Lone working

What you need to know

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What is lone working?

Lone workers

A lone worker is simply an employee who “performs tasks or works in isolation from other workers without close or direct supervision”.

With around 8 million lone workers in the UK and working alone named one of the top ten hazards of concern to employees, employers must place high importance on assessing and mitigating the risks they face.

At risk employees

With an increasing number of organisations offering flexible working practices, there are more at-risk employees than ever before.

At-risk employees can be simply defined as employees who work at a heightened risk; for example, individuals who carry around expensive equipment or bank employees who hold sensitive information. They may not work alone, but are still at risk of being attacked once they leave the workplace.

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What can you do to mitigate risk?

There are 3 key elements to lone worker solutions:

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The mechanism – the device or application used to summon assistance

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The online portal - where all activity can be viewed and tracked

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The control room - from where assistance is deployed

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Laws

Acts & regulations protecting lone workers

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) is the primary piece of UK health and safety legislation. It requires employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all of their employees as well as others on their premises.

The main requirements of this Act are:

The safe operation and maintenance of the working environment, plant and systems
Maintenance of safe access and egress to the workplace
Safe use, handling and storage of dangerous substances
Adequate training of staff
Adequate welfare provisions for staff at work

Management of Health & Safety At Work 1999

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 requires employers to assess and manage risks to their employees and others as a result of any work activities. Employees also have duties under this act to take reasonable care, use equipment as trained and report any shortcomings in health and safety protocol.

The employers’ duties to ensure a safe working environment are:

Establish procedures that should be followed in an emergency situation
Provide adequate training and information for employees
Provide health and safety surveillance where appropriate
Appoint appropriate people to assist in the above measures
Ensure employees aren’t given tasks beyond their competence and physical capabilities

Health & Safety (Offences) 2008

The Health and Safety (Offences) Act 2008, lays out the maximum penalties that can be made against defendants under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

The Act gives lower courts the power to impose fines and/or imprisonment for the following health and safety offences:

Breaches of general duties under HASAWA Sections 2 – 8
Non-compliance with an improvement notice, a prohibition notice or a court order
Making a false statement or entry in a register
Breaches of general duties under HASAWA Section 9
Obstructing or pretending to be an Inspector

Corporate Manslaughter & Homicide Act 2007

The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 clarifies the criminal liabilities of organisations where failures in health and safety management have resulted in a fatality. This means that organisations can be found guilty of corporate manslaughter as a result of how activities are managed and organised by senior management.

The organisations to which this legislation applies are:

A corporation
A department or other body
A police force
A partnership
A trade union or employer’s association that is an employer