Whilst working alone is perfectly legal, employers owe all staff, visitors, tenants and contractors a duty of care and, as such, we have considered the risks to all lone workers' safety in the workplace.
By definition: "lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision". Lone working takes place when an individual works in such circumstances that their location is not known by others and they have neither visual nor audible communication with someone (an STFC employee or other person) who can summon assistance or provide first aid in the event of an accident or illness. Some lone working will also happen late at night or out-of-hours.
Having successfully trialled the Oysta Pearl lone worker handset system, it is being adopted at DL, RAL and UK ATC in support of the implementation of STFC SHE Code 1: Lone Working.
[N.B. Polaris House, Swindon, operates a separate system. Previous systems are also still in operation at DL.]
Our lone worker system
As well as peace of mind, the lone worker system offers:
- an easy way to raise an emergency support call
- automatic welfare prompts provide regular checks
- automatic 'man-down' alert for slips, trips and falls
- an online platform providing the whereabouts of lone workers
The alarms are based on paired mobile phones which the lone worker and a 'buddy' keep on their person, these allow communication in the event of an incident and alarm when very sudden or no movement is detected.
During an emergency, buddies will be alerted to the incident by an automatic phone call and online alarm system informing them of the type of alarm currently in progress, in order to provide the most appropriate and timely response.
The buddies will attempt to make contact through the device to better understand the nature of the situation and they will use the device GPS location along with information provided about your whereabouts.
How to access the system
At DL, handsets can be picked up from Security at main reception, contact 01925 60 3777/60 3511 (24hrs).
At RAL, a series of local hubs have been established, in addition to a central hub, where Lone Worker Alarms can be picked up.
Local hub contacts:
- CLF staff - Rob Clarke
- ISIS staff - ISIS Main Control Room
- PPD staff - Craig Sawyer
- Technology staff - Simon Canfer
Central hub:
- For use by all other staff, tenants and visitors - Security team at main reception, contact 01235 44 5545 (24hrs)
At UK ATC, handsets can be picked up from reception, contact 0131 668 8100 (office hours).
Polaris House, Swindon, operate a separate system based on staff reporting to reception outside of working hours, contact 01793 44 4289.
