Lone Worker Checks

[geordiekimbo]

Ok i know it depends on the site instructions and so on. My particular site has a lone worker check requirement. I just want to know if any of you guys and gals have a similar procedure.

My particular site requires that we check on our lone worker every 2 hours, with 4 checks during a shift, one on each patrol. The only trouble is I find i have to arrange my patrols specifically so that they don't clash with any of the particular lone workers tea-break, lunch-break, and numerous cigarette breaks. There have still been a few times when I've gone to check on her, and she's on the loo or on a break i've forgotten.

So my question is, what procedures do you have for such things that are different and better.

My alternative solution (which has been quoshed illogical - in my eyes - reasons) was:
Lone Worker Phone Checks - every hour (or two hours) the lone worker phones the gatehouse to tell the permanently placed officer there (always one in the gatehouse) that she is ok. If she fails to phone in we give her 5-10 minutes and try to call her. If the gatehouse officer gets no reply after 10 minutes of trying to contact her the patrolling officer is contacted and is instructed to go to the lone worker to see if she is ok. If she is not at her station, he goes to find her and when found if she is ok, she must provide a reason as to why she has missed her check call. This is logged in our shift report and if she misses several check call the matter is reported to her manager, to deal with accordingly. This particular set up is similar to the officers check call procedure where if we miss our check calls a mobile officer would be alerted to our failure to respond and would come to our site to investigate - and we'd better have a good reason why we were unable to reply to our control being unable to contact us.

Any thoughts, suggestions?

Cheers
John

[Maelstrom]

We have welfare checks on SO's working 1 up on any given site, it may be via radio, cell phone or in person (senior patrol officer) or a combination, though we don't use specific times...

[CorpSec]

I don't see why a simple phone call wouldn't suffice every couple hours or so with a note on the log. I don't know that I would go so far as to making the employee have to explain herself if she misses a call.

[ptbeast]

I don't know what industry these employees are in, but I suspect that the big problem with your plan is that they simply would never call. It simply wouldn't be a high enough priority for them to watch the clock. I don't think putting the onus on them works.

What about something like this? If the employee is not seen during the patrol rounds the S.O. attempts to reach the employee by telephone at the completion of the rounds. If the employee doesn't answer, the S.O. tries to reach them again in 5 minutes (or perhaps 10, depending on how long it took to complete rounds). If they still can't be reached at that point, the S.O. would go search for them. At this point, a log entry would be made.

This seems like a reasonable compromise to me. Other ideas?

Dave

[ValleyOne]

The ONLY hang up on having her call is MIGHT handicap that into an excuse why her work isn't getting done.

So, flip it on it's head. Call her at a predetermined time. If she doesn't, answer the phone in 7 or less minutes send someone to go and check on her.

Since I dont know how secure this environment is, sometimes not getting an answer after 4 R I N G S would prompt a response to check on the employee. But, is does sound pretty low key, so give her a few mins and try again. If no answer, go and check on her. If something were to happen to her, she has the knowledge that is she doesn't answer the phone help will be coming.

Do not rely on her to call you, it will make more paper work for you, (false alarms).

Also, develop a code that can be used in case the sh*t has hit the fan and she is unable to speak freely. Perhaps, something like this;

When the s/o calls ask her the usual, "Are you all right, is everything ok?" (whatever)... Then give her two options for an answer; 1) "Yes, all is good." = no problems. Then 2) Thank you , I am fine." = I need help.

I dunno, but that's my two cents (USD)

[Hank1]

Welfare Checks

Every hour, the Operations Staff ( OPS. Mgr., and her Dispatchers) conduct roll calls with all on duty Officers. This is done primarily via the 2 way radio net on all frequencies at which time they reply to their call signs. If the officer does not respond to a "status check", the nearest officer rolls in the missing officer's location to include that zone's supervisor. If he/she has a cell phone, calls will be placed until the officer can be located. If a location has a landline, a call will be placed. If a officer is in contact with a suspicious person/vehicle, all routine traffic ceases until the officer has cleared the call. Once the status check is completed, the results are given to the highest ranking officer (usually me) or my Senior Master Sgt. if I am otherwise busy or off. Due to our line of work and the areas in which we do business, this is taken very seriously!!!!


Be safe,

[N. A. Corbier]

When Excelsior had radios (As Leatherneck Security), the above (Hank's) is how we did things. I'd had to clear the radio net a few times cause someone wasn't responding to status checks, or (I) responded in a very odd way.

"42 is clear... (POP POP POP!) F%*K! 42 is taking small arms fire!"

[UtahProtectionForce]

with my company when working on a lone site, that is not a building (i.e parking lots, gatehouses, construction sites) you have to call in once an hour on a cell phone, or if your site has a radio via radio when dispatch does the 10-36 checks for that hour...

[The Hussard]

At my job we have to report by phone to a automatic phone system every hour during the night shift and during the weekend if you miss a call the system will recall you and will demand you to enter your PIN number if you dont respond the sergeant or the chief of security will be called py cell phone and he will come to check if you got problem

[HotelSecurity]

Is this thread talking about Security Officers working alone or employees in general & security being tasked to check up on them?

We had a dangerous situation here in the hotel. A single employee would come in during the night & work alone in the laundry. He always wore a Walkman & the door to the laundry was bolted shut from inside. Thing was the laundry was a concession (not only did they clean our laundry but they had contracts for other hotels). Not being our employee there was nothing we could do about it. I was sure one morning when the day shift came in they would find him hurt or dead inside. Fortunately it never happened. They have since moved out of the hotel to a bigger place. I don't know if he is still working alone.

[geordiekimbo]

The thread was for lone workers whom a security officer has to check on... i was giving my own experiences and method of me performing check calls to give an example

[SecTrainer]

The thread was for lone workers whom a security officer has to check on... i was giving my own experiences and method of me performing check calls to give an example

Probably isn't any "one-size-fits-all", but should be tailored to the situation (the level of risk and the nature of the job, like whether they are usually sitting at a desk or moving around the facility, etc.).

In some situations, you might want to look at electronic solutions, of which there are several possibilities. For instance, there's a "man down" alerter that employees can wear, IP (Internet) call-in applications and "intercoms", and you could, of course, use two-way pagers that the employee would wear at all times and could let her respond wherever she is, even in "the loo".

Here's a link that you might find interesting: SafetyLine.

Where the risk to the employee is high (e.g., a lone convenience store employee), you would also want to think in terms of redundant contact systems. For instance, an Internet-based reporting system plus the two-way pager.

[Miguel]

Securitas in Spain requires we call the CAC (Control and Assistance Center) every 2 hours from 2200 to 0600. That´s for all sites, regardless there´s 1 or more guards.

It really doesen´t improve much our safety...but it´s a good help to keep us awake.

[geordiekimbo]

In some situations, you might want to look at electronic solutions, of which there are several possibilities. For instance, there's a "man down" alerter that employees can wear, IP (Internet) call-in applications and "intercoms", and you could, of course, use two-way pagers that the employee would wear at all times and could let her respond wherever she is, even in "the loo".

Yep in another part of the factory we use that system too. Works wonderfully until the guy takes it off and lies it down when he sits at his desk.

Great isn't it... thats just reminded me that we don't even have a unified system in place... just figrues really... the clients just make up what they want with no or little input from us as to what will work or what system is already in place. It always seems to me, these ideas just come from some guy in a suit who has little or no idea how things work or gel together... shame really

[hrdickinson]

Probably isn't any "one-size-fits-all", but should be tailored to the situation (the level of risk and the nature of the job, like whether they are usually sitting at a desk or moving around the facility, etc.).

In some situations, you might want to look at electronic solutions, of which there are several possibilities. For instance, there's a "man down" alerter that employees can wear, IP (Internet) call-in applications and "intercoms", and you could, of course, use two-way pagers that the employee would wear at all times and could let her respond wherever she is, even in "the loo".

Here's a link that you might find interesting: SafetyLine.

Where the risk to the employee is high (e.g., a lone convenience store employee), you would also want to think in terms of redundant contact systems. For instance, an Internet-based reporting system plus the two-way pager.

GuardTrax has a system that allows you to view the activity of an officer on the internet based on a map of the physical site. Also, if the officer doesn't move for a set period of time, the system will generate a page, email, text message, etc. to a supervisor.