The responsibility of employers to ensure the security of their lone workers is governed in a similar fashion worldwide, though local laws and regulations vary. Here's a quick look at how the Lone Worker Legislation and law differs in each of those places:
USA:
In the United States of America, lone worker safety is not addressed by any federal law. In spite of this, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates that employers provide a workplace free from hazards that are known to cause death or serious physical harm to employees.
This includes lone workers. In addition to providing a safe working environment, employers must also provide their staff with safety training and PPE.
United Kingdom:
Employers in the United Kingdom are required by law to protect their workers' health, safety, and welfare under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act of 1974. Employers must evaluate the potential dangers faced by lone workers and implement policies to reduce those risks.
Training, communication tools, and other forms of protective gear may be provided.
Canada:
In Canada each province and territory in Canada is responsible for enforcing its own set of occupational health and safety laws. Employers have an obligation to look out for their workers' safety, even if they're working alone.
Risk assessments, safety training, and the provision of appropriate communication tools and other apparatus may all be part of this process.
Australia:
The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 of Australia mandates that all employers are responsible for the safety of their employees, including those who are working alone.
Risk assessments are mandatory, and employers must take appropriate action to address identified risks.
This might involve supplying things like communication tools, communication devices, and safety training.
France:
Employers in France are responsible for the health and safety of their staff, including any individuals who may be working alone. The Labour Code specifies that employers must meet certain conditions when employing lone workers.
These conditions include conducting risk assessments, providing training, and providing PPE.
Germany:
In Germany, employers have a legal responsibility to protect their workers from harm, including lone workers. The Occupational Safety and Health Act mandates a number of measures to ensure the safety of lone workers, including risk assessments, training, and the provision of PPE and other safety tools.
Spain:
Employers in Spain are required by the country's Law on the Prevention of Occupational Risks to protect the well-being of all workers. Employers must perform risk assessments and take action to reduce any threats found.
This might involve supplying things like communication tools, communication devices, and safety training.
Consistent strategy Globally:
The legal obligation of employers to provide safety measures for their lone workers is generally consistent across jurisdictions despite variations in specific laws and regulations. It is the responsibility of employers to assess workplace hazards and implement measures to reduce those hazards, such as providing employees with the appropriate education, tools, and protective gear.
The lone worker App provided by My SOS Family gives employees a tool that makes it easy for them to get help in an emergency when they are working alone.
The benefit to employers apart from it being cost effective as the monitoring centre is automated and there is no extra device or sim card to purchase is that it's not disruptive like other lone working systems which force employees to change their work patterns by checking in with a monitoring centre - which we all know sounds nice on paper but after a few weeks, staff forget or can't be bothered.
Also My SOS Family allows those without a a lone worker policy to create one within 5 minutes, by just providing the App to their staff and designating who in the organisation will be responsible for receiving alerts, which can be co-workers and managers.
Ask your staff to try the My SOS Family Lone Worker App free with no obligation and give you feedback.
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