Lone Worker Protection Services re-procurement

Lone Worker Protection services enables DEFRA organisations to meet responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all employees requiring Lone Worker protection. Lone Worker Protection services provide DEFRA group Lone Worker Protection with real time monitoring and recording, smartphone app capability and a range of devices that meet specific risk activity needs, along with the provision of a dedicated 24/7/365 Alarm Receiving Centre to facilitate management of emergency situations.

This procurement replaces the existing contract for the Lone Worker System used across the Defra group, primarily by Environment Agency (EA), Rural Payments Agency (RPA), Natural England (NE) and Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) since 2020. We require a solution that will enable DEFRA organisations to meet responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all employees requiring Lone Worker protection.

Traditionally the term Lone Worker referred to staff members who work outside of agency premises, often in areas with little or no communication capabilities. This definition has matured to include any staff member who works in an environment that may expose them to risk, inside or outside of agency premises and whether working by themselves or in a team.

Lone workers across the DEFRA group agencies undertake activities that can be unique and varied and carry varying degrees of risk, these can include:  Working alone at DEFRA premises (inside or outside of core hours) 

Working in a hazardous environments  Working in remote locations 

Enforcement activity carrying risk of confrontation or aggression  For staff working alone, in remote or hazardous environments and/or entering potentially hostile or abusive situations, it is important to have systems in place to ensure that an alarm can be raised if assistance is required.

These systems include an appropriate framework of safer systems of work and health and safety procedures, supported by managed solutions involving a range of technologies and a dedicated alarm receiving centre (ARC) to facilitate management of emergency situations that Lone Workers may face. The selected solution will need to provide DEFRA group Lone Worker Protection that includes real time monitoring and recording, smartphone app capability and a range of devices that meet specific risk activity needs, national geographic coverage, along with the provision of a dedicated 24/7/365 Alarm Receiving Centre to facilitate management of emergency situations.

The solution will include; End User Hardware – Lone worker device(s)

Software - smartphone app Managed Services - alarm receiving centre (ARC), user and system administration