Lone working control measures

[aspenarb]

Just stirring up an old thread here and wondering whats new and reasonably priced in the way of gizmo`s for raising emergency services in remote places. Current place of work has zero phone signal, not even the emergency one.

 

Bob

[Aicchalmers]

I was out a couple days with a friend who was doing tree surveys for the forestry commission and he was doing the data logging with a toughbook but also had a handheld tablet thing that also functioned as a tracker and phone, every new site that he went on had to phone up and state place, time, access and conditions. He was generally moving between sites though pretty rapidly so I'm assuming it would be more quickly obvious than if working on a site the whole day. Actually met him for the first time when he was surveying and stumbled across us! Seems a bit of a bulky system but might be worth it.

Have a look at The Best Personal Locator Beacon and Satellite Messenger | OutdoorGearLab for some more complex satellite beacons ones with messaging options, or

Personal Locator Beacons

For a subscription-free SOS-only beacon.

[inthewoods]

To the op - Good post

Everyone else - good replies

 

I lone work 2 or 3 days a week & at first it did bother me but I may be getting complacent now (more concerned about getting stuck in mud!) so thanks for the rethink :-)

[R Mac]

If you have the Viewranger OS mapping software on your phone (Apple or Android) it has a feature called Buddybeacon which can be used to track your whereabouts. Uses GPS so doesn't need a phone signal.

 

Like the other systems you still need to be able to call for help or have an emergency response procedure set in place. I guess anything is better than nothing.

[voj maintenance]

There a lot of apps available that allow GPS tracking via your phone don't know if any of them allow any sort of outbound emergency signaling. There are also GPS beacons, The spot 3 looks on as does pebbell. I don't have any experience with these though.

 

Sent from my BV6000 using Arbtalk mobile app

[bolthole]

I loan work a lot, mostly grass cutting, strimming, dragging brash, log splitting etc.

I need to have something in place incase of an accident, and not just a paperwork exercise but something that when implemented could save lives.

 

Thanks in advance:)

 

Hi Stephen,

 

I work alone in both my jobs. Both of them present different risks and dangers and they also share some.

 

I think we all roll our eyes a bit about H&S paperwork, but I've always maintained that the whole exercise is really not much more than what's the military would call 'actions on'. What's the risk and how do we make it safer and in real terms what do we do if "x" or "y" happens.

 

And then write it down. And actually take the precautions.

 

You probably do day to day risk management routinely and unconsciously and I bet you know when you're taking a risk too far too. I always do, but I've come to prefer working on my own so I have to remember to think about it.

 

If you admit to yourself that one day whatever that particular risk is will actually cause the very bad thing to happen and then think about that un-crossable red line of not being able to support your family then it puts things in perspective.

 

So think about those moments when you get the 'exposed' feeling when you're lone working. What are the circumstances (write them down) and think about yourself regretting it all afterwards and all that 'what I should have done was..." stuff and write this down too. That's it in a nut shell.

 

Like telling folks your route and expected return time when going up a mountain.

 

Also;

 

Taking a phone.

Personal first aid kit to deal with big wounds, including a tourniquet. Carry it on your person.

Taking any relevant meds - inhaler, epipenm again think about keeping them on your person.

Carry a whistle.

Take a knife.

Be trained.

Be risk aware - switched on.

Know when to not attempt a task alone.

 

Buying and carrying a Satellite Phone if you're routinely out of cell coverage - have a look at this piece of kit

 

 

Shopping

 

Best of luck with the paperwork. Sorry this is a bit rambling - this isn't my best way of communicating!!

[Ambisawrous]

No more lone working with chainsaws for me, last week was walking round a wood 300m from home just checking where I was going to be extracting firewood later on. Felt light headed, not right, rang home and the wife's mobile left messages, next thing I know wife finds me outside back door clearly not right. Must have blacked out, 20 mins unaccounted for, trip to a and e, cat scan etc no driving until seen neurologist and expect no driving for 6 months. Not good, but could have been a lot worse! Don't get complacent!

[oldwoodcutter]

I very seldom lone work nowadays,latterly when doing log production I too had my truck pointing the right way for a quick getaway, (which did pay dividends one time) and worked more slowly and methodically to keep myself safe.

Back in the day I have many memories of lone workers 'accidents'. - some got away with it and some sadly didn't.

[HertsWood]

I use LoneALERT, costs £115 for a licence covering up to 5 smartphones , plus additional £36 for the 24 hrs monitoring service.

Download app for free.

 

It's a brilliant app using the gps in the phone, plus other clever magic.

 

You log in, set a timer in minutes - say 360, give a description of what you're doing & where & press enter. Couldn't be more simpler. The team at LoneALERT are very helpful & will set up a lot of the call logging lists up for you.

 

Call Adam:

Adam Bottrell

Sales Executive

Telephone: 0121 501 2288

Email: [email protected]

[Stephen Blair]

Thanks for all the input guys. Hope you feel better ambi!