Richard Bedworth Joins OK Alone as Managing Director
We’re excited to welcome Richard Bedworth as the Managing Director of OK Alone, a Peoplesafe company. Richard is a lone worker safety expert, having transformed StaySafe from a small regional company into a global player, growing its client base to over 1,000 companies across 57 countries before it was acquired by EcoOnline.
He spearheaded StaySafe’s launch and growth in the North American market and now brings his vast experience to OK Alone, where he’ll lead efforts to drive growth and transformation in the same region. Richard also has extensive experience in the security industry, including global roles at Securitas and G4S, bringing a wealth of knowledge and insights into the unique challenges faced by businesses in keeping their lone workers safe.
In this Q&A, we hear from Richard about his experience, insights into the lone worker safety sector, and what he’s most excited about as he joins the Peoplesafe and Ok Alone team.
1. It’s great to have you on board, Richard. With your wealth of experience, what was it about Ok Alone that inspired you to join, and what are you most looking forward to in your new role?
Thanks, it’s great to be here. During the recruitment process, I was able to meet several members of the team, and what really stood out to me was their commitment and determination to make sure as many people as possible feel safe at work and get home safely to their loved ones. This really resonates with my sense of purpose.
2. From your experience, what are the biggest challenges companies face in ensuring lone worker safety, and how do you see Ok Alone’s solutions addressing these challenges?
From my experience over the last 10 years, working with companies to adopt technology that protects their employees, the biggest challenge isn’t the organisation’s willingness to implement systems, but driving adoption. It’s about ensuring everyone with access to the solution is using it to its full potential.
From what I have seen already, Ok Alone has a fantastic change management framework that supports clients through building awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and finally reinforcement. The combination of this framework, praising users through our safety awards, and the system’s ease of use is something that really excites me.
3. Having worked in both the security world and lone worker safety, how do you see the industry changing in the next few years?
In the coming years, we’re likely to see more legislation introduced to ensure employers are really clear on what their responsibilities are when it comes to lone workers, and most importantly, how best to support them.
4. What’s one trend or change in the lone worker safety space that you’re particularly excited about?
One thing that really excites me is the opportunity to help organisations make data-driven decisions regarding their safety programmes. By pulling more data sources together, such as telematics and near-miss reports, organisations can gain valuable insights to enhance their safety strategies.
5. Finally, what’s one piece of advice you’d give to businesses looking to improve the safety of their lone workers?
Don’t overcomplicate it. For example, I often get asked for copies of lone working risk assessments, but in my view, there’s no such thing. Lone working is simply an extension of the task at hand. It should be carefully considered as part of the overall task or role, not as a separate, standalone concern.
