Health and safety is one of the biggest concerns for businesses, especially when it involves employees who work alone. But how can you ensure that your health and safety policy effectively protects those who regularly work on their own?
Many UK businesses draft a clear, comprehensive lone working policy to enforce certain safety measures for lone workers and their managers. The lone worker policy outlines the precautions, safety gear, and procedures everyone should follow when working alone.
In this article, we’ll explain what a lone working policy is, why it’s important, and walk you through the steps to draft a policy that helps keep your workplace safe for everyone.
What is a lone working policy?
Before diving into the specifics of a lone working policy, it’s important to understand the broader context of health and safety policies.
A health and safety policy serves as a guiding document that influences workplace decisions and actions related to safety. It provides a clear set of standards so that all employees know how to stay safe on the job and contribute to a safer work environment.
A lone worker policy is a specialised extension of this, focusing specifically on the safety of lone working employees. But why is a separate policy necessary for lone workers?
The answer lies in the unique risks they face. Lone workers operate without the immediate support of team members, making them more vulnerable in emergencies. They require tailored safety measures that go beyond what’s covered in general health and safety policies.
To effectively protect lone workers, it’s crucial to establish systems that address the specific risks that lone workers face.
To help you get started, we’ve put together a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to write a lone working policy, which you can download here.
What to include in a lone working policy
A standard lone working policy should cover the following essentials:
How a lone worker should report an emergency
The safety precautions lone workers must take while performing tasks
Any special gear lone workers should wear while on the job
The designated person to whom lone workers should report progress
How often lone workers need to check in with a team member
When developing your own lone working policy, it’s important to consider various factors that can be divided into two categories: job-specific risks and situation-specific risks.
Consider the following when assessing job-specific risks:
What particular risks are associated with the employee’s role?
Do they face common hazards like falling, electrocution, entrapment, or getting lost?
Do they handle hazardous materials that could affect their long-term health?
Your lone worker policy should include guidelines to minimise these specific risks, aiming to protect lone workers from immediate dangers as well as long-term health hazards.
As for situation-specific risks, these can include:
A lone worker becoming unwell
A lone worker being robbed or attacked
Natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods that could leave lone workers stranded or impaired
Your lone working policy should outline clear, situation-specific procedures to ensure workers are always protected and know what to do in an emergency.
Additionally, the policy must address the escalation process for other team members if contact is lost with the lone worker, such as when a worker becomes unconscious or unable to communicate.
What is a lone worker?
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines lone workers as “those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision.” This doesn’t mean they aren’t part of a team; it simply means their team members aren’t physically nearby, though they remain in contact.
For instance, a team of cleaners might be working in the same building but on different floors, making each member a lone worker since they can’t see or hear each other directly. Similarly, a lone worker might be away from colleagues yet surrounded by others, such as the public.
In essence, lone workers are those who perform their duties without a co-worker nearby, whether they’re in a private, public, or mobile workplace.
Lone workers make up a significant portion of the UK workforce, with estimates suggesting that around 20% of workers fall into this category. Common examples include:
Delivery drivers
Maintenance and installation experts
Construction workers
Agriculture workers
Sales employees who visit homes and businesses
Factory workers
Real estate agents
Nannies and house cleaners
Electricians, plumbers, and HVAC professionals
Travelling consultants
Overnight or remote security professionals
This list is not exhaustive, as many other roles can also be considered lone workers.
Do I need a lone working policy?
Employers are responsible for the health and safety of their entire workforce, including lone workers, contractors, and volunteers.
In the UK, this responsibility is backed by several key legislations:
Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007
Health & Safety Offences Act 2008.
A well-crafted lone working policy helps employers comply with these laws and promotes a safe working environment by involving both employees and employers in the safety process.
If your company has lone workers—whether they are employees, contractors, or other members of your workforce—you need a written lone working policy. This policy guides employees on how to stay safe on the job and outlines how managers and team members should respond in emergencies.
Simply providing health and safety training isn’t enough. A written policy serves as a vital reference, helping to minimise mistakes that can arise from relying solely on memory.
How to draft a lone working policy
Every lone working policy should be tailored to the company and specific roles. Use these three steps as a basic guideline to ensure your policy effectively addresses your company’s unique working conditions.
Step 1: Understand the risks
Before drafting a lone working policy, employers and managers must clearly understand the specific working conditions and risks that lone workers face within the company.
In our 2021 market report, “The State of UK Workplace Safety in 2021,” 25% of respondents expressed low confidence in their manager’s awareness of workplace risks and hazards.
To help you accurately assess the health and safety risks inherent to lone working, we’ve created a lone working survey for employees. This tool will help you evaluate your employees’ work habits and identify the appropriate policies to keep them safe.
Step 2: Gather the right information
In addition to the lone working survey, gather the information needed for a comprehensive lone working policy by listening to your employees, observing them on the job, and reviewing past challenges or issues.
Listen to employees:
Conduct a survey to identify the key fears and dangers your employees face when working alone.
Document all machinery, chemicals, and hazardous tools that lone workers may encounter during their shifts.
Organise focus groups to discuss potential policies and procedures that would enhance employee safety.
Observe employees on the job:
Identify risks employees might overlook, such as travelling through high-crime areas, losing phone signals while working remotely, or vehicle breakdowns en route to job sites.
Evaluate the safety equipment used on the job. Is it sufficient to protect employees in case of incidents?
Consider worst-case scenarios: What devices or procedures are in place—or missing—to ensure emergency support can locate and assist stranded or injured workers?
Consider previous challenges:
After an incident, ask the employee what went wrong and how the company could prevent a similar event in the future.
Review past incidents by speaking with involved employees and examining records from the day.
Consult with companies in similar fields to identify potential incidents that haven’t occurred in your company but are common in the industry.
Crafting your lone worker safety policy
After gathering the necessary safety information, it’s time to create your policy. A simple and effective approach is to structure it as a checklist.
Like pilots who use a strict checklist before takeoff, your policy should consist of clear, mandatory guidelines—no recommendations, just requirements.
Use instructive language. For example, replace “Consider wearing a lone worker device” with “All lone workers must wear their safety device while working remotely.” The declarative nature of your checklist will ensure greater safety by eliminating choice. These are demands, not considerations.
Use the data from surveys, questionnaires, and observations to create specific rules. If roles vary, include if-then rules, like “If you enter a construction site, wear a hardhat at all times.”
Ensure your policy is up-to-date and easily accessible to lone workers and managers. It provides essential guidance for safe job performance and outlines how managers should respond to emergencies.
Step 3: Complete the essential lone working policy sections
The essential sections of a lone working policy are:
Policy Aim
The policy aim defines the broad goal of the document, clarifying what the company intends to achieve. It helps align all employees with the objectives of the lone working policy.
Policy Scope
The policy scope outlines the policy’s limitations and boundaries, specifying what is covered, who it applies to, and how it relates to other company policies.
Health & Safety Procedures
This section should detail all health and safety procedures specific to keeping lone workers safe, including:
Reporting incidents and hazards
Identifying and implementing preventive and corrective actions
Conducting risk assessments for lone working tasks
Performing audits and inspections
Any other company-specific health and safety guidelines
Roles and Responsibilities
Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of everyone covered by the policy. Address these key questions:
What must lone workers do to stay safe while working alone?
What actions must line managers, team managers, or supervisors take to ensure lone workers are not exposed to unnecessary risks and can receive help in an emergency?
What steps must senior managers take to ensure the company’s procedures comply with health and safety laws and regulations?
Health and Safety Training
This section doesn’t need to detail every specific training session. Instead, it should outline the general obligations of those covered by the policy regarding health and safety training.
Appendix
The appendix should include relevant details, such as a list of properties and assets that require regular inspection or auditing, and a list of safety equipment that lone workers must use in specific conditions.
Creating a lone working policy from scratch can be time-consuming and complex. To simplify the process, we’ve created a free lone worker policy template that you can download and adapt to your company’s specific needs.
How to enforce a lone working policy
Enforcing a new policy is easiest when everyone understands why the policy exists. Make it clear to employees that following the rules in your lone working policy is mandatory to their job. Explain that your highest priority is employee safety, which means strict adherence to health and safety rules.
If your policy is structured as a checklist, you can require lone workers to turn in the filled-out checklist each day before going to the job. This ensures they have all necessary safety gear, lone worker devices, and tools needed to perform their job safely.
How often should you update your policy?
There’s no fixed schedule, but updates should be made as new risks or challenges are identified. Regularly conducting surveys and focus groups with your team helps ensure your policy stays current and relevant.
It’s advisable to review your lone worker safety policy at least once a year to assess which elements need updating or new additions.
A Safer Workplace for Lone Workers
A comprehensive lone working policy ensures your company meets HSE compliance and keeps your lone workers as safe as possible.
This not only reduces workplace incidents but also brings numerous benefits to your company—saving costs, improving employee happiness and productivity, increasing retention rates, and enhancing your company’s reputation.
To learn how our lone worker safety solutions can support the implementation of your policy and keep your workers safe, contact our sales team today.
