What an employer needs to know about protecting employees

1 December 2020

Craig Swallow

An Organisation’s Moral and Legal Duty of Care

Employers have a legal obligation to consider employee health and safety risks. The risks workers face need to be understood and a plan needs to be executed to manage and reduce these risks. Employers should ensure adequate safety measures are implemented to protect workers. In 1974, the Health and Safety at Work Act came into force, ensuring employers have processes and measures in place to protect their employees. Employee safety should always be at the forefront of planning, to make sure the correct procedures are in place to manage and reduce employee risks.

Why do Organisations Implement a Monitoring and Safety Solution?

There are many reasons and benefits to both employer and employee when implementing such a solution. A monitoring and safety solution can be employed in many different situations and environments, to ensure the necessary measures are in place to protect employees.

Many employers have employees working alone, it is estimated there is anywhere between 6-8 million Lone Workers in the U.K. A Lone Worker is defined as someone who is out of direct sight of another colleague, meaning their individual risks are increased as they are working alone. A monitoring solution can also be implemented for those working from home and travelling employees, to ensure employers are monitoring wellbeing and safety.

A monitoring solution is a tool to manage incidents and emergencies, as operation teams are immediately informed if there is an incident with an updated location from the individual. This provides peace of mind to both employer and employee, which in turn increases employee morale and productivity.

How do Monitoring and Safety Solutions Work?

Monitoring solutions use technology to ensure individuals can be located for safety. This can be through different methods such as:

• App Based Solution, deployed on smartphones or tablets

• Dedicated devices such as Personal Trackers or discreet but connected ID Badges

• Satellite Devices if there is limited or no cellular coverage

These solutions ensure there are other technological efficiencies such as ensuring minimal battery drainage and data usage, to make sure the solution can effectively run day to day.

These solutions incorporate features to protect workers, such as a Red Alert features for emergencies, this automatically sends alerts back to dedicated individuals or a monitoring centre to escalate and provide assistance. Ultimately, implementing a monitoring and safety solution ensures there is an effective system in place for employees and employers to rely on.