Posted By Stuart Nagle Lone workers in the company are required to undertake maitenance and sampling duties at remoted sites. Previously a computerised logging system was employed that failed after introduction and the old system of phoning in was reintroduced, but apathy by employees means in reality they simply don't bother to use the system at all. Currently I am reviewing the system and would welcome ideas and comments/advice from health and safety colleagues on safe systems of work for lone workers, often working in areas where mobile phone communication is poor or non-existent! The works and problems are as follows: * Lone working on electrcial and mechanical maintenance * Driving to from remote sites often deep in the countryside * Lone working on remote sites to take water samples (not usually over water but from sample taps) * Most land-line telephone communications removed from sites to save money and reliance placed on mobile phones, but some area are 'dark' to mobile communications * Control room operations are already mostly fully occupied so communcations and logging in/out of employees undertaking lone working is a problem! * Culture has pervaded to, where practicable, avoid letting people know where you are or what you are doing! I would be interested in safe systems of work and software/systems employed to monitor lone workers/enable lone workers to log in/out on via remote communications systems of any type, so I can get some ideas of where to go with these areas of high risk activities.... All comments appreciated.... Stuart

Posted By jackw. Hi, Can't really add much to the suggestions made re an integrated system. However re workers actually using the system. We recently ran a lone working pilot scheme using an external company. all worker had to do was tel when they entered and left a clients home. there was also a facility for emergency situations (1 button hit). The pilot group and their managers were briefed on the system and told categorically that it was not and couldn't be used as a "big brother system. Around 1/3 used it regularly 1/3 occasionally and 1/3 never used it. According to the company we used this is typical worker usage. Thus trying to sell it to the workers is difficult. Getting managers to manage it was also difficult. However, in fairness to them they could not sanction anyone that did not use it. Conclusion. Whilst we never got direct feedback from workers re the "big brother" thing, no matter what we told them, we feel staff had this view. Without the threat of sanction I think you will find it difficult to get all staff to use it. Sorry for the gloom. Cheers.

Posted By Kieran J Duignan Asking for 'information on Lone Worker Systems for Remote Sites' is a 'High Tech, No Touch' interpretation of a problem which fails to address the 'human touch' that is an unavoidable core element of managing health and safety at work. Solutions to the issues require interpreting the problems with reference to different levels of 'Touch': the issues are mainly human and personal not mainly legal and technological.