➤ End products must conform to the required quality
and safety standards.
Environment – a safe system must consider (where
necessary):
➤ Control of temperature, lighting and ventilation
➤ Appropriate controls for dust, fumes, vapours, radiation,
chemical and biological hazards
➤ Safe access and egress
➤ Provision of adequate welfare facilities
➤ Noise and vibration
➤ Variations:
➤ In climatic conditions
➤ Due to the time of day or year
➤ Due to other persons in the work environment
➤ Evacuation in the event of an emergency.
Any safe system of work should be designed to combine
these four elements to produce an integrated
method of working which will ensure that tasks are carried
out in the safest way that can be achieved under the
circumstances.
To illustrate how an effective safe system of work
might be developed, it is useful to consider the requirements
for a ‘lone worker’ who by the very term works by
themselves without close or direct supervision.
There are a range of work situations that may involve
lone working and include:
➤ Cleaners (out of hours)
➤ Security staff
➤ Delivery drivers
➤ Installation and maintenance engineers
➤ Warehouse persons
➤ Police officers
➤ Social workers.
In addition to those listed above, any member of staff may
work out of normal work hours or be working in a remote
location and as such may be deemed to be lone working.
Using the people, equipment, material and environment
approach detailed above the procedure adopted
would take into account as a minimum:
People – ensuring that the selection process takes
into account the psychological capabilities required
of the role and that adequate training assists in attaining
the required level of competence and confi dence.
Regular periodic visits from their line manager to ensure
that adequate monitoring of operations is maintained.
Equipment – the provision of safe equipment for
the tasks being carried out taking into account only
one person is available. Other equipment including
communications equipment (mobile phone, pager, radio)