Lone and Offsite Worker Safety Procedure

Purpose. Sets out the check-in, safe entry and escalation steps for staff who work alone at open homes, inspections, vacant properties, night cleaning shifts, patrols and survey sites.

1.Who this covers

Property managers and salespeople attending properties alone, cleaners on single-person shifts, patrol officers, surveyors on remote or rural sites and any staff member meeting a client away from the office. Casual staff are covered in the same way as permanent staff.

2.Before you go

Log the visit in the field job board with the address, the purpose, the person you are meeting and the expected finish time. Take a charged phone with the duress app installed. Tell the office or the control room your check-in time. Do not attend a property alone after dark for an inspection or open home unless the manager has approved it.

• Log the job with address and finish time
• Charged phone with the duress app
• Agreed check-in time with the office or control room
• Know the nearest exit and park facing the street

3.On arrival

Assess the property before entering: look for signs of forced entry, occupants who are not expected, animals, or hazards such as damaged stairs or exposed wiring. If anything is wrong, do not enter; call the office and log the concern. At open homes, ask attendees to sign in and stay between the visitor and the exit.

4.If you feel unsafe

Leave. You do not need permission to leave a property or a meeting that feels unsafe. Activate the duress app if you cannot leave or cannot speak freely. Move to a public place and call the office or the control room. Record the event in the incident register when you are safe.

5.Missed check-in

If a worker misses a check-in, the office or the control room must call the worker within ten minutes. If there is no answer after two calls, the manager must be told and a second staff member or the patrol must attend the last known location. If the worker cannot be located within thirty minutes, police must be called.

6.Night shifts and patrols

Single-person cleaning shifts must be in buildings with working lighting and lockable cleaners' rooms and the cleaner must check in with the control room at the start and end of the shift. Patrol officers must radio or call each site arrival and departure. Officers must not enter a site on an alarm alone where an offender is likely to be present.