Keep lone workers safe

Lone workers are people who work without close or direct supervision. They include delivery drivers, engineers, security staff, cleaners, health and care workers visiting people at home, staff running a petrol station or warehouse alone, and people who work from home.

The duty is yours as the employer, and it covers anyone contracted to work for you, including self-employed people. Working alone is not against the law in itself, but you must manage the risks that come with it.

What you must do

Include lone working in your risk assessment before anyone starts working alone. Ask whether the person can be seen or heard by others, whether they can get help, and what could go wrong when no one else is there.

Check the risks that come with working alone

Look at the workplace, the task and the person. The risks that matter most to lone workers are violence, stress and mental health, medical suitability and an isolated workplace. Ask whether the person is fit and suitable to work alone, including any medical condition that could put them at risk. If you are unsure, get medical advice.

When a lone worker is at another organisation's workplace, such as a customer's site, ask that organisation about the risks and the controls it has in place.

Decide how much supervision they need

The level of supervision depends on the risk. New workers, and people doing a new task, need to be supervised at first. Set clear limits on what each person may do alone and what they must stop and ask about.

Put controls in place

Train lone workers, supervise them and keep in touch with them. Work out how you will respond if something goes wrong.

Whichever controls you choose, agree regular contact with each lone worker in advance, and have a way to confirm that they have returned to base or finished for the day. Test your systems and emergency procedures regularly to make sure they work. Where the risk of violence is real, give staff training in personal safety and in handling conflict.

Homeworkers who work alone carry the same risks and need the same assessment. Cover how they will contact you, what they must not do alone and how often you will check in.

Decide which work is not safe to do alone

Some work needs at least one other person present. HSE gives these examples:

• work in a confined space, where you need a supervisor and someone trained to carry out a rescue
• work near live exposed electrical conductors
• diving
• vehicles carrying explosives
• fumigation

Your risk assessment decides whether other tasks can be done alone. If the risks cannot be adequately controlled, or the worker cannot call for help, do not let them work alone.

Prepare for emergencies and first aid

Tell each lone worker how and when to contact you or the emergency services, and what to do if they are hurt or taken ill. Work out whether they need a first aid kit and training in first aid. Give them what they need to raise the alarm, such as a phone, an alarm device or a signal.

Review the arrangements

Review the assessment when the work, the place or the people change, and after any incident or near miss. Ask lone workers what is working and what is not.