Risk Management Procedure / RMP/4
Lone Worker Policy / Issue: 1
Policy
/ The College recognises that, in some departments, employees working without close or direct supervision may be at risk to personal accident. The Lone Worker Scheme exists to ensure that:· Arrangements are in place for staff to work alone (where necessary) in safety.
· Staff working alone are monitored.
Departmental Risk Assessments on tasks or areas of work considered potentially dangerous should be carried out annually by the Head of Department, and should include safe working arrangements that have been put in place to reduce the risk. Risk Assessments should include:
· Foreseeable emergencies e.g. fire, equipment failure, illness, accidents, acts of violence.
· Fitness of person to work alone.
· Whether work can be done safely by a lone worker.
· What reporting system has been identified and implemented.
Employees with a known medical condition may be excluded from lone working if appropriate. Staff must be trained in the safe use of any potentially dangerous equipment and each department and the HR Officer must keep records of all training. The College will make available portable first aid facilities to all lone workers.
Identified Lone Workers
/ The College has identified two types of lone workers:Designated Lone Workers:
· Housekeeping Supervisors and Assistant Housekeepers
· Night Porters
· Catering Storeman
· Bar Manager
· College Archivist
· All Library staff (especially during the Long Vacation)
· Library Graduate Invigilators
· Maintenance staff
· College Nurse
Occasional Lone Workers:
· Gardeners, including Head Gardener, (when working alone)
· Admin and Catering staff (while working alone in basements, offices, or other remote areas
· HR & Health & Safety Officer
· Head Housekeeper and Deputy Housekeeper
· IT staff (during times when only 1 member of staff is present in the office.)
· Porters (when working weekend shifts).
Procedure to be followed by Lone Workers / · All lone workers must ensure that someone knows where they are and what they are doing.
· All lone workers MUST sign in with the Duty Porter BEFORE commencing the task or shift.
· Contact can be either by:
· Telephone (3) 35846
· Signing the Lone Worker record held in the Porters’ Lodge.
· Lone Workers MUST:
· Tell the Duty Porter the area(s) they will be working in.
· Tell the Duty Porter how long they expect to be working in that area.
· Confirm the mobile phone number that they can be contacted on.
Important Notes:
· If the work takes longer than the estimated time given to the Duty Porter, Lone Workers MUST contact the Duty Porter again to advise how much longer they expect to be working in that area.
· Having completed their task/shift, Lone Workers MUST sign out with the Duty Porter (either by telephone, or by signing the Lone Worker record in the Porters’ Lodge).
Exceptions to this procedure / · Maintenance Staff who have an independent Lone Working monitoring system. However Maintenance staff MUST use the College Lone Worker system at all times in the absence of Maintenance managerial staff to monitor Lone Workers.
· IT Staff, who operate an independent Lone Worker monitoring system. However IT staff MUST use the College Lone Worker system during times of staff absence when their monitoring system is not possible.
· Gardeners, who operate an independent monitoring system, but MUST use the College Lone Worker system when undertaking watering duties at weekends and/or evenings.
· Housekeeping Assistants, who sign for keys at the start and end of each shift.
· The College Nurse, who announces her arrival/departure to staff in the Porters’ Lodge, as they need to know that she is available should students wish to see her.
Procedure to be followed by Maintenance Staff / The Maintenance management team will monitor the whereabouts of maintenance staff, noting the time they leave the Department to complete a task.
If any member of staff does not appear within an agreed/acceptable timeframe, the absence should be investigated.
All staff have been issued with a mobile phone and it is their responsibility to ensure that it is fully charged, switched on and carried with them at all times.
If the Maintenance management team are not available to monitor staff ALL maintenance staff MUST operate the College’s Lone Worker Scheme and log in/out with the Porters’ Lodge.
ALL Maintenance staff working at the weekend, during evenings, or overnight MUST follow the College Lone Worker Scheme and log in/out with the Porters’ Lodge.
Note: Lone Workers in the Maintenance Department have been instructed to assess each manual handling operation and should not attempt to undertake any task they consider unsuitable for one person.
Procedure to be followed by the Gardeners / · The Head Gardener will monitor the whereabouts of his staff, noting the time they leave the Department to complete their work.
· Additional checks should be made as staff return to the Department for tea and lunch breaks.
· If any member of staff does not appear within an agreed/acceptable timeframe, the Head Gardener should investigate the absence.
· In the absence of the Head Gardener, the Deputy Head Gardener will assume responsibility for delegating work, monitoring the safety of staff, and investigating any Lone Worker absence.
· Gardeners will be assigned work in pairs for specific higher risk tasks.
· When working alone, gardeners are instructed NOT to undertake any of the following tasks:
· Lone gardeners are instructed not to undertake the following tasks:
· Hedge cutting
· Ladder work
· Lifting heavy objects, in particular paving slabs, hanging baskets and lawn mowers.
Procedure to be followed by IT Staff / · The IT Manager and Deputy will monitor each other’s safety by:
· Noting the time they leave the Department to complete a task.
· Carrying a mobile phone with them at all times.
· Leaving a note on their office doors each time they leave the Department to indicate when they expect to return.
· Investigating any absence if the other member of staff does not appear within an acceptable or stated timeframe.
· IT staff MUST operate the College’s Lone Worker Scheme if the remaining person is working alone in any residential building, or in any uninhabited area or building, by logging in/out with the Porters’ Lodge.
· ALL IT staff who are called in to work at the weekend or during the evening MUST follow the College’s Lone Worker Scheme and log in/out with the Porters’ Lodge.
Procedure to be followed by Housekeeping Assistants / · Housekeeping Assistants MUST:
· Sign for keys at the start of each shift.
· Sign the attendance book held in the Porters’ Lodge.
· Return all keys to the Porters’ Lodge at the end of each shift.
Procedure to be followed by College Caretakers / · College Caretakers MUST:
· Sign for keys at the start of each shift.
· Sign the attendance book held in the Porters’ Lodge.
· Return all keys to the Porters’ Lodge at the end of each shift.
· Carry a mobile phone with them at all times.
· It is their responsibility to ensure that phones are fully charged, switched on and carried with them at all times.
Procedure to be followed by Senior Housekeeping Staff / · The Head Housekeeper, Deputy Housekeeper and Housekeeping Supervisors will monitor each other’s safety by noting where they are going in the book held in the Housekeeping Office and/or on the notice board outside the Housekeeping Office.
· If any member of staff does not return within an agreed/acceptable timeframe, the absence should be investigated by the Deputy Housekeeper or Head Housekeeper.
· In the absence of the Head Housekeeper or her Deputy, the Supervisors will be responsible for implementing this system, and investigating any absence.
· All senior Housekeeping staff have been issued with a mobile phone.
· It is their responsibility to ensure that phones are fully charged, switched on and carried with them at all times.
· All Senior Housekeeping staff working additional hours to provide emergency cover at the weekend or during the evenings MUST follow the College’s Lone Worker Scheme and log in/out with the Porters’ Lodge.
Procedure to be followed by the Head Housekeeping and Deputy Housekeeper in monitoring the safety of their staff / · The Head Housekeeper or her Deputy MUST monitor (daily) the book signed by Housekeeping staff at the start and end of each shift.
· They are responsible for investigating the absence of any member of staff who has not signed out at the end of their shift.
Procedure to be followed by the College Nurse / · The College Nurse MUST:
· Advise the Porters that she is in the College (when collecting her mail).
· Sign in/out any keys needed to access areas of College to visit students.
· Carry a mobile phone at all times when making visits to students’ rooms.
· Ensure the mobile phone is fully charged, switched on at all times.
· Advise the Duty Porter if her mobile telephone number should change at any time.
· When making visits to students, leave a note on the surgery door to indicate the time she expects to return to the surgery.
· Operate the College’s Lone Worker Scheme at any time that she is called into College out of her normal working hours to attend a student.
Responsibilities of the Duty Porter(s) and staff in the Porters’ Lodge in monitoring the Lone Worker Scheme / · It is essential that the Duty Porter:
· Checks the Lone Worker Book at the start of each shift.
· Carries out regular checks of the Lone Worker Book to ensure that staff who have checked in with the Porters’ Lodge also sign out.
· Telephones any Lone Worker who does not sign out (or make any subsequent telephone contact) at their expected time of departure to check if they are safe and well.
· Reports immediately to the Head Porter or Deputy Head Porter any instances where contact with a Lone Worker cannot be made so that their absence can be investigated. **
· ** If neither the Head Porter nor Deputy Head Porter are available, the Duty Porter should contact the relevant Head of Department, or the HR Officer.
· ** Out of normal working hours, and in the absence of the Head Porter, Deputy Head Porter, the Head of Department, or the HR Officer, the Duty Porter is required to investigate the absence.
· Note: Lone Workers may also include contractors working alone on site.
Procedure to be followed by the Duty Porter as a Lone Worker / The Duty Porter is a recognised Lone Worker during the following times:
· 12.00 midnight to 8.00am, daily.
· 8.00 am - 12 noon, Saturdays and Sundays (a designated occasional Lone Worker, depending upon the rota and College events)
For safety reasons, during these hours when in the Porters’ Lodge the Duty Porter should:
· Lock the internal door to pigeon holes at 10.00 pm.
The Duty Porter on patrol should always:
· Divert switchboard calls to the mobile when moving outside of the Porters’ Lodge.
· Carry the mobile phone for emergency contact when moving outside of the Porters’ Lodge.
Procedure to be followed by Lone Worker Library Staff (including the Archivist and Graduate Invigilators) / · The Archivist, all Library staff and Graduate Invigilators working alone are required to follow the College’s Lone Worker procedure.
· Additionally, if the Archivist is working in the basement of the College Offices or any other remote area as a Lone Worker, she/he should telephone the Porters’ Lodge and advise them that she/he will be working in the basement alone.
· The Archivist must remember to make a second signing-out phone call to the Porters’ Lodge on completion of the task, as well as at the end of his/her shift.)
· The Archivist, and all Library staff and Graduate Invigilators are instructed not to attempt potentially hazardous tasks unaided (e.g. heavy lifting, overhead working, etc.) when working alone.
Specific Responsibilities of the Maintenance Manager / The Maintenance Manager MUST ENSURE THAT NO ELECTRICAL LIVE WORK IS CARRIED OUT ON SITE BY ANY MEMBER OF COLLEGE STAFF OR CONTRACTOR.
Catering Storeman
/ · The Storeman works alone in the Catering Stores.· Constant deliveries by suppliers and requirements by members of staff ensure effective Lone Worker monitoring.
Bar Manager
/ The Bar Manager is identified ‘at risk’ for one hour each day before part-time staff commence work and during cleaning (twice weekly).Procedure to be followed by the Bar Manager:
· Report to the Porters’ Lodge on arrival for collection of keys.
· Sign for keys at the Porters’ Lodge.
· Report to the Catering Office.
Procedure to be followed by
Occasional Lone Workers / · Any member of staff who has to complete work on his/her own in any area of the College, must:
EITHER
· Telephone or sign the book in the Porters’ Lodge to advise they will be working temporarily as a Lone Worker.