Protecting Lone Workers In The Fashion Industry
Running your own fashion house can be both an exciting and daunting experience. As your business grows, you will likely need to take on more staff to keep up with demand. In some cases, you may need to require members of your team to work solo – especially if you need to keep on top of urgent orders, or website maintenance to ensure your customers receive the latest trending pieces on time. In my latest article, I will discuss how you can eliminate any lone worker risks with a few simple steps. Carry on reading for more.
In the clothing sector, there can be a variety of risks that an average team-based worker can face (particularly if they are involved in packing/shipping the newest collection out to customers), and these concerns can multiply rapidly in the case of lone workers.
In the following steps, I will outline how to manage and mitigate these potential problems, ensuring your staff can work safely and your business runs smoothly.
Perform A Risk Assessment
Any lone worker safety regime which is worthy of its name begins with a risk assessment. This is far more than just a common-sense approach. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, employers are fully obliged to carry out risk assessments, which will identify any workplace hazards, and then implement strong measures to control the identified risks and hazards.
The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) suggests that companies (including those in the fashion sector) adopt a five-step approach when they are undertaking any risk assessment, which includes a work area where a lone worker might be expected to work.
- Identify the hazards
- Decide who might be harmed and how
- Evaluate the risks and decide what safety precautions are suitable
- Record the findings of the risk assessment and implement them
- Review the assessment and update it when appropriate
Key point to remember: if your business has five or more employees, the risk assessment must be available for reference.
Adopt The Hierarchy Of Control
Risk assessments (as the name suggests) allow you to identify potential risks associated with your work sites. This first step is undoubtedly the ‘easy part’ of the process – mitigating those risks is the real challenge! And this is where the hierarchy control comes into play.
The hierarchy of control enables health and safety professionals to delve into the specifics of managing lone worker risks. This process recommends that a staged approach to risk management should be adopted, for example –
- Try to eliminate the hazard entirely.
- If not possible, substitute it with something safer.
- Implement engineering controls to distance workers from unavoidable hazards (guards, ventilation, or safety equipment, for example).
- Use administrative controls (such as training or safety procedures/protocols).
- Use personal protective equipment (PPE) as a last resort.
Make Use Of Advanced Technology
In an ideal world, all work-related risks would neatly fall into one of the first two categories listed above, ensuring they are eliminated completely or substituted for something much less risky. However, this will often be impractical – this is where engineering control is an invaluable tool.
Modern advancements in technology are helping businesses in the clothing sector ensure that solo employees are safe and sound. For example, investing in a lone worker alarm (such as the latest models from Ant Telecom) can do the heavy lifting in terms of safety.
These products and devices are a game-changer in potentially hazardous environments. They can be used either as a dedicated DECT set or as an app installed directly on the employee’s phone in order to keep them safe when on the job.
Review And Update
It is vital that you understand that a risk assessment is only as good as its last review. Therefore, it is essential that you continually review the risks that your staff may face throughout the day, so you can fully understand the evolving nature of lone-worker dangers and hazards. It is also important to note that the workforce in the field plays a crucial role in managing risks.
Ask for personal feedback and keep them in the loop, which will allow you to ensure that your safety regime is current and also inform them that you are always ready to listen to their concerns (which in turn will protect them, yourself and also your clothing brand).
Conclusion
Keeping your clothing company ahead of the game (whether you have a bricks and mortar store or an e-commerce site) is a challenging endeavour, and protecting your workforce (especially lone team members) from harm is a vital part of the puzzle. Fortunately, by taking the steps featured in this guide, you will be able to mitigate and manage those risks, ensuring your business is safe and streamlined.
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