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What is BS 8484 – Lone worker services about?

Lone workers are employees or sub-contracted individuals who carry out their jobs out of sight or sound of colleagues. This includes people working from home.

BS 8484 is both for organizations that supply lone worker services (LWSs) and those that buy them and covers how to provide a complete lone worker service, and how to ensure proportional responses to incidents.

Who is BS 8484 - Lone worker services for?

BS 8484 on lone worker services can be adopted by:

• Suppliers of lone worker services (LWSs), devices (LWDs), and software apps (was)
• Customers for LWSs, LWDs, and LWAs
• Police services

What does BS 8484 - Lone worker services cover?

BS 8484 on lone worker services gives recommendations for the provision of safety and security for employees in a lone working scenario where the employee’s risk profile identifies the need for a Lone Worker Service (LWS), consisting of a lone worker device or app (LWD/LWA), monitoring, training, management information, and response options.

BS 8484 gives recommendations for:

• Minimizing false alarms
• Managing low-level genuine incidents that do not require an immediate physical response
• Maximizing continual engagement with a LWS

BS 8484 also provides LWS customers with recommendations and a benchmark when seeking solutions to reduce/eliminate the risk to staff operating in situations where colleagues are unable to provide direct or immediate assistance. In such circumstances, a LWS solution provides a proportional response, including where required a response from the police and/or other response services.

Note: BS 8484 doesn’t include LWS monitoring, which is already covered in BS 9518.

Why should you use BS 8484 - Lone worker services?

BS 8484 on lone worker services has many benefits. These include:

• It improves the health and safety of lone workers
• It reduces the employer’s risk of reputational and brand damage, prosecution and higher insurance premiums
• It improves organizational governance, risk management and compliance
• It reduces staff turnover, time off work, low morale and productivity
• It reduces misuse of publicly funded emergency services
• It helps establish a safety culture so employee protection becomes an integral part of daily operational activities
• Audio evidence of incidents can be vital to a successful prosecution

What’s new about BS 8484:2022?

This is a revision of BS 8484:2016. The major change in BS 8484:2022 is the removal of monitoring requirements, specifically with regards to Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs), which is now covered in BS 9518. The standard has also been revised overall to reflect current practice and technology.

BS 8484 contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 on promoting well-being, Goal 8 on decent work and Goal 9 on industry, innovation and infrastructure.