Lone Working

A Lone Worker can be defined as ‘those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision.’ This could include:

• Ground staff working unsupervised on pitches or on grounds under your control.
• An unsupervised worker in grounds sheds with no other workers present (this may only be for a short amount of time).
• A worker who works alone, after hours or arrives early to catch up on task.

Without direct supervision, lone workers will always be at greater risks if things go wrong as no one is there to help. It is your responsibility to identify hazards and measure the risk to lone workers and suitably manage those risks.

Risks to Lone Workers

Risk Levels

In the main, the hazards lone workers are exposed to are the same. The additional risk comes when the lone worker attempts to conduct a task that is best suited for more than one person. Or, if a lone worker has an accident and requires help e.g., if a vehicle turns over, trapping the operator ordinarily a co-worker would be there to provide assistance. The subsequent delay in getting medical assistance may result in the injury being more severe.

Human nature: Often when working alone the temptation to get the job done can override the concern for safety, e.g., lifting an object that normally would require two or more people, using a ladder that would require footing or, working in a manner that would not normally be acceptable simply because no one is there to witness it.

This can be directly related to an individual’s acceptance of risk and while this might shift with the changing situation it is a factor to be considered when managing lone working.

Stress

The feeling of being alone can affect a worker’s levels of stress. This can be exacerbated by an individual’s lack of confidence, the inability to ask for assistance or even being uncomfortable in the working environment when alone. It is worth noting, while stress is normally brought on over a period of time, stress can also have an immediate effect on an individual’s decision-making abilities and subsequent actions.

Violence

If a lone worker is operating in an isolated or public area such as a public park or simply walking back to their car in a dimly lit carpark, they might be more susceptible to violence from a person who sees an opportunity to cause harm. Consider if people use the area to drink or take drugs, is there any history of violence? If this is the case, it needs to be reflected in your risk assessment.

Risk Assess

It is the organisation’s responsibility to manage the risks presented by lone working. The best way to achieve this is by conducting a risk assessment. This enables you to identify the hazards and put in place suitable controls. Do not forget to consider foreseeable emergencies such as fire, equipment failure, illness, and accidents.

Areas to consider will be:

• Task – the task may be the same task conducted when colleagues are present. Consider the additional hazards posed by lone working and the increased level of risk. High risk activities should not be conducted by a lone worker.
• Tools – do the tools/machinery have the potential to cause significant harm, i.e., harm that may require hospital attention?
• Individual – Is the individual suited to lone working?
  • • Do they have an existing medical condition?
    • Are they inclined to take risks?
    • Are they mature enough to work alone?
    • Have they received suitable training for the tasks to be undertaken?
• Environment – Consider both the physical conditions as well as the social circumstances of the surroundings.
  • • Weather conditions – hot/cold/wet/windy/ice/changing etc
    • Working conditions – Indoors/outdoors/confined spaces/other hazards
    • Ground conditions – wet/slippery/boggy/etc
    • Light conditions – before first light/after last light/suitable artificial light
    • Is it a shared environment – public park/public pathway
    • Time of day – may dictate who (members of the public) are likely to be present. This may change due to local events i.e., large event crowd dispersal
    • Rural/isolated area – proximity to emergency services
    • Social environment – Is there a history of violence/drinking/drugs etc in the work area or surrounds

Supervision

Although the definition of lone working incudes a reduced level of supervision, this does not mean supervision cannot be provided from a distance. Base your level of supervision on the level of risk identified by your risk assessment.

• Providing frequent communication, possibly by phone.
• Supervising lone workers periodically by visiting and observing individuals working alone.
• Putting in place a robust system (see example flow chart at annex A) to ensure:
  • • Frequent communications to include when the lone worker has returned to their base or home once their task is completed.
    • In the event of an incident or failure in communications you have a robust, regularly practised emergency response procedure in place to identify if help is needed.
    • A robust, fail-safe method of calling the emergency services should it be required.
    • Agreeing regular time constrained contact between the lone worker and their supervisor.
• The use of lone worker devices and other technology.

Training

Training for lone workers is essential. If workers are to undertake tasks safely while working alone then details must be communicated. Others involved such as supervisors and managers should also undertake training to ensure they understand their role.

Strict rules should be laid down and strongly adhered to. Record training and revise when necessary.

First Aid

Does the lone worker have access to first aid? It may be necessary to train the worker to enable self-administration of first aid.

Summary

Avoid lone working wherever possible, if unavoidable then ensure rigorous controls are in place. Lone working should be meticulously planned and only undertaken if risks can be reduced to an acceptable level. When assessing risks be critical and consider; task, tools, environment, and people (including members of the public). Ensure all understand what is required of them and periodically review your procedures.

Annex A

Lone Worker Flow Chart

Below is a suggested simple process flow chart for Lone Working. This can be adapted to suit your working procedures. 

Key:  LW = Lone Worker         SM = Supervisor/Manager       Alt SM = Alternative Supervisor/Manager