Developing Working Alone Procedures

Safety preparedness changes...


- with the type of events occurring,
- with the number of workers
- with the organizations growth.

When there are only one or two work alone workers, a coworker being called is the typical starting point.

              6 Reasons Work Alone Procedures Evolve...
— the person workers call, spends time for things unlikely to happen. A wishful blindness of what cannot be.
— the person workers call, faces the monotony of record keeping.
— verbal communication is plagued with ambiguity, laxity and unnecessary complexity.
— adding more and more workers brings complexity and a significant obstacle to clear communications.
— staff changes obscure the purpose and processes needed for work alone safety.
— efficiency, cost control and results undermine and delay adapting to changes.

Things Happen
- Everyone follows the correct contact procedure. The specifics for follow up are not as documentable.
- Emails document more, calls clarify, the coordinator collects more on their plate. They do such a good job they get promoted. New coordinators follow the procedures, without the earned wisdom on why and how those procedure work.
- Procedure revisions help short term tactics, without respecting the different perspectives your work alone model needs.
- A life of its own, has new meaning, as bureaucracy takes the focus from the safety and awareness.

Guides for Working Alone Operational Changes.
- In all cases, the worker out alone, has the responsibility, to be aware of the situation they put themselves into.
- Only the worker who is out alone can provide information about where they are - now.
- The worker knows best when follow up should happen, given the situation they are going in to.
- The work alone worker knows these accurately in real time, so they are reasonable.

"aware - advise - where - when"

Delivering facts to the work alone procedure needs to be simple, quick, cost effective and reliable.

System Considerations for Working Alone Procedures
- The system provides confirmation to all, about what they request, need to know and think is happening.
- The information supplied by the worker gets delivered, exactly as given, directly to those providing help.
- Automated alarms insure no one gets misplaced, or follow ups missed, in the flurry of activity.
- The log is the tool to ensure the process is working and working better each day.
- Alternate methods of communications and alternate processes are expected, after the fact and before.
- Managing costs are key to repetition activities as are speed, time and people for help activities.