Lone working law
Is lone working legal?
A common question we get asked is “Is lone working legal?”.
The short answer is yes, for most roles, lone working is entirely legal. However, while working alone may be legal, for some roles it may not be appropriate or safe.
If a staff member is required to work alone, provisions must be made to keep them safe.
If an employer fails to keep their lone working staff safe, they may be in breach of British health and safety legislation, and thus breaking employment law.
When is working alone not okay?
There are certain roles that, for safety reasons, require at least one other person to be there:
Those working in confined spaces
Workers near exposed live electricity conductors
Diving operations
Those working with vehicles carrying explosives
Those working with fumigation
These are generally high-risk jobs that require one or more people to act in a supervising or supportive role. While these roles are specifically mentioned by the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as being inappropriate for lone working, there are many others that may require a high level of support.
The laws on lone working
UK law on lone working is covered by the Health and Safety at Work etc Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. These rules are in place to make sure workers are protected and cover a wide range of recommendations.
For an overview of health and safety best practices, check out our free guide.
The HSE say that while it is legal and often safe to work alone, employers are legally required to assess and handle the risks associated with lone working “before people are allowed to do so”.
Remember, as an employer, you are responsible for the ‘health, safety and welfare at work of all your workers, and this applies to any contractors, volunteers or self-employed people’.
How do I meet legislation on lone working?
A good place to start, when making sure you meet lone working legislation, is to build lone working protections into your risk assessments.
If you don’t have a risk assessment, you can create one here.
When looking at the roles in your organisation, consider if lone working is appropriate or necessary. If it is not, your staff may have to work with a partner or as part of a team.
If, however, you cannot avoid lone working then it is important to look into the associated risks. Remember that while some risks are not unique to lone working (accidents during manual labour, aggression from the public, road traffic incidents), these incidents can be made worse by the lack of immediate support inherent in lone working.
What actions should I take to protect lone workers
The HSE says employers should provide ‘training, supervision, monitoring and support for lone workers’ including ‘adequate and reliable means of communication and a way to call for help’. Where necessary, this may include ‘devices designed to raise the alarm in an emergency which can be operated manually or automatically’.
For a complete introduction to lone working, and how you can keep your team safe, look at our free guide to lone working
How does Safepoint help lone workers?
With Safepoint, lone workers are protected by 24/7 professional monitoring, wherever they are. Safepoint protects lone workers and helps organisations meet their lone working obligations.
If a lone worker is injured or under threat –or if they become unresponsive– an alarm is sent out to Safepoint’s team of accredited emergency responders.
Safepoint also provides organisations with intelligent, modern tools that help them supervise and organise their team when they’re out and about –whilst also protecting your workers’ right to privacy.
To see how we do this, you can watch the introductory video below, or book in a free, no-pressure demonstration.
Note: Safepoint neither warrants nor represents that the information in this article is suitable for your purposes. It is recommended that you review the information in this article and seek advice in order to ensure that it suits your particular requirements and circumstances. Safepoint therefore accepts no responsibility for your use of the information in this article.