LookOut call newsletter October

Welcome to the OCTOBER 2009 edition of LookOut call News, a regular bulletin produced for lone workers everywhere. Each month LookOut call News aims to provide updates and news items featuring the LookOut call system and other areas concerning the health and safety of lone workers in both public and private sectors

In this months LookOut call News:

• LookOut call case Study -  Keeping remote environmental workers safe
• Highest ever customer satisfaction rating achieved by LookOut call!
• New ‘Health & Safety Offences Act’ raises the stakes
• Updated HSE Lone Working Advice free leaflet released
• The dangers of lone working at heights

LookOut call keeping remote Environmental workers safe!

enitial, a company that specialises in providing environmental and waste management services to many different public and private sector organisations, has recently taken the decision to deploy LookOut call, to help protect its team of lone workers. In doing so enitial is the second such company in the environmental sector to benefit from the service following Anglian Water, who have now been successfully using the system for 10 years.

enitial is responsible for the safety of approximately 35 lone workers who spend most of their working days in very remote and isolated places, such as old quarries, reservoirs or disused land fill sites. If something goes wrong and they have an accident on site, it is crucial that that they are found quickly so that the relevant medical help and assistance can be provided and it is in these situations that the LookOut call system can literally prove to be a lifesaver.

Additionally the duties of enitial’s lone workers  can also involve monitoring gas, water, noise or dust levels in many different locations and when they go to visit a site they are required to take a great deal of heavy, specialist equipment with them. When enitial decided to review its health and safety procedures and implement an automated lone worker safety system, to replace an existing manual system, it was imperative therefore that the lone workers were not burdened with any additional equipment.

All enitial’s lone workers, however, carry a mobile phone so they can keep in contact with their colleagues and the office. LookOut call was selected because it integrated easily with existing working procedures and no specialist equipment was needed, as Hannah Palacio, Process Manager of enitial explains:

“Our lone workers spend many hours at a time in very lonely locations and our primary concern is their safety. LookOut call works perfectly on our existing mobile phones. Our staff log onto the system the start of the day and keep us updated of their movements, which path they have taken, where they have parked their car and so forth, simply  by pressing a specific button on their phone, so if something happens to them, we can find them very quickly.”

Staff safety is paramount at enitial and LookOut call has been incorporated into the organisation’s overall health and safety procedures. All lone workers are obliged to use the system when they go to site, as part of their terms of employment, and if they do not, they could face disciplinary action because they are putting themselves and possibly others at risk.

The enitial management team is able to ensure that lone workers are using the system by examining usage reports stored on LookOut call’s website. These are accessible via a secure interface that is password protected. This helps them ensure that LookOut call is being used to its full potential, help and assistance can then be given to those who are not using the system as often as they should.

The company has also thought very carefully about its responder procedures because it is essential that lone workers are found quickly if the alarm is raised. The system has therefore been configured to call a dedicated responder mobile phone during office hours in case all the regular phone lines are engaged.  For out of hours coverage, the system has been configured to call normal land lines. These numbers change regularly, depending who is on duty, but administration staff can easily update responder rotas via the website.

 “Some of our projects may involve staff going to site in the middle of the night” continues Hannah, “By deploying LookOut call, we do not have to man our office 24/7. Lone workers simply log onto the system and tell it where they are going and how long they will be by setting a timed activity. This means our responders are only woken up if an alarm is raised”.

C3’s Sue Hunt believes that enitial’s decision to deploy the LookOut call system could open the door for other similar organisation’s to follow suit. “We are delighted that enitial has selected LookOut call to provide this service and hope that it will be adopted throughout the environmental industry to help safeguard all remote lone workers who perform a difficult job often in dangerous circumstances”.

‘Diamond’ customer satisfaction rating achieved by LookOut call for 2009!

 When LookOut call achieved an impressive score of 85% in a customer satisfaction rating last year, all involved realised that we would have a difficult task next time round in keeping up such a high standard of service. Imagine our delight therefore to hear the news that not only have we achieved this aim, we have actually done even better by gaining an unbelievable 94% customer satisfaction rating, as C3’s Brian Caddy explains.

“I thought our 85% score last year was pretty amazing, so this is great news and shows how well LookOut call’s support team looks after our customers. Furthermore we have also been informed that the 94% customer satisfaction rating we achieved following an independent survey and assessment by the Benchmarq Quality people who conduct the survey qualifies us for a 'Diamond' rating, which is the highest accolade they can bestow. Can I therefore take this opportunity to thank all our customers who took the trouble to respond to the survey by giving us such good feedback and promise that we will all do our utmost to maintain the high standards we have set ourselves over the months and years ahead”. 
 

New Health & Safety Offences Act raises the stakes for businesses

As reported last year. LookOut call welcomed the news that  the Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008 was set to come into force as of January 2009 and regards it, along with the Corporate Manslaughter Act as a vital new component of workplace health and safety legislation.

The Act raises the maximum penalties that can be imposed for breaching health and safety regulations in the lower courts from £5,000 to £20,000 and the range of offences for which an individual can be imprisoned has also been broadened.

The Act specifically targets those businesses who cut corners, gain commercial advantage over competitors by failing to comply with health and safety law and who put workers and the public at risk, thereby sending out an important message to those who flout the law.

Under the Act, jail sentences for particularly blameworthy health and safety offences committed by individuals, can now be imposed reflecting the severity of such crimes, whereas there were more limited options in the past. The Act amends Section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, and raises the maximum penalties available to the courts in respect of certain health and safety offences.  It received Royal Assent on 16 October 2008 and came into force in January 2009.

Speaking about the new Act earlier this year Judith Hackitt Chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said: " This Act gives lower courts the power to impose higher fines for some health and safety offences.  It is right that there should be a real deterrent to those businesses and individuals that do not take their health and safety responsibilities seriously. Everyone has the right to work in an environment where risks to their health and safety are properly managed, and employers have a duty in law to deliver this. 

"Our message to the many employers who do manage health and safety well is that they have nothing to fear from this change in law.  There are no new duties on employers or businesses, and HSE is not changing its approach to how it enforces health and safety law.  We will retain the important safeguards that ensure that our inspectors use their powers sensibly and proportionately.  We will continue to target those who knowingly cut corners, put lives at risk and who gain commercial advantage over competitors by failing to comply with the law". 

The Act fulfils a longstanding Government and HSE commitment to provide the courts with greater sentencing powers for health and safety crimes.  The effect of the Act is to:

• raise the maximum fine which may be imposed in the lower courts to £20,000 for most health and safety offences; 
• make imprisonment an option for more health and safety offences in both the lower and higher courts; 
• make certain offences, which are currently triable only in the lower courts, triable in either the lower or higher courts.

LookOut call’s Brian Caddy considers therefore the Act will be of even greater concern to business organisations than the Corporate Manslaughter Act, as he explains. “What the Health and Safety Offences Act has done is to effectively raise the stakes for those businesses who consistently flout workplace health and safety regulations. The Act’s greater sentencing powers, tougher fines and potential prison sentences for corner cutters sends out a powerful warning to employers to put their houses in order or face the consequences. I would just like therefore to pay tribute to MP Keith Hill who initially piloted the bill through Parliament, thanks to Keith and his supporters many workplaces will inevitably become safer places for employees from now on”.

Free updated HSE Lone Working Leaflet now available

 
As of September 2009, the HSE has released a new and updated version of its free ‘Working Alone’ advice leaflet INDG73(rev2),which provides health and safety advice on the risks of lone working. The leaflet also provides guidance on how to keep lone workers healthy and safe and is aimed at anyone who employs or engages lone workers, plus it may also help self-employed people who work alone themselves. Although following the advice and guidance in the leaflet is not compulsory, it should help employers decide what they need to do to comply with their legal duties towards lone workers under The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974; and The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Topics covered by the leaflet include :

• Is it legal to work alone and is it safe?
• Who are lone workers and what jobs do they do?
• How do we assess and control the risks?
• Which particular problems affect lone workers?
• What happens if a person becomes ill, has an accident, or there is an emergency?
• What about employers’ liability insurance?

A web friendly version of the leaflet can be downloaded for free from the HSE website.

Lone working at Heights – Watch your Step!

Working at heights is a dangerous enough occupation at the best of times but when you add a lone working element into the mix, then it becomes even more so. For workers in pairs or teams, should an accident or fall occur then there will invariably be a colleague around to raise the alarm, summon help and provide emergency first aid if required, but for the lone worker there is no such backup available. It is in these situations that a lone worker safety system such as LookOut call can be a potential lifesaver by allowing victims of falls to summon help or to allow rescuers to quickly pinpoint the victim themselves if they are badly injured or unconscious.

Occupations which may fall into the category of lone workers at risk of falls include self-employed builders, window cleaners, painter & decorators, roofers, and other members of the construction industry. It should be remembered however that you don’t necessarily have to fall from a great height to seriously injure yourself, as figures provided from the HSE recent ‘Slips, Trips and Falls’ campaign have revealed.

According to the HSE, falls from height however remain the most common kind of workplace fatality. Falls from height in the manufacturing industries alone for instance are the third highest cause of fatal injury, comprising over 20% of fatal accidents. Other HSE findings have revealed that:

• Falls from height are a significant cause of major injuries (broken limbs, fractured skulls etc) comprising over 9% of this category of accidents
• They result in about one major injury for every over-3-day absence injury
• Total more than 200 each year
• Can result in serious or even fatal injury even when the fall is less than 2m.

 

Watch Your Step!

According to one lone worker who regularly works at heights inspecting lofts and other raised areas, often in vacant properties the way to stay safe is to reduce the risks wherever possible. “First of all make it a two man job if it is feasible. If this can not be done, ensure you leave a list of properties you are visiting that day so that you can be located should you not return on time, or better still use a lone worker safety system. Once you are actually working at height, ensure there is good lighting and personal protective equipment if needed such as suitable ladders, never use chairs or other means of climbing upwards. Finally the golden rule when working at heights is to concentrate at all times and above all, never ever step backwards, always turn around”.