According to the Health and Safety Executive 'lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision'. Lone working is generally considered to be work that may last some time and is intended to be carried out alone or without immediate access to another person for supervision or assistance.
Lone working could be during normal hours at a remote location within the normal workplace, or when working outside normal hours. A person who is outside the line of sight or shouting distance of any other would be considered to be working alone. For some people this is a routine part of their normal work, for others it may be an occasional but planned occurrence. Lone working may come about because all other people leave the workplace, for example towards the end of the working day.
There is no general legal prohibition on lone working, but some specific high risk activities may have a legal requirement for at least one other person to be present and for certain procedures to be followed, for example confined space working, fumigation and live electrical work.
For all work activities, the broad duties of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations require that the hazards of the work are identified, the risk involved is assessed, and measures are put in place to avoid or control the risks.
Precautions should take account of the normal work and foreseeable emergencies, e.g. fire, equipment failure, illness and accidents. Lone workers should not be at more risk than other employees thus may require extra risk control measures.
In most cases, any additional risks posed by lone working are due to possible delays in seeking or receiving assistance in the event of emergencies. However, for some tasks, the work environment, equipment or materials may be unsuitable for use by one person.
This code applies to all University staff and students while undertaking work on campus. It is intended to minimise possible adverse effects of lone working.
The University will:
- avoid or minimise lone working where there are reasonable, practicable alternatives.
- include lone working in all risk assessments where it is planned or foreseeable that lone working will occur. Risk assessments must be recorded and reviewed at least annually.
- clearly define which activities can and cannot be carried out by lone workers, based on the findings of the risk assessments.
- introduce suitable safe lone working arrangements, including communications and access to assistance, for both normal working and foreseeable emergencies.
- assess the suitability of people for lone working, taking account of their competence, experience and any medical conditions which may place them at additional risk, particularly in emergencies.
- provide all people undertaking lone working with suitable information and training in the safe arrangements for the work, including permitted activities, approved working procedures, communication or monitoring arrangements, and emergency procedures.
- provide appropriate monitoring and supervision, based on the findings of the risk assessment.
Under no circumstances may undergraduate students work alone in scientific laboratories or machinery workshops at any time.
Original - March 2006
Review - April 2015
Review – May 2016