Lone Working

Lone working may be defined as any work activity which is intended to be carried out in isolation from other workers by an individual or a small team of people. The work activity should normally last for some time.

Types of lone working

Lone working can take place when people:

• work as individuals at a fixed site, e.g. in a shop or petrol station
• are separate from others, e.g. in warehouses or automated plants
• work away from their base or at remote locations, e.g. construction workers, maintenance, repair and cleaning workers
• work at home
• work outside normal hours, e.g. cleaners or security staff
• travel as part of their work, e.g. sales staff or delivery workers
• provide services to the public, e.g. social workers, home helps, community nurses

Many lone workers will come into more than one of these categories.

Hazards

Hazards which lone workers can encounter are:

• accidents or emergencies arising out of the work including inadequate provision of first aid
• sudden illnesses
• inadequate provision of rest, hygiene and welfare facilities
• violence from members of the public

Legal duties of employers

For most circumstances, there are no specific legal duties on employers in relation to lone working. However, employers are under a general duty under Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act to maintain safe working arrangements and under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations to carry out a risk assessment of the hazards to which their employees are exposed. Where there are more than five employees, the risk assessment must be kept as a permanent record.

Employers are under a duty to provide facilities for first aid [Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations] and welfare [Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations] and to report accidents suffered by their employees, including assaults, wherever they occur (RIDDOR - Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations). Welfare provision on construction sites is covered by the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations.

There are certain activities where there are specific legal duties: erection of scaffolding, use of unsupported access equipment, demolition on construction sites, diving operations (provision of suitable supervision); young people doing woodworking (supervision plus instruction and training); work with certain chemicals (staffing levels).

Risk assessment

The key to maximising safety wherever lone work is under consideration is the performance of a satisfactory risk assessment which should address two main features:

• whether the work can be done safely by a single person
• what arrangements are required to ensure the lone worker is at no more risk than employees working together

The risk assessment should prescribe arrangements for systematic monitoring of the hazards of lone working by qualified supervisors/managers.

Staffing levels

The critical question is whether the job can be done safely by a single person at all. There is scope for disagreement between an employer primarily motivated by cost considerations and employees and their representatives concerned with safety. The employer should demonstrate that a lone worker is not exposed to extra risk compared to a group of employees doing the same job. Where the job involves a significant risk of violence from the public, doubling of staffing levels will almost always substantially improve security.

Remoteness and isolation

For a lone worker at a remote location, the following factors must be considered:

• how long should the work take and how frequently should the worker report in
• has the worker a safe means of travel to and from the location, especially out of normal hours
• is there access to adequate rest, hygiene, refreshment, welfare and first aid facilities
• can emergency services approach the location without hindrance. Procedures for responding to "worst-case" emergencies should be in place

Condition of the workplace

Appropriate conditions are:

• there is a safe means of entry and exit to the workplace
• there is adequate illumination, heating and ventilation for the job to be carried out
• all equipment, especially powered tools and access equipment such as ladders, can be used safely
• lifting operations can be performed safely by one person
• fire precautions are sufficient for the job

Home visits especially for the provision of personal care can involve exposure to infectious diseases in addition to other hazards and the condition of premises should be assessed by qualified staff before visits commence.

Communications and personal alarms

Appropriate communications should be maintained with the lone worker especially when continuing supervision is required. The lone worker should be equipped with a means of two-way communication, a pager or a personal alarm. The system should enable the worker to raise an instant alarm or be located accurately if assistance is required. Rooms used for confidential interviews should be equipped with a hidden alarm.

Preventing violence

In addition to the provision of personal alarms, procedures should be devised to minimise the risk of violence from the public, e.g. elimination of handling cash, constant changes of route when transporting valuables, adequate building security for out of hours working. Consideration should be given to the fact that women working alone are particularly at risk.

Medical suitability

Two points need to be determined:

• does the job impose any extra demands on the lone worker's physical or mental stamina?
• does the lone worker suffer from any illness that might increase the risks of the job?

Home working

If the home worker is an employee, the employer is obliged to carry out a risk assessment of the job and the workplace. This must cover the provision of supervision, education and training and result in sufficient controls to be in place so as to protect the home worker. The employer should accept liability for accident or injury as for other employees.

Information and training

Sufficient training and information must be provided to the lone workers to enable him/her to identify hazards and take appropriate action to avoid them. S/he must be entitled to leave the workplace if there is serious and imminent danger.

Permits to work

These are detailed, written instructions provided by the employer on the performance of hazardous activities such as entry into confined spaces or electrical testing, etc. They should specify:

• check-in arrangements
• tests of communications equipment
• length of the work period
• suitable first-aid equipment
• equipment, tools and electrical safety checks
• suitable personal protective equipment
• suitable manual handling
• arrangements in bad weather
• exit to safety after job

Role of safety representatives

Safety representatives should use their rights to influence safe lone working as with other work activities. This could entail:

• consulting/negotiating on the necessity of lone working in the first instance
• ensuring that a proper risk assessment is carried out including the provision of training, information and suitable supervision
• having an input into the details of permits to work
• advising members of safe working practices
• representing any suggestions and complaints from the lone workers to the employer
• making sure that work practices are not introduced unless specified in the risk assessment or permit to work
• checking that all accidents, near misses and dangerous occurrences go into the accident book and are properly investigated
• obtaining support from the trade union if unsafe working practices become established and/or referring these to the enforcement authorities

Resources

• Working alone in safety: controlling the risks of solitary work, Health and Safety Executive, INDG73(rev), single copy free from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 6FS, tel: 01787 881165, fax 01787 313995
• Working alone: guidance for MSF members and safety representatives, MSF, 1992, available from MSF Head Office, Moreland St., London EC1V 8HA.
• See also Daily Hazard nos. 35 (violence at work), 42 (safety representatives' rights), and 55 (safety management: employer