What is the Lone Working Legislation in UK?
UK’s lone working legislation aims to protect lone workers performing hazardous tasks without supervision. These laws include guidelines for training, monitoring, and supervision, while also providing rules on conducting proper risk assessments for lone working scenarios. Workers performing tasks alone face more inherent dangers than employees performing tasks as a team, which is why organizations must carefully consider the conditions these workers face and take steps to create a safer environment.
Importance
Organizations are in charge of their workers’ safety in the field. Lone working legislation is important as it provides companies with a framework to follow when building a lone working policy to ensure that all bases are covered. When organizations follow the legislation in place, they can greatly reduce the risks that lone workers face and create a safer environment and culture for employees.
On top of that, failure to comply with lone working legislations may result in hefty fines and legal repercussions. This is why any organization in the UK that requires workers to perform tasks without supervision must pay close attention to legislation and ensure they take measures to reduce risks for workers.
Examples of Lone Workers
There are various industries in the UK where one can find lone workers. This includes construction, mining, logistics, hospitality, and retail. Examples of lone workers include delivery drivers, plumbers, electricians, home health workers, mobile technicians, outside sales teams, field service engineers, and even remote workers.
Lone workers can be found in many sectors in the UK, which is why the legislation in place to protect these employees can be quite broad. When creating lone worker policies, organizations must properly classify lone workers to ensure everyone gets the protection they need.
To classify lone workers, many organizations check if they are any of the following types of workers:
- Workers who work by themselves away from a fixed base
- Workers on site but can’t be seen or heard by a teammate
- Remote workers working from home
- Workers who travel alone during work hours
- Employee working outside normal work hours
- Workers who are left alone for long periods
Lone Worker Responsibilities
The Health and Safety Act of 1974 is the UK’s primary legislation that covers various aspects of occupational health and safety, including responsibilities for lone work. It describes responsibilities for both employees and employers, which we’ll dive into below.
Employee Responsibilities
Employees who perform solo tasks have a responsibility to ensure their own safety while on the job. While employers are required to assess and mitigate the risks of lone work activities, employees are also responsible for not taking unnecessary risks and putting themselves in danger during solo work. This includes strictly adhering to the procedure laid out by the employer and reporting health and safety risks to management.
Employer Responsibilities
The Health and Safety Act requires employers to ensure that employees are reasonably safe in the workplace, especially when performing solo tasks. Under the act, employers are responsible to control risks to an employee’s health and cannot transfer this responsibility over to the employee.
Employers are also required to ensure that employees don’t face any conditions that would make lone working unsuitable to their health. To accomplish this, employers are required to do the following:
- Complete a risk assessment
- Ensure that the job can be performed safely by one worker
- Train and supervise lone workers
- Monitor lone workers
- Regularly communicate with workers and stay in touch
- Quickly respond to incidents
Monitor and ensure lone worker safety with SafetyCulture
Tips for Creating a Lone Working Policy
There are various approaches organizations can take when creating a lone working policy. The policy must cover the unique risks and hazards workers face when performing tasks alone. That said, here are a few things to consider to help you create a comprehensive lone working policy for your organization:
Risk Identification
Identifying risks is the first step in developing a lone worker policy. It involves assessing the potential hazards that a lone worker might face, such as physical threats, health issues, or environmental dangers. This proactive approach allows for tailored strategies to mitigate those risks and ensure the safety of lone workers.
Clearly-Defined Responsibilities
Clearly outlining responsibilities ensures that both the employer and the lone worker understand their roles in maintaining safety. Employers should define what safety measures need to be in place, and lone workers should be aware of their duties in adhering to these protocols. This clarity prevents misunderstandings and helps to ensure that safety procedures are consistently followed.
Comprehensive Reporting System
A comprehensive reporting system enables the efficient documentation and communication of incidents, near-misses, and safety concerns. This system should allow lone workers to easily report any issues, ensuring that management can take swift action to address them. Regular analysis of these reports helps in refining the policy and improving safety measures over time.
Utilizing a Lone Worker App
Using a digital solution that can track risks is one of the most efficient ways to identify and mitigate risks. With a lone working safety app in particular that can also work with an operations and safety platform, you can stay in constant contact with your lone workers and be regularly updated on any possible risks they may be facing, then conduct the necessary inspections after based on your findings.
Leon Altomonte
