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This is an excerpt from the TUC book "Hazards at Work: Organising for safe and healthy workplaces", the best-selling guide to health and safety at work. To buy a copy order here(if you are a safety representative on a TUC training course please speak to your tutor about getting a discounted copy)

BASIC FACTS ABOUT LONE WORKING

The HSE says lone workers are “those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision”. Care work, shopwork, maintenance work – most jobs – can require people to be left alone and isolated. It can be dangerous. Workers have been murdered. Health, postal, emergency and shopworkers are frequently attacked. Injured workers have remained undiscovered for hours.

Many of the hazards that lone workers face are similar to those faced by other workers. However, the risks involved may be greater because the worker is on their own. In the 2008 TUC safety representatives survey, working alone was the sixth main hazard of concern for safety representatives. The main sectors where working alone was cited by safety representatives as one of the top five hazards were:

• health services (48 per cent)
• local government (41 per cent)
• transport and communications (37 per cent)
• construction (36 per cent)
• banking, insurance and finance (45 per cent)
• voluntary sector (42 per cent)

Who is at risk?

Three broad groups of workers are at risk – those:

• working alone on site
• working away from base and
• homeworkers

The HSE, in its publication Working Alone in Safety (INDG73) gives examples of the wide range of situations where lone workers may be found.

People in fixed establishments where:

• only one person works on the premises, for example, in small workshops, petrol stations, kiosks, shops and also homeworkers
• people work separately from others, for example, in factories, warehouses, some research and training establishments, leisure centres or fairgrounds
• people work outside normal hours, for example, cleaners, security, special production, maintenance or repair staff, etc.

Mobile workers working away from their fixed base:

• on construction, plant installation, maintenance and cleaning work, electrical repairs, lift repairs, painting and decorating, vehicle recovery, etc.
• agriculture and forestry workers
• service workers, for example, rent collectors, postal staff, social workers, home helps, district nurses, pest control workers, drivers, engineers, architects, estate agents, sales representatives and similar professionals visiting domestic and commercial premises

The full text of the HSE guide Working Alone in Safety (INDG73) is at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg73.pdf

The Hazards magazine factsheet No. 72: Working Alone and see box and Further Information below), provides a very useful table summarising some of the hazards that different categories of workers face.

LEGAL AND OTHER STANDARDS FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL

There is no specific law dealing with lone working. However, there are a number of laws that apply, as detailed in the following chapters of Hazards at Work:

• SRSC Regulations 1977 – Chapter 3, with reference to safety representatives’ rights and consultation
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 – Chapter 12, dealing with the general duties of employers and employees under Sections 2–9. Generally, the employer has a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees. The requirements regarding safe systems of work, health and safety policies, information, training and instruction, and a safe working environment are particularly important
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 – Chapter 13, with the obligations placed upon employers to make suitable and sufficient assessments of risks to their employees. They must also make arrangements for the health and safety of employees by effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review. If the risk assessment shows that it is not possible for the work to be done safely by a lone worker, then other arrangements should be put in place
• Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 – Chapter 45
• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 – Chapter 43, with the requirements to provide suitable equipment and training
• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 – Chapter 49, where employers must notify their enforcing authority in the event of an accident at work to any employee resulting in death, major injury or incapacity for normal work for three or more days. This includes any act of non-consensual physical violence done to a person at work
• Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 – Chapter 22, and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 – Chapter 27. There are some high-risk activities where at least one other person may need to be present. Examples include some high-risk confined space working where a supervisor may need to be present, as well as someone dedicated to the rescue role, and electrical work at or near exposed live conductors where at least two people are sometimes required
• The Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations 1981 – Chapter 50

HSE guidance

Legal and other standards referred to above are well summarised by the HSE in its publication Working Alone in Safety (INDG73). The principles outlined below are based upon this guidance.

Can people legally work alone?
There is no general legal prohibition on working alone. So, the starting point for employers and safety representatives is the employer’s legal requirement to assess risks and put in place measures to avoid or control the risks. If the risk assessment shows that it is not possible for the work to be done safely by a lone worker, then other arrangements must be put in place. It is important to talk to safety representatives and employees who are a valuable source of information and advice. This will help to ensure that:

• all relevant hazards have been identified
• risks have been assessed
• appropriate controls have been chosen

Can the risks of the job be adequately controlled by one person?

Lone workers should not be at more risk than other employees. This may require extra risk-control
measures. Precautions should take account of normal work and foreseeable emergencies, e.g. fire, equipment failure, illness and accidents. Employers should identify situations where people work alone and ask questions such as:

• Does the workplace present a special risk to the lone worker?
• Is there a safe way in and a way out for one person? Can any temporary access equipment which is necessary, such as portable ladders or trestles, be safely handled by one person?
• Can all the plant, substances and goods involved in the work be safely handled by one person? Consider whether the work involves lifting objects too large for one person or whether more than one person is needed to operate essential controls for the safe running of equipment.
• Is there a risk of violence?
• Are women especially at risk if they work alone?
• Are young workers especially at risk if they work alone?

Is the person medically fit and suitable to work alone?

Check that lone workers have no medical conditions which make them unsuitable for working alone. Seek medical advice if necessary. Consider both routine work and foreseeable emergencies which may impose additional physical and mental burdens on the individual.

What training is required to ensure competency in safety matters?

Training is particularly important where there is limited supervision to control, guide and help in
situations of uncertainty. Training may be critical to avoid panic reactions in unusual situations. Lone workers need to be sufficiently experienced and to understand the risks and precautions fully. Employers should set the limits to what can and cannot be done while working alone. They should ensure employees are competent to deal with circumstances which are new, unusual or beyond the scope of training, e.g. when to stop work and seek advice from a supervisor and how to handle aggression.

How will the person be supervised?

Although lone workers cannot be subject to constant supervision, it is still an employer’s duty to ensure their health and safety at work. Supervision can help to ensure that employees understand the risks associated with their work and that the necessary safety precautions are carried out. Supervisors can also provide guidance in situations of uncertainty. Supervision of health and safety can often be carried out when checking the progress and quality of the work; it may take the form of periodic site visits combined with discussions in which health and safety issues are raised.

The extent of supervision required depends on the risks involved and the ability of the lone worker to identify and handle health and safety issues. Employees new to a job, undergoing training, doing a job which presents special risks, or dealing with new situations may need to be accompanied at first. The level of supervision required is a management
decision which should be based on the findings of risk assessment. The higher the risk, the greater the level of supervision required. It should not be left to individuals to decide whether they require assistance.

Procedures will need to be put in place to monitor lone workers to see they remain safe. These may include:

• supervisors periodically visiting and observing people working alone
• regular contact between the lone worker and supervision using either a telephone or radio
• automatic warning devices which operate if specific signals are not received periodically from the lone worker, e.g. systems for security staff
• other devices designed to raise the alarm in the event of an emergency and which are operated manually or automatically by the absence of activity
• checks that a lone worker has returned to their base or home on completion of a task

What happens if the person becomes ill, has an accident or there is an emergency?

Lone workers should be capable of responding correctly to emergencies. Risk assessment should identify foreseeable events. Emergency procedures should be established and employees trained in them. Information about emergency procedures and danger areas should be given to lone workers who visit employers’ premises. Lone workers should have access to adequate first-aid facilities and mobile workers should carry a first-aid kit suitable for treating minor injuries. Occasionally the risk assessment may indicate that lone workers need training in first aid.
The full HSE guide Working Alone in Safety (INDG73)

WHAT CAN SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES DO?

There are a number of positive steps that safety representatives can take to raise awareness and tackle problems with lone working.

Membership awareness

Use posters and leaflets to bring up the issue of lone working with members and take the opportunity of discussing it with them to see if they think that there are any problems. Safety representatives should report their concerns and those of their members to management in writing. Use Chapter 7 above for ideas on how you can make sure that management gets things done.

Surveys and inspections

Safety representatives could conduct a survey to find out whether lone working is a problem in the workplace. Safety representatives can also use their routine inspections or undertake special inspections to speak to members about lone working.

Lone working policy and procedure

Safety representatives can negotiate with employers to produce jointly agreed policy and procedures to tackle problems associated with lone working. Some of the key points include:

Working alone on site

Simple guidelines would involve:

• agreed reporting lines for lone workers on site
• a signing-in procedure
• induction sessions for the worker (covering items such as access, welfare facilities, accident reporting, first-aid arrangements and emergency procedures)
• explaining risk assessments and protective and preventive measures
• agreeing arrangements for the provision of work equipment

Working away from base

If the work involves a visit to another workplace, preventive measures would generally be the responsibility of the employer in control of that workplace, although the employee’s own employer also has responsibilities too.

Particular problems for lone workers working away from their base include:

• risk assessments
• transport
• supervision
• communication
• accident procedures
• work equipment

Although risk assessments for many of the activities can be carried out on a generic basis, the situation in which the worker is required to carry out the task may affect the level of risk. A telephone engineer may be more likely to fall when working in an exposed, windy location. In addition the severity of an injury may be increased by delays in emergency treatment. A generic risk assessment should be regarded only as a starting point for tasks being done by a lone worker

Many people working away from base may spend long periods driving alone as part of their work activities, and driving to and from work. The main risk for drivers working alone is breaking down in an isolated area. This risk could be increased by employers expecting staff to use their own vehicles where there may be a possibility that the vehicle has not been maintained for a high mileage. Managing road risk is dealt with in Chapter 40 below.

Effective supervision relies upon good and effective communication. It is essential that the supervisor and worker must be able to communicate easily and regularly. Employers should establish systems to facilitate regular contact. Any system of communication in the event of an accident relies on the worker’s base knowing his/her exact location or route. If a routine call was missed, therefore, the emergency response could be directed to the correct area.

Training is particularly important where there is limited supervision to control, guide and help in situations of uncertainty. It is critical to avoid panic reactions in unusual situations. Solitary workers need to:

• understand the risks involved in the work
• understand the necessary precautions
• be sufficiently experienced

Employers should establish clear procedures to set the limits of what can and cannot be donewhile working alone. They should specify how to behave in circumstances which are new, unusual or beyond the scope of training. For example, when to stop work and seek advice from a supervisor.

One major source of accidents when working away from base is the selection and use of tools and equipment. This must be subject to strict control, with the employee only using items supplied by the employer for the purpose. Selection and use of this equipment must be in line with the requirements of Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER 98). Portable electrical equipment should be regularly checked to comply with the duties under the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989. Where equipment is issued, records of such issue and subsequent testing must be kept.

Checklist

Download the Lone Working Checklist (PDF)

Download the Guidelines for good practice in personal sfaety checklist (PDF)

FURTHER INFORMATION (in alphabetical order)

Hazards magazine factsheets (see Section 6.2 for contact details)

• No. 72: Working Alone

£1.50 each for union subscribers. £6 for nonsubscribers

Hazards magazine website

Excellent news and resources on the Hazards web resource page

HSE priced and free publications on violence
For all the latest documents containing general standards and guidance on lone workers, go to the HSE web page

• Alternatively, obtain a free copy of the latest HSE Books catalogue, CAT 34, by telephoning 01787 881 165

HSE work-related violence and lone workers website

The HSE has a specific web page which draws together HSE information on lone working and violence in one place

International Labour Organisation (see Section 6.4 for contact details)

• Resources on violence

Labour Research Department (see Section 6.2 for contact details)

• Women’s Health and Safety £4.75
• Violence at Work £3.30

London Hazards Centre (see Section 6.2 for contact details)

• Lone Working

National Group on Homeworking

• Campaign group for homeworkers

Suzy Lamplugh Trust

• A charity concerned with personal safety

TUC (see Section 6.1 for contact details)

• The TUC lone working web page
• Essential information for safety representatives. Keep up to date on health and safety by reading Risks, the TUC’s weekly e-bulletin for safety representatives

Trade union information

• Many unions provide guidance on lone working. The website addresses of all trade unions are on the TUC website
• Hazards magazine has listed the health and safety pages of most trade unions
• Contact your union, or visit your union’s website to find out if it produces any guidance on lone working. For example: GMB has produced a safety representatives' guide to working alone.