{"id":167,"date":"2023-07-05T18:24:05","date_gmt":"2023-07-05T17:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sense.tech\/blog\/?p=167"},"modified":"2023-07-05T18:24:05","modified_gmt":"2023-07-05T17:24:05","slug":"do-lone-workers-have-the-tools-they-need-to-report-safety-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sense.tech\/blog\/do-lone-workers-have-the-tools-they-need-to-report-safety-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Do lone workers have the tools they need to report safety concerns?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Did you know that there are an estimated 8 million lone workers in the UK alone? And a total of 53 million across the US, Canada, and Europe?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the UK, a survey reported that only 36% of lone workers would speak to their employer if they had safety concerns. However, over 90% of the employers surveyed believed that lone workers were regularly speaking to them about incidents and concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is this disparity being caused because the tools lone workers are using to report incidents and concerns aren\u2019t giving employers the full picture? We think so. Reporting tools aren\u2019t doing enough to allow employees to report problems instantly whilst it\u2019s top of mind (without distracting them from ongoing tasks). Tools also aren\u2019t automating enough to eliminate the need for employee input altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article we\u2019re going to look at how tools can be used to improve safety reporting, through making it easier to report and removing the burden on employees where possible through automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How are organisations reporting now?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the UK, the law is to keep an accident book, which must record (for each accident) the name, address, and job title of the injured person; the time and date of the accident; the location of the accident; and a description of the injury and its causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s okay to have a paper-based system, but such systems have their limitations, and they can be considered wasteful if you\u2019re trying to reduce your carbon footprint. Larger organisations will benefit from keeping a digital accident book. Most organisations have dedicated health and safety trained employees who will receive and process accident reports, such as an HR representative, or specific managers. It varies from place to place as to whether organisations keep hard copies, or digital copies of their accident books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Formal regulations on reporting primarily focus on when incidents have occurred as opposed to prevention of incidents. Some organisations don\u2019t have a formal process to report concerns, they use ad-hoc communications from employees which work their way up the chain of command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What could improvements in reporting do for organisations?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Improving safety reporting can help organisations work toward several benefits, all of which can have an impact on the bottom line. Benefits like improved worker safety, increased employee retention, lower employee absences all work to ultimately reduce costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n