Lone Working - Your Health Safety and Wellbeing

My guests, Joana Faustino and Rachel Rowlinson talk about what lone workers, their managers, and their employers can do to protect their health, safety and wellbeing. The related research project has produced guidance for lone workers, for line managers, and for HR departments to promote a healthy working environment and culture.

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Topics in this episode include:

• Rachel introduces herself and describes her role in the railway.  [1:56]
• Rachel describes who and what was involved in the research project.  [2:34]
• Joan talks about the guidance produced by the project, and the definition agreed of a lone worker for the rail industry.  [3:14]
• Joana talks about the numbers of people who may be lone workers.   [4:55]
• Rachel talks about how the Covid-19 pandemic has influenced the number of roles that may have become lone working.  [5:35]
• Joana talks about whether a new working from home situation would count as being a lone worker.  [5:54]
• Rachel discusses the defining features of lone working, in particular not having a colleague to support decision making.  [6:40]
• Joana talks about the negative factors that some may experience as a result of lone working.  [7:25]
• Rachel talks about the main factors that may lead to the negative results of lone working.  [8:12]
• Joana talks about the actions that can be taken by an organisation to better support lone workers.  [9:17]
• Joana talks about the things that lone workers can do to support their own wellbeing. She summarises the top tips from the guidance for health and wellbeing.  [10:19]
• Rachel talks about the top tips from the guidance for physical health and safety.  [11:22]
• Joana describes the Lone Worker's Wellbeing Action Plan, designed to identify what keeps them happy and healthy at work, and what causes stress or anxiety.  [12:35]
• Joana talks about some of the other sources of support available to lone workers.  [13:31]
• Close.  [13:48]

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• RSSB webpage: Keeping Lone Workers Safe and Secure.  This page has links to all three of the guidance documents talked about in this episode. 
  
  

Related resources:

• T1213 Understanding the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Risks and Impacts of Lone Working in Rail - Project Report
• Contact a Samaritan or call 116 123.