Driving Archives - MyTeamSafe

10 tips for keeping staff healthy & safe when the nights are drawing in

admin — Fri, 27 Oct 2023 14:04:05 +0000

… Autumn is here!

Autumn is here, and it’s time for the temperatures to start dropping and the clocks to go back 1 hour, facilitating the nights getting dark earlier. This will mean the UK moves from (BST) British Summer Time to (GMT) Greenwich Mean Time. The reason for this is to give us more sunlight in the morning, which was introduced in 1916 to get the most out of daylight and save energy.

These days this might mean an extra hour in bed if you’re lucky, but it also means many people will now work and leave work in the dark. Risks of incidents are higher and it also makes some people feel uncomfortable. Can you relate to this?

Does night’s drawing in affect staff productivity and safety?

When it’s getting darker earlier, it can start to impact how people feel. It can make them change their daily routine and alter their mood. The lower light can impact staff both physically and mentally. Conditions such as seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can cause fatigue, stress, anxiety, headaches, and eye strain. These can influence productivity and may be the basis of an increase in absences. In addition, a lack of interest, Irritability, and loss of energy despite sleeping for longer can create an urge not to come out of hibernation!

But not only that, staff who once finished work and skipped home whilst enjoying the warmth of the sunshine, will find from the end of October that they will be finishing up work and walking home in the DARK and COLD. Locking up in darkness, moving from one job location to another, or making a way home can suddenly feel more lonely, vulnerable, and scary.

What are the additional risks for staff in the winter months?

With the change of light this time of the year, you also must consider the change in weather conditions for your on-site and off-site workers, especially your lone workers. During winter months, there’s a rise in:

unsafe driving conditions
slips and falls
frostbite / hypothermia
structural stress (buildings, pavements, roads etc).
power outages

10 tips for keeping staff healthy and safe when the nights are drawing in:

We’re sure that you always have your employees’ best interests at heart and will do everything you can to make them feel safer during the long winter months. You have a legal duty of care to keep them safe, after all. We hope that some of these tips will help

Monitor for more severe weather and potential threats to your business premises and workers
Give training to staff who are vulnerable and make suitable changes to factor in weather conditions and light
In winter, low levels of vitamin D can impact the internal body clock, reduce the “Happy Hormone” and disrupt sleep. Educating staff on how to help alleviate the potential dip in vitamin D may help them with the symptoms above, especially helping with concentration, which is desirable in most jobs, and crucial for safety in others.
Identifying low light hazards. Things can look very different in a different light. It is critical that your business has adequate lighting to cover workspaces, but also be very aware of dark stairways and corners
Consider automatic solar lights for outside areas — cheap, easy to fit, and very effective.
Provide as much natural light as possible during daylight hours.
Consider using natural daylight bulbs that resemble natural daylight
With many more homeworkers than ever before, conduct regular wellness checks, and make sure you reach out if you don’t hear back
Have the ability to quickly notify and communicate with all staff about any last-minute changes due to the weather
If you employ lone workers (“Lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision”) consider a lone-worker solution to meet your legal duty of care obligation and help keep your staff safer

Here at MyTeamSafe we can certainly help with the last three! If you would like to know more, then please do contact us.

How to ensure your own safety when it’s dark

The summer is sadly long gone, and you now find yourself still finishing your workday as the sun settles for the night, or you are walking home or just to the car in the cold and dark, and it’s not fun! There are some ways for you to ensure you stay as safe as possible.

Avoid locking up and walking home alone. You’re more vulnerable at night
Plan your route home and make sure people are aware of when you leave, your route and when you’re at your next location. Try to stay near busy areas
Be always alert and avoid spending time on your mobile
Hide expensive items
Keep your hands free
Trust your instincts

If you are concerned at all with your safety whilst at work, or moving from location to location outside daylight hours, ensure that you speak with your employer about the solutions available.

MyTeamSafe®, an award-winning lone-worker App & proud supporter of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust

The post 10 tips for keeping staff healthy & safe when the nights are drawing in appeared first on MyTeamSafe.

Are you an Estate Agent?

admin — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 23:00:00 +0000

Are you an estate agent — do you feel safe?

Many Estate Agencies now offer digital viewing options, giving prospective clients a choice of how to view a property. This can be a positive service, especially during initial Sales or Letting viewings that can help immediately eliminate or highlight potential interest. It can save time for both the client and agent and overcome geographical barriers using the many virtual tools available to anyone with online access. But traditional personal service still ranks high, for both clients and agents after a challenging time with the impact of Covid. This ”human” service often puts Estate Agents (visiting a prospective client or showing a property) in a lone working situation. Working alone can have some advantages, but there are also a lot of risks too.

Are you aware of the case of Suzy Lamplugh and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust?

In 1986 a Twenty-Five-year-old Estate Agent from Fulham went missing whilst on a viewing. Suzy Lamplugh’s disappearance had a huge impact on estate agents at the time, and the shock is still felt now. She left her office to meet a client “Mr Kipper” at an empty house, the alarm was raised in the evening when she failed to return to the office. Suzy was never found, and she was officially declared dead, presumed murdered seven years later in 1993. As a result of her disappearance, The Suzy Lamplugh Trust was set up. A pioneering personal safety charity and leading stalking authority. They are widely regarded as a field expert in lone-working and personal safety training, stalking training, as well as consultancy, campaigning, and support services.

Estate Agent Risks

With just under 48,000 estate agents working in the United Kingdom as of 2022 there are a lot of agents who could be put at risk daily.

We usually think about Risk Assessments for covering trips and hazards, VDU screen time and using equipment, so the main ones we want to address and to follow on from mentioning Suzy Lamplugh are:

Lone Working onsite — within the Estate Agency premises
Lone Working offsite — When offering a personal viewing service; an open house; or documenting information for a listing, audit.
Lone Working offsite — Even offering clients a lift service between estates

Each Lone Working situation creates a potentially dangerous position for an Estate Agent. They’re more vulnerable to verbal or physical abuse from customers and whilst visiting a commercial or other premises (to record details for a listing, or show a client around) Estate Agents are also at risk of injury due to any poorly maintained premises or substances found within it. These are all classified as “uncontrolled” risks and need careful focus.

Agents can work long hours alone, in unfamiliar properties, with people they don’t know, and sometimes in the dark. That is a very scary position to be in without some safety procedures in place

How Estate Agents can stay safe?

Does your estate agency have procedures in place to keep staff safe on viewings? Everyone should understand the importance of procedures to keep people safe and provide reassurance that someone has your back during potentially vulnerable situations. Taking steps to minimise the risks, is something everyone can take part in, but business owners MUST address them, they have a duty of care to ensure their staff is safe. Here are some of our suggestions

Have more than one member of staff in the office / shop so that no one works alone, especially when it’s open to the public.
Ask about the condition of the premises and its contents BEFORE heading to the site
Record all relevant viewing details for staff to access (digital or paper) and know locations and times
Use a shared diary
Verify email, addresses, and telephone numbers given
Carry a well charged, mobile phone
Carry a personal alarm
Have a system in place that allows staff to escalate any concerns
Use a system where Managers and Office administrators can monitor agents’ location

All of the above can be managed using manual systems but you need to ensure they are robust. We would suggest that you consider a LONE WORKER APP. There are many on the market that can track the location of your staff in real-time (during work time); provide reports; communicate with your staff; allow them to check in with you (with an automatic reminder to do so); allow for someone to escalate any concerns that they may have. An app such as this will provide some peace of mind to staff, management, and business owners.

We have developed an affordable and flexible Lone Worker App which helps organisations with their safety strategy. And we are proud supporters of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust.

The HSE states “Lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision” Even for a short time. If you employ someone as a Lone Worker our MyTeamSafe App will assist with your legal duty of care requirements and help with keeping your employees safer. If you would like to try a FREE trial, please email us at blog@myteamsafe.com

EXTRA….

If you are an Estate Agent, there is a national paper using SurveyMonkey to get information on the important issue of Estate Agent Safety — we have provided the link as you may want to contribute.

MyTeamSafe®, an award-winning lone-worker App & proud supporter of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust

The post Are you an Estate Agent? appeared first on MyTeamSafe.

Is driving part of your job role?

admin — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 14:51:00 +0000

Is driving part of your job role?

An employer has a responsibility to manage health and safety risks to all workers, not just at fixed sites, but extending to members of staff driving a vehicle as part of their work activity. Driving can be dangerous, and employers must do what they can to prevent any harm from coming to them. This responsibility doesn’t just relate to business vehicles, but also to vehicles owned by the worker and used for work purposes. Extra consideration should be given to lone workers who will not have a colleague to assist them, should anything go wrong when out on the road.

The HSE estimate that “more than a quarter of all road traffic incidents may involve somebody who is driving as part of their work at the time.”

Are you and your vehicle prepared?

When you get into your vehicle, do you do so with confidence, that you are prepared should anything go wrong? Are you sure? How many, from this list of 20 things, do you have available when you set off for your journey? — YES, We were shocked at how many there are, and all are relevant.

You could be driving to your next client; between work activities; delivering; or on the way to a conference, do you really want to be unprepared?

A mobile phone
Charger and lead for your mobile phone
A way to check in with your supervisor and give an update on your situation
An ability to show your location via GPS — What3Words is a great App.
First aid kit
Fire extinguisher
Reflective triangles — A legal requirement in many European countries.
Reflective vests — A legal requirement in many European countries.
Spare tyre & Tyre jack — If you drive a lot, definitely worth the expense.
Tyre foam sealant for a temp quick fix (Only works for minor damage and ruins the tyre)
Tyre Pump / Inflator
Spare Bulbs and Fuses
Torch
Duct tape & Cable ties (So useful for so many temporary fixes)
Tow rope
Drinking water + non-perishable snacks (I used these many times just when stuck in traffic).
Blanket
De-icer / scraper
Copies of important documents and contact details of a breakdown service
Pen and Paper

This isn’t an exhaustive list, What extra ones do you have?

If you are now less confident, discuss your concerns with your employer. They should have policies and procedures to ensure that vehicles and users obey the law and abide by the health and safety outlines, and reasonable measures made to ensure that you and your vehicle is prepared for most eventualities.

Most organisations that require you to drive for your work should, as a minimum, have a regular check list in place to show the vehicle is road worth and safe.

Car trouble? Who Ya Gonna Call?

OK, so imagine this. You’re on your way to a very important meeting with a supplier; off to see your new patient in their home; on the way to the airport for an overseas conference; or popping into the city to show a client a property. You ignored the engine noise as you set off alone, because after-all you are running late, and this is important.

Almost at the end of your journey, all the dashboard warning lights start illuminating the inside of the vehicle, as the light outside fades and the rain starts to fall. You took a wrong turn fifteen minutes ago and have no idea where you are, least of all where the next garage is. Then BANG, your car rolls silently to a halt at the side of a quiet country lane.

After switching on the hazards and setting out the triangles and putting on your high vis (you have them, right?) you settle back in the car with your mind racing. It’s OK, you have this, you can still just about make it, you can organise something because you have your phone. Right? Yes. But there’s no signal, and you have only 5% battery left. And the rain is falling even harder now!!!!

Panic or not to panic?

There are alternative endings to this scenario, but we prefer the one where you sit back and wait. You’re confident in the knowledge that the organisation uses MyTeamSafe. The app switches automatically to SMS fallback mode should there be a lack of signal.

You can send notes direct from the App or Press PANIC. If the battery dies, escalations still happen if you haven’t checked in on time. All as you’re keeping warm in a blanket — you have that, right? A supervisor will be automatically contacted, who, when unable to communicate with you, will use the location-tracker, to find your last recorded location.

You may not have made the flight or meeting, but you would be home soon enough for a warm bath and in time for dinner!

This isn’t a dangerous situation, but it happens every day! It could happen to you or a colleague. Being prepared and keeping safe is simple … if you think about it.

MyTeamSafe®, an award-winning lone-worker App & proud supporter of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust

The post Is driving part of your job role? appeared first on MyTeamSafe.

How to manage the risks of working alone

admin — Sat, 01 Oct 2022 08:00:00 +0000

How to safeguard your business, yourself, and your lone workers

A lone worker is someone who works by themselves without close or direct supervision, even occasionally or for short periods of time, regardless of the sector they work in. They have the responsibility of taking reasonable care of themselves (and other people affected by their activities) but their health and safety are ultimately the responsibility of their employer. It doesn’t matter if they are working from home, alone at a fixed business address, on the road, or even volunteering. Their employers are responsible under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations.

DID YOU KNOW…
Due to inaction, if an incident happens to a lone worker, the maximum fine was capped at £20,000 for each breach, it’s now unlimited. In the most serious cases, responsible people could also face imprisonment or disqualification from acting as a company director for up to 15 years!!

How to safeguard your business, yourself, and your lone workers

Putting a healthy and safe working environment in place for lone workers can be different from other workers. Some additional things need to be considered (as set out by the HSE)

■ assessing areas of risk including violence, manual handling, the medical suitability of the individual to work alone, and whether the workplace itself presents a risk to them

■ understanding the difference between control and uncontrolled environments & risks. eg visiting a client’s flat vs working late in your office.

■ requirements for training, levels of experience, and how best to monitor and supervise them

■ having systems in place to keep in touch with them and respond to any incident

What is Lone worker monitoring?

How would you know if a member of your team has had a medical incident, a work-related accident, been attacked or just felt comfortable in the situation they found themselves in? What’s the best way to monitor a lone worker, and how can you put a system in place to keep in touch?

“Monitoring” can sound quite invasive and big brother. It’s not about “tracking” a lone worker but having a suitable system in place to ensure you know they are OK. That is your legal duty of care.

There are many lone working monitoring options available. In their own right, they can be useful and effective tools of keeping track of employees when they are working and ensuring they are safe.

A buddy up system
A phone-in system to a designated receiver
Monitoring devices, specialist hardware
Smartphone applications

Manual systems do sound simple and can be effective (the first two options) but all the costs are hidden and totally rely on both lone worker and supervisor/buddy always being available, always remembering, and always recording. There is no fail-to-safe.

Look at several systems and choose wisely. Ensure you define what you actually need to meet your daily requirements. It’s easy to find you’re more for features that don’t actually need and don’t benefit the organisation and or provide protection for the risks your employees actually face.

The system needs to simply embed in your daily routines and is flexible enough to work how your organisations wants.

Meeting the HSE requirements is a simple process. The system that you decide to embrace needs to be fully tested, to ensure that it’s flexible to meet all your different lone worker risks/roles and everyone knows how to use it effectively. One size doesn’t need to fit all — If you have a few roles that are at constant threat of extreme violence, then a specialist hardware system may be worth the cost. For everyone else who is low risk, then a simpler, more cost-effective system may be more suitable.

The benefits of using App technology for lone workers:

It doesn’t require supervisors to make periodic visits, as lone workers can “check-in” electronically.
A simple panic alarm can be activated immediately, warning a designated contact of an incident.
The company does not need to involve staff to constantly monitor lone workers as the system automatically escalates warnings and detailed information, including Location (if activated), by text or email, so the relevant person can take control of the situation.
A complete activity audit log is constantly recorded, so you know where your staff was and when.

Which Lone worker monitoring would we recommend?

Our MyTeamSafe App is designed to reduce the risks of working alone and to help organisations demonstrate their Duty of Care, without the need for impersonal call centers that don’t know your staff or your organisation.

The 15 key features of the MyTeamSafe App include:

Start and stop lone working sessions easily with an effortless check-in
Audible “nudge” alerts (with selectable different sounds)
Range of notification options (email, SMS, push, automated voice call)
Custom Strategies — multiple strategies that align with the associated lone worker risks
Flexible Escalations — earlier/quicker escalations and a wider audience may be notified — Automatically switching between Supervisor & Deputy.
SMS messages as a fall back when there’s no Wifi, 3G or 4G
If the battery dies the lone workers’ session continues to run, and escalations still occur informing the relevant supervisor/manager
Panic alarm, for those scenarios where the lone worker wishes to immediately escalate to their supervisor (or predefined contacts)
Send/Log “Notes” to Supervisor to ensure they are always in the loop
Auto-start sessions eliminate the risks of staff forgetting to initiate a lone-working session, ensuring the organisation maintains their duty of care
Fire roster, is a separate feature that allows users to simply confirm if they are on-site, off-site, or absent during an emergency situation
GPS location details can be captured
Live web portal (admin dashboard and administration)
Core Dashboard information also visible on App for Supervisors
Activity Summary reports prove your protection and ensure everyone is using the system correctly.

MyTeamSafe is suitable for those that always work alone, even the occasional or short-duration situations such as simply working late or opening/locking up. MyTeamSafe focuses on a simple “set and forget” concept, keeping the organisation in control.

Simple
Secure
Scalable
Small monthly cost

With the MyTeamSafe App your lone working requirements are covered, and your employees are safer.

MyTeamSafe®, an award-winning lone-worker App & proud supporter of the Suzy Lamplugh Trust

The post How to manage the risks of working alone appeared first on MyTeamSafe.