Lone working

When someone works by themselves without close or direct supervision it can often be considered lone working.

Lone working can be part of the role in a wide range of job roles across many sectors. Traditionally, the phrase ‘lone worker’ would likely suggest an employee working in complete isolation, such as a security guard in a building at night, or an engineer carrying out maintenance in a remote area. While this may be true for some job roles, lone working is more fully defined using the risk assessment process. The following factors can be considered during such an assessment:

• Is someone working in the same place but out of sight and sound of a colleague?
• Is someone working alone in different parts of a building?
• Is someone left alone for periods of time while a colleague takes a break?
• Is there a single employee working late after everyone else has left the worksite. This may also apply at the start of the day for people coming in early?
• Is someone working alone but alongside members of the public or in populated locations?
• Are team members travelling alone during work hours?
• Does the team member work from home?
• Is help readily available from someone close by?

In many cases nothing extra may be needed other than a system of regular contact, but in other situations, the use of some technology may be necessary to offer quick and easy access to help and support should things go wrong.

The council makes use of a lone worker solution provided by a Vodafone/Orbis partnership. The system makes use of a mobile phone app, or a dial in service to monitor where people are and when they are expected to contact the system again in order to demonstrate that they are safe and well.

Each Resource has access to this system and the use of the system will need to be discussed with the Resource Health and Safety Lead and the Service Health and Safety Officer to confirm that the system is being used in the best way possible.

The lone worker dashboard can give access to alerts being raised and help locate people if they are missing or in need of help.

Other job specific systems can also be created should a risk assessment determine otherwise.

The council’s management arrangement MA24 Lone working will offer more guidance on the matter.

Confidential support is available to all employees affected by violence (at home or work) by calling PAM Assist on 0800 882 4102