What is lone working?
Lone working is more common than we think. It encompasses jobs such as delivery drivers, company concierge, security personnel and many more. With technology, the number of lone workers has increased thanks to home-based office jobs that do not require the supervision of a manager or much interaction with colleagues. This section explores what lone working is without forgetting the hidden lone workers. We go deeper by defining what a lone working assessment is and which industries typically have lone workers.
What is lone working and who are lone workers?
Lone working covers a wide range of jobs. A lone worker is an individual who works without the presence of a supervisor or who has colleagues who cannot see or hear them throughout the entire working day. This may include people working from home. The HSE (health and safety executive), which is the public body in the United Kingdom responsible for the regulations and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, provides a wealth of information on lone working assessments to guide businesses. It defines lone workers as people who carry out their work without being supervised.
Lone working does not always mean that workers are in complete isolation. It may include people working in busy places and includes staff who work remotely.
Who are hidden lone workers?
In this context, it is important to talk about hidden lone workers who can’t be forgotten. The specificity of hidden lone workers is that they are at the same location as their colleagues but might not be visible or audible to them. They may also work alone outside of typical office hours.
The industries that employ lone workers
The HSE recognises employees working from home as lone workers and as such the range of industries for lone working is wide. However, outside of those who work from home, lone workers typically work for industries like utilities, housing, charities, healthcare, construction and hospitality. Field staff, remote engineers, estate agents, surveyors, paramedics and many more are lone-working jobs.
What is a lone working risk assessment?
A lone working risk assessment is an evaluation of the risks associated with the job of a lone working employee. The business carrying out the lone working risks assessment needs to identify the hazards that the employee may face in the course of their job. The people, environment and nature of the tasks should all be looked into as part of the assessment. The objective is to identify what can be done to minimise risks and ensure the health and safety of the employee.
What employers do when it comes to lone working
Employers are responsible for managing the health and safety risks that their staff, including remote workers, may encounter before they work alone. Lone workers are subject to greater risks with for example the risks associated with being in an isolated environment.
A lone worker risk assessment and what it includes
For companies that employ lone workers, it is important to conduct a lone worker risk assessment. The objective of an assessment is to identify hazards and to understand how existing safety procedures can prevent harm. An assessment also pinpoints any additional measures that the company is required to implement to mitigate risks. It is documented and includes the following: name of the person who conducted the assessment, the date of the assessment, any specifics on subsequent actions and recommendations on when the assessment is to be reviewed.
How to conduct a lone worker risk assessment
The person or group of people who are conducting a risk assessment are the ones accountable for health and safety in the organisation. They have the necessary knowledge and experience of such assessments. Below are some different steps that they can take.
Identify who the lone workers are in the organisation
The first step to take when it comes to lone worker risk assessments is to identify who is a lone worker. Employers can refer to the HSE to ensure that they have a clear definition of who lone workers are. Staff who work remotely or work from home may be considered lone workers.
Spot any hazards
This step consists of an inspection of the workplace environment. This inspection aims to identify any risk for lone employees and sheds light on existing hazards that may be due to the environment or the nature of the role. Depending on the size and setup of the organisation, it may be difficult to visit all the sites. Inspectors consider the following:
- the way people work
- the machinery used
- if there are any chemicals used in the role
- any existing unsafe work practices
- the condition of the premises or the environment
Looking into the above can deliver a holistic approach to the assessment.
Determine the level of risk
Once you have identified potential hazards, you can move on to understanding the likelihood of harm. This may be difficult to gauge. Consider the following:
- What are the existing efforts to control the risks?
- What additional actions need to be accomplished to manage the risks?
- Who can implement those actions?
- What is the context and deadline of the actions?
If there are multiple hazards identified, they will be classified by priority from most severe to least severe.
Evaluate risk controls
Evaluating the risk controls means asking the following questions:
- Can the hazard be completely eliminated?
- What measures can be implemented to minimise the risk?
- Should the job be redesigned?
- Should material be replaced?
- Should the processes be reviewed?
- What safety procedures should be implemented?
- Should the lone worker be using personal protective equipment?
It may be that the business cannot eliminate all risks. However, they are required do everything in their power to minimise it and to ensure that tasks are ‘reasonably practicable’. This means that they are required to balance the risk level against the measures needed to control risks.
Document all findings
All findings from the lone worker assessment report are documented. This documentation remains simple and easy to understand. It focuses on control systems identified and established as part of the process. Maintaining these records is important and allows to revisit previously-identified risks that may need to be reviewed.
Review controls
The final step of a risk assessment is to review controls. The workplace is dynamic and tends to change and evolve. As such, new hazards may appear and it is a business’s responsibility to ensure that a risk assessment is conducted on a regular basis in order to shed light on potential new risks. Set a frequency for the reviews and stick with it. When you do conduct the review, challenge the existing controls. It may be that they are no longer effective or needed. It may also be that the environment has changed and thus new hazards have emerged. Additionally, if employees highlight a risk, it is important that the company looks into it and implements appropriate actions.
Take time when you conduct your lone worker risk assessment, the time to deploy all the steps above to create your template. By implementing this process, you can ensure that you look into all aspects necessary for an assessment. Ensuring the safety of your lone workers is paramount and one of your business priorities. Remember that a risk assessment is not only about hazards, it is also about general employee wellbeing. For more on employee wellbeing and employee health, take a look at our content below:
