What is a Lone Worker

A Lone worker is a person who works alone, often in dangerous or hazardous conditions. A lone worker could be a shop worker in a retail store, a factory worker in a manufacturing plant, a police officer or a firefighter.

Lone working is considered a high risk area of work and employers should implement measures to minimise this. These include a risk assessment of the work and the location where the lone worker will be, as well as engineering out hazards that may pose an increased risk for serious injury or fatalities.

Training is also essential for lone workers. It can help them understand how to manage situations, such as a car breaking down or an accident. It can also give them the confidence to tell a supervisor or other team member about any problems that they might be having, which can prevent further accidents.

Legislation

The UK has strong legislation governing lone working, requiring employers to provide a safe environment for their employees. This includes the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1970 and the General Duty of Care.





Legislation can be tricky to get right, so you should always seek professional advice and take time to make sure that your lone worker policy is effective and meets all legal requirements. A good lone worker policy will be flexible enough to meet the needs of all your employees and will protect them against both physical and mental dangers.

There are many lone worker solutions available to organisations, from a lone worker app to a security monitoring centre. Whatever solution is chosen, it should be a cost-effective and flexible solution that will allow employees to be protected without incurring large upfront costs.