The Rail Safety and Standards Board Podcast

Lone Working—Your Health, Safety and Wellbeing

RSSB Season 1 Episode 31

In this episode we talk about lone working, and how it can affect health, wellbeing and personal safety. I talk with Joana Faustino, Senior Work Psychologist at RSSB, and Rachel Rowlinson, Associate Director at Britain Thinks, who has a special interest in health matters in the rail industry. 

 01:56 About Rachel and her role in the railway.

 02:34 Who and what was involved in the research.

 03:14 Guidance for lone workers and their managers, and just who is a lone worker.

 04:55 How many people just might be lone workers?

 05:35 How Covid-19 has influenced the number of lone worker roles.

 05:54 Are you a lone worker if you work from home?

 06:40 What makes you a lone worker?

 07:25 The down side of lone working.

 08:12 Things about lone working that can affect health, wellbeing, and safety.

 09:17 What organisations can do to better support lone workers.

 10:19 What lone workers can do to support their own wellbeing—some top tips.

 11:22 Top tips from the guidance for physical health and safety.

 12:35 The Lone Worker's Wellbeing Action Plan—what keeps lone workers happy and healthy at work, and what causes stress or anxiety

 13:31 Sources of support available to lone workers.

 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.

https://www.rssb.co.uk/what-we-do/key-industry-topics/health-and-wellbeing/healthy-cultures/keeping-lone-workers-safe-and-secure 

Related resources:

T1213 Understanding the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Risks and Impacts of Lone Working in Rail—Project Report

https://www.rssb.co.uk/research-catalogue/CatalogueItem/T1213

Contact a Samaritan

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/  or call 116 123.