Lone Working
It is a frequently asked question - Can people work on their own? Sometimes the questioning is more specific - is it legal to work alone? But the real question which should be asked is whether it is safe to work alone or unaccompanied?
Circumstances force many people to work alone. Agriculture would collapse if lone working were prohibited. Many people routinely work by themselves, or at a location some distance away from fellow employees and/or direct supervision. When security personnel act as night watchman, either working as mobile patrols or acting as gatekeeper or guard at a building much of their working "day" will be spent on their own. Filling station attendants on late night shifts will generally be alone, but generally will be working from within secure premises. Drivers and travelling service engineers spend large periods of time unaccompanied although they will be meeting people throughout their working day. In small shops and kiosks the shop assistant may work alone. Cleaners may work alone although there may be other people in the same building. And on very large manufacturing sites maintenance workers may be sent off to work on pieces of equipment without support or assistance.
Lone working can occur in a number of ways:
- Fixed Premises
- Small sites: Kiosks, Petrol Filling Stations, home workers
- Large Sites: Workers forced to work in isolation
- Working outside normal hours:
- Mobile Workers who work away from their base
- Maintenance and cleaning work
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Service Engineers: Photocopier engineers, Gas/Domestic appliance engineers
- "Non-Manual" Staff: Estate agents, Surveyors, Sales Representatives, Meter Readers, Postal Staff and similar
Lone working can increase risks in a number of ways:
- isolation may increase the risk of an incident occurring e.g. employee may attempt a task which require assistances
- isolation may result in increased risks when an incident occurs and if the injured person is rendered unconscious there are no fellow employees to assist or to raise the alarm
- the nature of the work itself may lead to additional risks e.g. care workers may encounter violence
It may not be practicable for the employer to implement a general rule that people must not work alone. If so, the possible additional risks must be identified and managed.
Legislation
Contrary to popular belief there is nothing in general health and safety legislation that prohibits an employee from working alone.
Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act, 1974, places a general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of all his employees. Employees also have responsibilities under section 7 of the Act to take reasonable care of their own safety and that of others who may be affected by their acts or omissions. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999, (Reg 3) requires employers to assess all risks to the health and safety of their employees and anyone else. This risk assessment should identify what measures they need to take to comply with the law.
However, some legislation specifies working situations requiring that more than one person should be in attendance. The second person is often required to act as a supervisor. Examples include:
- A young person working on dangerous machinery must be supervised until he/she has received full instruction and training (Reg 19 Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999)
- During entry into a confined space (Reg 1 Confined Spaces Regulations 1997) there must be a second person in attendance, capable of pulling the first person out of the danger zone, without entering it themselves.
- Except where an exemption has been issued, a second person is needed when unloading petroleum spirit at certain premises (Road Traffic (Carriage of Dangerous Substances in Road Tankers and Tank Containers) Regulations, 1992)
Managing the Risk
The overriding aim must be to ensure that a risk assessment is carried out before lone working commences. Where the risk assessment shows it is not possible for work to be done safely by a lone worker, arrangements for providing help or back-up should be put in place.
The risk assessment process must involve the employee since they are perhaps the only individual able to comment on the exact nature of the work and the hazards it presents. Key issues to be considered include:
- What risks arise from the carrying out of the job/task?
- Can the risks be adequately controlled by one person working alone?
- Is the employee fit - both physically and psychologically - for lone working?
- Will any form of special training be required?
- What is the lone worker to do if a problem arises?
- How will the lone worker be supervised?
The Health and Safety Executive recommends that employers should devise a system to monitor the status of lone workers. Such arrangements could include:
- a check-in arrangement which requires mobile workers to periodically telephone their supervisor
- a programme of regular visits by a supervisor or fellow worker
- in workplaces, the provision of emergency call buttons or other similar devices to alert a responsible person
- the implementation of a surveillance system e.g. CCTV although this should not infringe individual privacy
- alarms that respond to unwanted situations e.g. an alarm that is triggered by inactivity or immobility
Employers should take steps to carry out regular checks to ensure that any control measures used are still operative and used. The risk assessment should be reviewed from time to time to ensure it remains appropriate and adequate and reflects actual, current working conditions.
