers are following procedure and take action if
they aren’t
27. Tailoring training to different roles,
risks and needs
• What has triggered the demand for training?
– An incident?
– Legislation/’health and safety’?
• Who needs/wants training?
– Frontline staff?
– Managers?
– Both?
• What will the workers/volunteers be doing?
– Regularly working alone in high risk situations?
– Going into other people’s homes?
– ‘Holding the fort’ while other staff are away from base?
