Lone working risk assessments (free template)
If you employ lone workers, lone working risk assessments should play a vital role in your health and safety strategy.
In this article we’ll look at what lone working risk assessments are, how they differ from “typical” risk assessments, and what sort of risks lone workers face.
We’ll also be explaining how you can go about creating a lone worker risk assessment using our handy free template.
What is lone working?
Lone working is defined as working out of eyesight or earshot of other colleagues for some or all of the day.
It is said that one-fifth of the UK’s working population are lone workers. In truth, the actual figure may well be much higher than that due to increasing changes in how many people work (such as a greater move to working from home and working flexibly).
Lone workers can be at higher risk both from the type of work they carry out, and because of the nature of lone working.
For example, a carer may be at risk from an aggressive client (that’s the type of work), but if something were to happen to them, the act of lone working would prevent them from getting fast and suitable support.
What is a risk assessment?
Making a risk assessment is the process of identifying, measuring, and evaluating risk, usually in relation to a role or task.
With a risk assessment (which we go into in more detail, here), one should assess the risk of the:
People –what risks do the people in the area present? (For example, does a client have a history of aggression?)
Environment –what risks does the location present? (For example, working on a busy road, or maybe within a private home with few means of emergency escape.)
Task –what about the task itself presents risk? (For example, is the worker carrying heavy goods, or working with dangerous materials?)
This system is known as the PET system (People, Environment, Task). Whilst it’s not the only way to think about your risk assessments, it’s a handy place to start.
What to do with a risk assessment?
Once you have identified the hazards and risks related to your employee’s work, you should work to remove the hazard or control the risk.
Also note that, if you have five or more employees, it is a legal requirement to record your risk assessments for future appraisal and so they can be consulted in the event of an incident.
Download a free risk assessment template
Protect your lone workers with our free lone worker risk assessment template
Talking to your employees about risk
At Safepoint, we would always advice employers to bring their team into the conversation around risk assessments, as they will often have the greatest working knowledge of their roles.
That being said, a worker may not always take risks seriously, and (understandably) may not know the ins and outs of health and safety practice. In other words, just because a worker is “happy” with the risks they take, doesn’t mean that those risks are acceptable.
What should I include in a lone worker risk assessment?
When looking into the risks of working alone, some major topics you should consider are:
The risk of violence and aggression –particularly important for those who work directly with clients and the public.
Incident response time –the more remote a lone worker, the longer it may take for an emergency response to be carried out.
Theft –this threat is greater for those working with valuable equipment or money.
Risk to mental health or wellbeing –while many people can benefit from working flexibly, working by oneself for long periods of time can affect people’s stress levels and mental health.
ill-health –some incidents of ill health –such as asthma attacks and heart attacks– can come without warning. Whether or not someone has pre-existing conditions, an employer should consider what would happen if someone took ill while working alone.
Inexperience –consider whether your staff might need additional training or experience before working alone.
Driving and travelling –driving for work is a major contributor to the rates of road accidents. Cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians are at an even greater risk.
Emergency response and technology – when someone is working away from colleagues, they will need extra resources to call for help in the case of an emergency. In many cases, assuming that they will be able to call on a phone may not be enough. That’s why we provide tools specifically designed to protect lone workers.
Do I need a separate risk assessment document for lone workers?
As mentioned, companies with five or more employees are legally obligated to record their risk assessments. In other words, you will need to write them down, rather than just making a mental assessment.
Legally, there is no requirement to create a separate document for lone workers. Some companies may find it beneficial to create a separate lone working risk assessment, while some may find it easier to add it to their existing risk assessment.
The law around lone working risk assessments
In relation to risk assessments, the UK’s Health and Safety Executive requires that businesses, at a minimum, do the following:
1. Identify what could cause injury or illness in your business (hazards)
2. Decide how likely it is that someone could be harmed and how seriously (the risk)
3. Take action to eliminate the hazard, or if this isn't possible, control the risk
As for lone working, the HSE says that employers must:
manage any health and safety risks before people can work alone. This applies to anyone contracted to work for you, including self-employed people.
Finally, in regards to lone working risk assessments specifically, the Executive requires employers to:
base [their] levels of supervision on [their] risk assessment.
Download a free risk assessment template
Protect your lone workers with our free lone worker risk assessment template
In short –do I need a lone working risk assessment?
So, in summary, you need to have a risk assessment, you should (in most cases) have it written down, and you should be actively working to remove or control the risks you find.
Furthermore, if you employ lone workers, make sure to include lone working in your risk assessment!
If you need to make or add to a risk assessment, you can do so using our free risk assessment template.