Lone Working: Understanding and Managing Risks

Lone working is a practice commonly encountered across various industries, in which individuals might work outside normal business hours, in remote locations or in situations where assistance is not readily available. While this mode of working offers flexibility and can be essential in certain roles, it presents unique challenges that both employers and workers must address to ensure safety and wellbeing.

Lone workers face the same hazards at work as anyone else, but there is a greater risk of these hazards causing harm as they may not have anyone to help or support them if things go wrong. These include both physical and psychological risks:

• Physical risks: Accidents and emergencies arising from work in isolation such as slips, trips and falls, or injuries from machinery without immediate help available.

• Psychological risks: Lone workers may experience heightened stress levels due to isolation, which can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety or depression.

   

To mitigate these risks, employers must implement comprehensive strategies that address the needs of lone workers:

1. Risk assessment: Conduct thorough risk assessments for lone working activities, considering all potential hazards and the circumstances under which work is performed.
2. Training and awareness: Provide lone workers with appropriate training, including how to recognise hazards, manage risks and respond to emergencies. Awareness programs can also help in identifying signs of stress or mental health struggles.
3. Communication: Implement reliable means of communication, such as regular check-ins, emergency distress signals or monitoring devices, so that lone workers can report their status or call for help if needed.
4. Response plans: Develop clear emergency procedures tailored to lone working situations, ensuring that workers know how to act in case of accidents, health emergencies or security threats.
5. Health surveillance: Regular health surveillance can help in early identification of work-related health problems among lone workers.
6. Work environment adaptations: Where possible, adapt work environments and schedules to minimise the periods of lone working and ensure that lone workers are operating in as safe an environment as possible.