Employers have a legal obligation to ensure the health, safety and welfare of any lone workers in their employ. Lone workers are those employees who work by themselves without close or direct supervision.
All Managers who have lone workers on site.
The Manager should ensure that a Lone Working risk assessment is carried out. During this process, regard should be had to the items highlighted below.
The Manager will ensure that all lone working activities have been identified. Consideration will be given to the following activities:
- Situations where only one person works on the premises, e.g. in a small workshop, petrol stations, kiosks, shops and home workers
- People working separately from others e.g. in factories, warehouses, some research and training establishments, leisure centres, cellar work
- Cleaners, security, maintenance workers who work outside normal office hours
- People working on construction sites, plant installations, lift repairs, painting, decorating, window cleaning, vehicle recovery
- Agricultural, forestry, grounds maintenance work
- Rent collectors, drivers, estate agents, surveyors, nurses, home helps, and sales representatives.
Having identified all lone working activities the Manager will assess the hazards that they pose to the individual. For example, is there a risk of violence, attack, sustaining injury through work activity or inability to raise alarm. Suitable control measures will then be put in place.
The Manager will identify all activities that may be considered high risk. Individual employees will conduct these activities, as the risk will be too great:
- Work in confined spaces
- Working on high voltage electrical systems
- Working in extreme weather conditions
- Cash handling that may attract a criminal element
- Staff who have an existing medical condition that may increase their risk of injury of working alone
- Control Measures when Lone Working
- When all lone working activities have been identified the appropriate control measures should be introduced to ensure that the risks, so far is reasonably practicable, are controlled. The following controls will be considered and implemented as appropriate:
- Employees subject to lone working will receive training in the risks associated with the work activity and informed of the appropriate controls. New employees will not be permitted to work alone until the Manager is satisfied that they are capable of carrying out their work activities safely without direct supervision, and that they can raise the alarm or follow emergency procedures as necessary.
- All activities undertaken by visitors, employees and contractors working in high-risk areas will be subject to a Permit to Work, the conditions of which will be monitored to ensure they are being followed.
A means of communication will be adopted for all lone working, which may include the following:
- Buddy system – whereby a second person is present at all times. This person may not necessarily be by the individual’s side but will be in close proximity to ensure that help may be quickly summoned in the event of emergency. The ‘buddy’ will not be exposed to the same hazard simultaneously and they will have sufficient knowledge on the activity being undertaken and will be properly equipped with emergency equipment and be capable of putting emergency plan into operation
- Personal checks by another person – simply checking on an individual on a regular basis. The frequency of checks will be determined by the risk involved in the activity
- Periodic telephone contact – telephone contact may be made at regular intervals. Emergency contact numbers will either be displayed prominently or pre-programmed into telephones. The interval between telephone calls will be pre-determined.
- Constant or Intermittent Surveillance – use of personal pagers, two–way radios, emergency sounding devices and visual monitoring systems. Visual monitoring systems will only be used in accordance with the Data Protection Act. The use of other communication equipment will be tested for suitability and range
- Use of personal attack alarms
The following criteria will be taken into consideration when planning work which requires Lone Working arises:
- Situations will be avoided where there is the potential for risks associated with Lone Working to be exacerbated if employees are suffering from a pre-existing medical condition. Examples would include diabetes where a casualty may faint and be unable to raise alarm or during times of fasting (for religious purposes)
- The correct procedure to follow in the event of an emergency will be detailed. Efforts will be made to ensure that the alarm can be raised in all work areas, and that people who may be working alone are made aware of evacuation procedure. A person will be delegated to ensure that all areas have been evacuated
- Wherever possible, measures will be put in place to protect persons from risks typically associated with lone working, for example protection from physical attack via locked doors, access control, pay booths, CCTV etc.
The following additional factors, which may increase the risk, should be taken into consideration when developing a safe system for lone working,
- Time of day – for example, nighttime working
- Fatigue – for example, long hours driving a vehicle or operating machinery
- Personal capability of employee to make sound judgements about his or her own safety
- Personal capability of employee to cope in an unexpected or stressful situation
In addition to ensuring that full arrangements are put in place for the safety of drivers, particular regard should be had to the following items when putting in control measures for employees driving on Company business:
- Vehicles will be maintained to a high standard to reduce the risk of breakdown
- Employees embarking on a journey specifically for work purposes will be required to let the office or control room know their expected time of arrival
- Employees will be instructed to lock car doors when travelling alone
- Employees will be instructed to park in well lit areas during the hours of darkness
- A means of communication will be available for emergencies, for example mobile phone (which is not to be used whilst driving).
General risk assessment template