034 Lone Worker Policy
1. Purpose
Proactive Support is committed to providing and maintaining a safe workplace for all staff who work alone. We recognise that working remotely or isolated work may give rise to specific risks which need to be managed appropriately. We will aim to eliminate any exposure to risk from remote or isolated work and where such risks cannot be eliminated, we will put in place controls to minimise the risks.
Remote or isolated work may include various circumstances including working in remote locations, night shifts, working alone at home or separately from others. Such work may include those working alone permanently or only for periods of time.
Australia’s Work Health and Safety Act 2011 maintains that, so far as is reasonably practicable, organisations must ensure “the provision and maintenance of safe systems of work” and “the provision of any information, training, instruction or supervision that is necessary to protect all persons from risks to their health and safety.”
2. Scope
This policy covers all staff of Proactive Support, especially those who work alone, remotely or in isolation.
3. Definitions
In this policy:
Staff means any person employed by Proactive Support, including managers and workers, regardless of pay, status or working hours
Remote or Isolated work is work that is isolated from the assistance of other people because of the location, time or nature of the work being done. Isolated work may involve a geographically isolated area, on or off site, either during or outside normal working hours. Remote work may involve work activities where there are few people and where communications and travel are difficult.
Lone workers are those workers who work by themselves and/or work with others with only limited support arrangements, which therefore expose them to risk by being isolated from the usual back-up support. This is the case whether they regularly work alone or are only occasionally alone and do not have access to immediate support from managers or other colleagues.
Workplace any place where work is carried out and includes any place where a worker goes or is likely to be, while at work, including a participant’s home.
4. Rights and Responsibilities
Management of remote and isolated work is a shared responsibility between managers and employees.
All Staff
- Take reasonable care for their own health and safety and for the safety of the participants they are working with
- Follow safe work procedures, instructions and rules
- Participate in safety training
- Maintain regular contact and communications with their managers, if working from remote areas or in isolation
- Ensure they are fit for duty to fulfil their work requirements
- Report all injuries and incidents
Management
Management will:
- Ensure the business complies with all legislation and guidelines relating to health and safety
- Be aware of the hazards and risks associated with remote and isolated work
- Listen to staff if they are concerned about their working environment
- Provide safe systems of work, including developing shift work rosters, travel itineraries, emergency procedures and training in the use of emergency equipment
- Provide adequate support facilities for the welfare at work of workers carrying out remote or isolated work
- Monitor conditions at the workplace for the purpose of preventing illness or injury to workers
- Consult staff when conducting risk assessments and planning effective risk controls.
- Eliminate or minimise all workplace hazards and risks as far as is reasonably practicable
- Provide information, instruction and training to enable all staff to work safely
- Be responsive to staff who raise safety issues
5. Risk Management
Managers will adopt an ongoing risk management approach, in consultation with their employees, to identify hazards, assess risks and eliminate or minimise risks in relation to remote or isolated work. At least the following hazards associated with remote or isolated work will be considered:
- Exposure to violence
- Poor access to emergency assistance
- Increased severity of workplace injuries in case of an incident if they are working alone rather than with colleagues who can help
- Mentally or emotionally demanding work with little support from colleagues or managers
- Fatigue due to travel, night shift or rostering
- Psychological risks of work stress linked to working alone and in isolation from others
The following questions will be considered when assessing the risks:
- How long a worker needs to work alone, in remote or isolated circumstances
- What access a worker has to effective communications with their manager and others
- Whether emergency communications will function properly at all times
- Where the worker needs to be located, keeping in mind whether emergency services can quickly and easily reach a worker, if needed
- What sort of work is being done e.g. the potential for fatigue
- What skills, abilities and experience the workers have, including the level of training they have been provided e.g. first aid in remote situations
- What if any pre-existing medical conditions the workers may have.
Managers will put in place appropriate risk controls to reduce or eliminate risks associated with remote or isolated work, in consultation with the employees. These may include the following:
- Buddy systems – recognising that some jobs are so risky that workers should not be required to do the work alone, pair two or more people together so that they can help each other and work safely
- Reviewing movement records to know where staff are expected to be
- Maintaining regular contact times between the worker and their manager or colleagues
- Making sure that communication tools work at all times
- Providing appropriate training e.g. to deal with potentially violent participants or in first aid.
- Sharing knowledge with staff about potential risks
- Ensuring that staff are not fatigued by providing ample rest breaks and recovery time between shifts
Managers will follow up and review the effectiveness of the implemented risk controls.
6. Training
All employees receive comprehensive training on lone working procedures, emergency response protocols, conflict resolution, and personal safety strategies. Training will be provided during the employee orientation process and will be periodically reinforced through refresher courses.
7. Incident Reporting
All work-related incidents (or perceived incidences) should be:
- Reported to Proactive Support management as soon as possible
- Considered for entry on the Continuous Improvement and Risk Registers if relevant
- Followed up by Proactive Support management in accordance with Incident Management Policy and Procedures
- If the staff member requires time off work this will be carried out in accordance with the Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003
8. Related Documentation
Proactive Support
002 Misconduct Policy
004 Risk Management Framework
005 Risk Management Policy
006 Work Health and Safety Policy
008 Incident Management Policy
011 Human Resource Management Policy
015 Managing an Incident Procedure
016 Reporting an Incident Procedure
020 Emergency and Disaster Management (including Pandemic) Policy
021 Adverse Events Plans
095 Training and Resources Manual June 2024
External
Work Health and Safety Act, 2011
Work Health and Safety Regulation, 2011
Workers Compensation and Rehabilitation Act, 2003
