A number of our clients either have employees that work alone or are lone workers themselves. Therefore the question of safety regarding lone workers comes up a lot. This blog outlines the main safety tips for lone workers for employers and workers to think about.

Working alone is not in itself against the law and will often be safe to do so. It is important that employers understand what they need to do to comply with their legal duties towards lone workers under the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Employers have a duty to assess risks to lone workers and take steps to avoid or control risks where necessary. It is important that lone workers are not put at more of a risk than other employees.

Employers who have 5 or more employees must record the significant findings of all risk assessments. Risk assessments should help employers decide on the right level of supervision. It is important to remember that a risk assessment is not about creating huge amounts of paperwork. It is intended as a means of identifying sensible measures to control risks in and outside the workplace. Check out the Health and Safety Executive website for further information or for a style risk assessment template.

Although the duty to provide a safe working environment falls on the employer it is important that individuals working alone, either at home or at different premises, ensure their safety as well and follow any guidance which is provided by their employer. First and foremost it is important that those working alone ensure that they have a means of communicating with others whether this is via phone, e-mail or text messages, and do this regularly.

Although there are no guarantees around workers' safety, it is important that employers have assessed the risks and put in place appropriate procedures in order to ensure the safety of their workers.