Lone Working Policy. Compass Disability Services Units Belvedere Trading Estate Taunton, TA1 1BH. December 2012 Review: December 2015

Transcription

1 Lone Working Policy Compass Disability Services Units Belvedere Trading Estate Taunton, TA1 1BH Introduction December 2012 Review: December 2015 Compass Disability Services has a responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of its employees under Health and Safety legislation. These responsibilities apply equally to those staff that; for whatever reason, work alone. It is the employer s duty to assess the risks to lone workers and take steps to remove or control risks as far as possible. The nature of the work undertaken by Compass Disability Services and its projects necessitates lone working practices. The principle of this policy is to ensure that risks associated with lone working are managed in accordance with good practice and legislation Definition Lone workers are members of staff or volunteers who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. This includes homeworkers, staff who may find themselves alone in the office and those attending meetings where there is the potential to be alone with a service user, member or other unknown professional. Risks Risks can be associated with many types of work but it is generally assumed that lone workers face increased risk due to the isolated nature of their work. Risks can also take different forms, for example we must consider risks in terms of the potential for physical harm but also the risk of being more vulnerable to false accusations. It is therefore imperative that all lone workers are vigilant and conduct their duties with safety in mind at all times. It is recognised that different roles with Compass Disability Services place some employees at a greater potential risk than others, for example: remote home workers, work alone for a large majority of the time and visit service users in their own homes as the job necessitates this; staff working on the Compass Disability Network project attend meetings with members in hired venues; and on occasions other members of staff will be working alone in the main office. Most risks come from the unknown, but trying to identify risks in advance is an essential tool in managing risk. All staff should be familiar with

2 the good practice guidelines (see Lone Working Procedures) and must follow these procedures. Implementation of Safeguards Employees are required to take reasonable care of themselves and others affected by their work and to co-operate with Compass Disability Services in meeting their legal obligations with regards to Health and Safety and other legislation. In an attempt to manage or minimise risks as far as possible Compass Disability Services has implemented a number of safe systems of working. One of these key measures is the Lone Working procedure. Whereabouts of Lone Workers It is generally considered that Lone working increases the vulnerability of workers therefore it is essential for staff safety, that people working away from the office can be located by staff in the main office. To facilitate this, the lone working procedures must be observed at all times. Failure to comply with the lone working procedures may result in disciplinary action being taken. Compass Disability Services will store details of lone workers emergency contacts and other details (personal description, car registration, home phone number, etc) in accordance with our Data Protection Policy and they will only be used in circumstances when the lone worker has not followed the Lone Working procedure, or we are unable to contact them and therefore have concerns for their safety. New Referrals The potential, service users Care Manager, who would most likely be aware of any potential risks the individual might pose to a lone worker, completes the referral form and must state any potential or known risks on the form. If a potential risk is identified the member of staff should arrange the initial visit as a joint visit with the Care Manager, when this is not possible, take a colleague. Mobile Phones All Remote Workers who are regular lone workers will be provided with a work mobile phone, which they will be expected to carry at all times during their working hours when outside of their office base. They must ensure the phone is sufficiently charged at all times. These phones will enable the

3 worker to use the lone alert system which will notify the office when a Remote Workers fails to cancel their timer, or if they raise a panic alarm. This will also allow the main office to contact the worker should the need arise. Identity Cards An identity card with photograph will be issued to all lone workers for identification purposes, along with the address and contact details of the main office. An aide memoire will be printed on the reverse of the identity card to act as a constant reminder to lone workers about some of the key aspects of keeping themselves safe. Lone workers will be expected to wear this identity card whenever they are lone working. Use of Telephone Numbers All office staff will be trained not to give out any employees home office or work mobile telephone numbers to service users or members under any circumstances. Remote workers may choose to give their direct contact details to service users but will be advised by their line manager of the potential consequences and dangers of this. It is not likely but should any other member of staff need to make a call to a member or service user from their home phone, the number should be preceded by 141 so that the call cannot be traced. Meetings where there is the potential to be alone with a service user, member or unknown professional Staff attending meetings with service users or members, especially potential service users or new members, or an unknown professional should make every effort to attend these meetings with another member of staff from Compass Disability Services or someone they know from another organisation. When this is unavoidable the member of staff must arrange to meet in a public place and/or ensure the lone working procedures (as set out below) are followed. Incident Reporting In order to maintain appropriate records of incidents involving lone workers, it is essential that all incidents are reported to your line manager. Staff should ensure that all incidents where they feel threatened or unsafe are reported even if this was not a tangible event or experience. Reports of these incidents are imperative in informing future visits, meetings, etc and will help to inform lone working policies and procedures. All reported incidents will be recorded on the relevant database where information on the service user or member is kept. All incidents will be discussed at a debriefing session or

4 supervision, notes of which will be kept on the employee file. This will be monitored by the line manager. Responsibilities It is the responsibility of the lone workers line manager to ensure they are made aware of the Lone Working Policy and Procedures before any lone working commences and at regular refresher intervals thereafter, for example annually. Your line manager must also devise and implement safe working systems for lone workers to avoid or control risk where this is necessary and ensure systems are in place for staff to be traced and that these systems are regularly checked. It is the responsibility of the lone worker to ensure they are aware of the policy and procedures relating to lone working and comply with them at all times and to take reasonable care to protect themselves. Training All staff working for Compass Disability Services should know that a great deal of importance is placed on the health, safety and welfare of our staff, and as such all lone workers should be aware of how to deal with situations when they feel they are at risk or unsafe. Staff should also be able to recognise how their own actions can influence or even trigger an aggressive response. Your line manager will ensure that lone workers receive appropriate training; this will be completed within the first three months of work for those that regularly work alone. The line manager in consultation with the lone workers themselves and in conjunction with the Operations Manager will consider refresher training at appropriate intervals, for example every three years thereafter. Policy Revisions This policy will be reviewed every 3 years and amended as necessary, or earlier if changes to the operations of Compass Disability Services occur. All employees should pass suggestions or recommendations for the revision of any aspect of this policy through normal channels to the Chief Executive. Additional Information: Homeworking Policy Health and Safety Policy Office Lone Worker Procedure

5 Lone Working Procedures The following guidelines are good practice and must be considered when staff are likely to be in a lone working situation. It is easy to focus on the risk of potential physical harm but we must also bear in mind the risk of false accusations from service users, members and others. It is therefore imperative that all lone workers are vigilant and conduct their duties with safety in mind at all times. Good Practice Guidelines In advance of the meeting or visit: Identify possible risks from the referral/membership form or database make sure you are aware of any potential difficulties Speak to the service users Care Manager before the visit if possible Organise a joint visit with the Care Manager or it may be appropriate for you to be accompanied by a colleague in certain cases If you have any concerns about your safety, then discuss these with your line manager Keep the office informed of your whereabouts If travelling by car, park as close to your meeting point as practically possible. This could provide you with a safe haven if you need to withdraw from a dangerous situation If you are travelling by car and will be returning to your vehicle after dark, where possible, park in an area that will be well lit and populated on your return During the meeting or visit: Ensure you have your mobile phone with you, it is charged and it is switched ON Identify yourself clearly, make sure you carry your identity card and show it to service users If you have chosen to be issued with a personal alarm, ensure that you have it with you and it is easily accessible Only carry information that is necessary for the visits you are making that day, or in each period away from your office Do not carry any unnecessary valuables When travelling in your car, keep any belongings, especially valuables, hidden Aim to not enter vulnerable areas of the service user s home (e.g. Bedroom, Bathroom) Always leave a clear exit route between you and your client If in doubt leave and rearrange the appointment for another time, when someone can accompany you make notes on the client file and ensure

6 that the database is also updated for future reference In the event of an incident occurring: Try to avoid confrontation, stay calm and try to pacify the service user If violence is threatened or you feel uncomfortable withdraw from the situation as soon as possible If appropriate, use your personal attack alarm to distract a potential attacker and withdraw to a safe place immediately If appropriate and you are able to, call the police on 999 Initiate a panic alarm using the Lone Alert System or call your buddy. On your return to the office, notify your line manager of any incident Make notes on the client file as soon as possible and inform the office to make notes as relevant on the database In the event of an accident, vehicle breakdown or other emergency: Call the emergency services if necessary (police, ambulance, etc) Contact the office as soon as possible with information on your whereabouts and ask for further assistance if necessary Contact the clients you are due to visit to arrange another visit, or ask the main office to do this for you When working alone in the main office or from home: Ensure the premises are secure Do not allow entry to an unknown person Should an incident occur, call the police immediately on 999 Lone Worker Procedure It is essential that the following procedure is strictly adhered to. Failure to comply with this procedure may result in disciplinary action being taken. All Remote Workers will be asked to complete the Lone Workers Arrangement Form. These forms must be completed and passed to your line manager before any lone working commences. Whereabouts Procedure for Remote Workers: 1. You must endeavor to keep your calendar up to date at all times, but at a bare minimum ensure that planned visits for the next working day are entered before the end of your last working day. Calendar entries must include the names of service users to be visited and the destination (the town); travel time must also be entered in the calendar further guidance on how to complete your calendar is available on the Version Control Log Procedure for All Staff Calendars).

7 2. You must set your Lone Alert Timer before your meeting has started, and must also cancel/reset your timer once your meeting/travel has finished. You will be expected to use the timer when visiting service users, attending meetings and evening events; remote working and travel. If you expect to be late, you should amend your Lone Alert Timer to reflect this. Or alternatively, your Buddy if using the Buddy System, must be aware of your movements throughout the day and they must updated of any delays or changes etc. 3. Ensure your work mobile phone is turned ON at all times when you are making visits and working outside of the office, so the office can contact you in an emergency or if you fail to cancel your timer. Procedure for Lone Meetings with Service Users/Members (for those that are not Remote Workers): 1. Staff who have not undertaken lone worker safety training should not attend meetings alone with individuals or groups of current or potential service users/members or unknown professionals. Best practice would be for at least two members of staff to attend, or attend with a member of staff from another organisation whom you know. 2. Staff should use either the Buddy System where the buddy is aware of your movements for the day or the Lone Alert System as described below. Procedure for Lone Working in the Main Office out of Usual Office Hours and using the Buddy System It is not usual practice for office based staff to come into the office to work outside of usual office hours, but on occasions this does happen. Other staff (e.g. office cleaner) will usually be working in the office on their own. In these circumstances it is essential that the worker notifies a buddy of their whereabouts, tell them how long they expect to be, and call them when they have finished working have locked up the premises and going about their personal business once again. If a member of staff is alone in the main office outside of office hours at any time they are expected to follow the good practice guidelines as set out above. You must also ensure the buddy is in possession of both Nikki s and Richard s mobile numbers; displayed below. If the buddy does not receive any expected contact from you and cannot contact you, then they must inform either Nikki or Richard and give the details of the last communication; to decide the best course of action.

8 Lone Worker - Lone Alert Procedure Lone Worker Quick Start Guide This system will be used by lone workers whom by the very nature of their work are vulnerable; so it s very important that this system is used correctly which will ensure you receive assistance at the earliest opportunity. The alarm timer is a countdown timer so the automated process will start calling you, if allowed to reach zero. If the automated response fails to contact you during office hours (Monday to Friday, 09:00 till 17:00); then the automated process will phone the office. Outside of office hours including weekends then the system will contact Nikki and Richard; whom will be providing emergency cover. Nikki Work , Nikki Personal , Tony Work , Richard Work These numbers are for your use should you need any support and guidance; as well as an emergency. This system is put in place for your protection and to ensure support would be available at the earliest opportunity ensuring your safety; the onus is on you to use it wisely. To this end you are required to use the Lone Alert system which best suits your schedule and role. Should the timer reach zero and contact could not be made with you; then the search would start from the last confirmed location on route to the next destination. It is recommended that you add 30 to 60 minutes onto all planned meetings and travel time, as a buffer. We also recommend using a route planner to gauge the travel time i.e. RAC route maps etc. Setting the alarm; include the travel time + visit time (meeting); then set again for the return journey home; for example:- Meeting at 12:00 with 60 minutes travel; you set off at 11:00 and 1 hour visit you must set the alarm for 180 minutes, which includes the buffer. Consider the time of day with rush hour and road works etc; then for the return home set again for 120 minutes; which includes the buffer. Remember if the visit overruns then update your alarm time with Lone Alert to prevent a false escalation. The alarm should be set for each individual visit / meeting so your last known location would be displayed on Lone Alert. If you are travelling alone to an evening venue and the travelling time is more

9 than 30 minutes then its recommended you log these with Lone Alert as 3 separate alarms; destination, end of visit, travel home. The Lone Alert system protects the lone worker in the following two ways: 1. Panic - using a fixed dial number to the Lone Alert protection system; stored in your phones memory 2. Timer alarm - set by the lone worker, by sending a text message to our Lone Alert protection system The following instructions describe how to use the Lone Alert protection system from your lone workers point of view. Phone Setup Add the following Lone Alert numbers to your contacts: a call it "LA Text" b call it "Panic" Create quick dial short-cuts to the LA Panic number; follow your phone instructions Add , call it LA Text Back-Up. This number can be used if you have problems with "LA Text". Add , call it LA Text Back-Up 2. Initiate a Panic Alarm Hold down your pre-set fixed dial number Your panic alarm will now be registered with the system, and your designated contacts will be notified IMPORTANT: remember to unlock your phones' keypad BEFORE starting a high risk task or situation Start a Timer Alarm Send a text to the system with the duration (in minutes as a number) of the Timer, followed by a SPACE and the address, e.g. for a one hour Timer: 60 9 Oak St, B74LT When you have completed your task set the timer for the next task or simply cancel the timer with a "0". If you have forgotten to cancel the task, the system will contact you, via a telephone call, and will ask you for your own personal PIN code. If you do not enter the PIN code correctly, or do not respond to the call, your designated contacts will be notified to warn them that you may be in trouble. Amend an Existing Timer

10 Send a text to the system with new expected duration and optional message after a SPACE Cancel an Existing Timer Send a text to the system with a Timer duration of 0 (Zero) and an optional message after a SPACE Supervisor Guide Configuring your users (lone workers & supervisors) Users configured in Lone Alert form an integral part of the system, whether they are the Lone Workers you wish to monitor, or are the supervisors that wish to be notified of any problems. All users are configured via the Setup screens on the Lone Alert website, and must be setup with their name, and at least one method of contacting them, e.g. a works mobile. New users are created by clicking on Create a New User button, and existing user details can be changed by clicking on their name, and choosing Edit User Details from the context menu. Assigning Pin Codes to Lone Workers Each of our Lone Workers must be assigned a PIN Code. This is used when the system attempts to contact them when a timer has completed to confirm they are okay. The code must be numeric because it is entered in via the phone, and for security reasons should be at least 4 digits. Assigning phone numbers Communication methods identify Lone Workers when creating / deleting timers etc, and are used to contact supervisors when problems occur. Each user can have multiple Communication methods, and designate one of them as their default. You can set this Communication method when setting up a new user. However, you can also edit existing Communication methods by clicking on the User's name to bring up the context menu and selecting Edit Phone / addresses. Each method can be an address or telephone number (mobile and landline), and allows you to set a description against each, e.g. 'Personal Mobile' or 'Works '. To enable the communication method, tick the box in the Enabled column. Escalation procedures Our escalation procedures control who and how to contact staff when panic alarms are raised, or timers expire. Our company is always shown as the top of the hierarchy, and is also setup with a default company phone number to

11 contact. When a lone worker raises an alert the person above them receives the alert via voice and/or text. If they don't take action, then the person above them is notified and so on. The hierarchy can be configured by going to the Setup tab in the main menu and selecting Escalation Hierarchy from the drop down menu. You are shown the current active hierarchy where you can manage all the Users and Groups. To edit the escalation hierarchy click on the Edit Hierarchy button this will switch the active hierarchy into edit mode now you can drag and drop users under groups and other users. Once your happy with your hierarchy, click on the Save button to make the Escalation Hierarchy active. Supervisor Escalation Guide As a supervisor on the Lone Alert system, you are in the calling list for your organisations lone worker. In the event of the lone worker not being able to respond to their alarm due to injury or attack - Lone Alert will contact supervisors via automated call, SMS and / or in the order defined in our companies escalation hierarchy. If you receive an alert, it means that anybody below you in the escalation hierarchy has been unable to attend to the incident. Someone still needs to take ownership of the alarm and ensure that the lone worker is in fact safe or if not to arrange the appropriate response. All personal contact information is contained within if required. If you are in a position to respond, how you take ownership of the escalation will depend on the contact details the Lone Alert administrator has defined for you. These are listed below. NB. You will be contacted on all available communications at once so if all three are set up you will receive a call, SMS and . SMS You will receive the following SMS message: Timer alert for lone worker name time of alarm and personal message left by lone worker. To take control of this escalation, forward this message to LA Text Action: Forward the message in its entirety to the LA Text contact in your phone ( ). This takes ownership of the escalation and prevents the escalation moving further up the call chain. On the LoneAlert website, the timer turns from an Active Alert highlighted red, to alerts being actioned in Orange. Contact the lone worker and either ensure that they are safe. If not

12 organise the appropriate assistance. Call You will receive the following automated call: Timer alert for lone worker name time of alarm and personal message left by lone worker. To take control of this call please log into the website Action: Contact the lone worker and either ensure that they are safe or if not organise the appropriate assistance. Once the incident is concluded, log into the website. The Contact is your landline number and your password will have been provided by the LoneAlert administrator. Select Status and Timers and click on the username on the active alert (red). Select the option to action escalation, add a brief note detailing the incident and click yes. If the call is to your mobile, you will also receive an SMS text. Actioning an escalation via SMS is much quicker and easier. You will receive a confirmation and the escalation will turn to amber alert being Actioned status, along with the name of the supervisor responding. You will receive the following From: guardian@lonealert.co.uk Subject: Timer escalation for lone worker name and time of alarm. Personal message left by lone worker. Body: This is an from your Lone Alert Lone Worker protection system. Your colleague, lone worker name, failed to acknowledge their timer alert at time of alarm. The last recorded message we have is: personal message left by lone worker. Please contact lone worker name on lone worker contact details as soon as possible to ensure they are safe or to raise the necessary assistance. To take control of this escalation please log into with your username and password. Select Status and Timers and click on the username on the active escalation (red). Select the option to cancel escalation and select yes. Upon receiving this , contact the lone worker and either ensure that they are safe or if not organise the appropriate assistance. Once the incident is concluded, log into the website. Select Status and Timers and click on the username on the active escalation (red). Select the option to action escalation; add a brief note detailing the incident and click yes to save.

13 After the incident is concluded Once the lone worker is confirmed safe, log into the website. Select Status and Timers and click on the username on the active escalation (orange). Select the option to cancel escalation, leave some notes on the cause of the escalation and your response and select yes to save. The incident will then be logged to the audit and removed from the Status screen. Duty Manager Guide Try contacting the Lone Worker on all numbers supplied on Charity Log Call their emergency contacts listed on Charity Log Check their calendar entries and contact the last known SU; checking the time from Lone Alert or the Buddy When all options are exhausted you need to notify a member of Senior Management whom will take over the incident Senior Management Guide Depending on the situation, please repeat the steps above If you need to contact the police and file a Missing Persons Report you can access a personal description of the person, along with useful information, located in their Risk Assessment section, on Charity Log Below is the sort of things the police may ask, unfortunately you wont be able to answer a lot of it If you meet the police, be prepared for them to ask lots of questions. Many of these will be personal to you and/or the person you have reported missing and you may feel uncomfortable answering, but the police will need this information to start a search. They will probably need to know, for example: the missing person s full name, date of birth, and physical description (including the clothes/jewellery they were last wearing, if known, and any tattoos, scars, etc) the missing person s address and address, and home, work and mobile phone numbers details of the clothing, money or other personal belongings which have been taken details of the missing person s school/employment what might have caused the missing person to disappear, for example: family or relationship problems, employment or money issues, school or college problems, bullying or harassment, mental health issues such as depression, misuse of alcohol or drugs any physical or mental health conditions factors which might put the missing person at risk, for example, previous threats of suicide or an attempted suicide, previous self-harming, medication needs, drug or alcohol dependency, or a previous history of going missing any unusual behaviour suspected abduction or harm The police may also ask for items belonging to the missing person such as:

14 a recent photo any diary, laptop computer, or mobile phone any bank or credit card details other bank account details Associated Documents Description of Lone Worker Template