Avoiding Threatening Situations
Supervision policies that help avoid threatening situations are a good first step.
There should also be regular meetings between staff and managers to review and amend safety procedures, and a full record should be kept of every incident involving violence or threatening behaviour.
By sharing experiences and concerns, the lone worker helps management evaluate and monitor the true scale of violence and abuse. In this way, an effective policy to deal with such situations can be put in place.
It is also useful for lone workers to practise self-risk assessment and highlight the areas where they are most at risk and where they are most likely to require assistance. A flagging system can then be developed to identify problem areas and individuals.
By taking responsibility for their own safety with this pro-active approach, lone workers can reduce the number of dangerous situations they encounter.
By liaising with the local police force, employers can get expert advice on local conditions and personal safety advice for their lone workers.
Employers should also provide training in how to avoid panic reactions and how to deal with aggression in emergency situations, a process that should include conflict management, mediation and avoidance skills.
Employers should make staff fully aware of what the employer policy is on work-related violence and the measures that are in place to deal with it.