by Brandy Bossle, CSP
If you're managing your company's safety program, you need to get support or "buy-In" from across your organization. From senior leaders to front line staff, safety programs require the entire team to be successful.
By Brye Sargent, CSP
The Risk Assessment Process does not need to be complicated, but it should be thorough. When dealing with lone workers, you want to implement two risk assessment processes. One completed for the job as a whole, and a secondary one that is completed by your lone workers at their work site.
A lone worker is an employee who works by themselves without close or direct supervision. There are a number of dangers associated with this type of work, including the potential for accidents or injuries; violence or aggression, and even theft or other criminal activity. However, the most dangerous aspect is the fact that workers are alone and there is no one else around to help in the event of an accident or emergency. Without timely assistance minor issues have the potential to turn into major incidents.
Many available solutions that help keep lone workers safe rely on having someone ready and able to respond to emergencies. There are multiple ways to meet this need, such as directly phoning 911 or using call centers. But the more traditional solutions don’t always fit well with maintaining efficient workflow or address specific risks in a modernized way. Below we outline how SolusGuard’s approach to monitoring can help keep your lone workers safe without risking your bottom line.
Property management is risky. Employees routinely work alone in isolated areas at all hours of the day showing properties to prospective tenants; collecting rent; handling evictions/disruptions; conducting maintenance; and, coordinating housing visits or inspections. Studies show that an assault occurs every 35 minutes and verbal abuse is a daily occurrence. The US Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates there are at least 2.7 incidents for every 100 property managers per year. It’s not a matter of if a safety incident is going to negatively impact your growing property management company, it’s a matter of when.