Lone working

Lone working is legal, and for many public sector jobs it is a normal part of the work. Your employer must assess the risks of you working alone and put sensible controls in place before you do it: a way of checking where you are, a way to raise the alarm, training, and rules about when lone working is not allowed. Working alone does not have to be more dangerous than working with others, but the risks are different, and a good lone working policy deals with them in advance.

Who counts as a lone worker

A lone worker is anyone who works by themselves without close or direct supervision. In the public sector that includes:

• community nurses, health visitors, midwives and therapists visiting patients at home
• social workers, family support workers and housing officers
• school site managers, caretakers and cleaners working early, late or in holidays
• council enforcement staff, such as civil enforcement officers and environmental health officers
• receptionists and staff in small clinics or offices at quiet times
• staff working from home

Lone working is also common for short periods in larger settings: a nurse on a ward at night, a porter moving between buildings, or a school administrator locking up.

What the law requires

There is no specific law about lone working. It is covered by the general duties in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the risk assessment duty in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Your employer must think about who might be harmed and how, decide what controls are needed, and review the assessment when things change.

Some work should not be done alone at all. Examples include work in confined spaces, some electrical work, and situations where there is a known risk of violence that cannot be controlled. The Health and Safety Executive’s lone working guidance gives more detail.

What a lone working policy should cover

Public sector employers usually have a written lone working policy. A good one covers:

• how risk is assessed for each role and, where needed, each visit
• what information you get before a visit, including any history of violence or warning markers on records
• a reliable way of letting someone know where you are and when you expect to finish
• what happens if you do not check in, and who escalates it
• devices such as lone worker alarms or apps, how to use them and who responds
• when joint visits are required
• training in personal safety, conflict resolution and what to do in an emergency
• what to do if you feel unsafe on arrival, including leaving

Buddy systems and diaries only work if someone is actually checking. If your team’s system relies on a shared calendar that nobody watches after office hours, raise it.

Medical conditions and lone working

Your employer should take account of any health condition that could make working alone riskier, such as epilepsy or diabetes. That is part of the risk assessment, and may lead to reasonable adjustments if you are disabled. Pregnancy is also relevant; your employer should review the assessment once you have told them you are pregnant. See rights while pregnant at work.

Violence and aggression

Violence is often the biggest lone working risk in community health, social care and housing. Your employer should share information about known risks and support you to leave a situation that feels unsafe. Incidents should be reported every time, even if no one was hurt, because those reports feed into risk markers that protect the next person to visit. Our guide to violence and aggression against NHS staff covers reporting and support.

Your right to refuse

If you reasonably believe there is serious and imminent danger, you are protected from detriment and dismissal if you leave or refuse to enter that situation. This is in section 44 and section 100 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, and is explained further in health and safety rights. It covers a specific visit or situation, not lone working in general, so the usual route is to raise your concerns about the policy with your manager, safety rep or union.

Home working

If you work from home, your employer still has health and safety duties. Risks to consider include display screen equipment, posture, isolation and stress. Many employers ask home workers to complete a self-assessment. Regular contact with your manager and team is part of managing the isolation risk.

Raising concerns

If you think the arrangements for lone working are not good enough, put your concerns in writing to your manager and copy in your health and safety team or union safety rep. Report every near-miss through the incident system. If nothing changes, the Health and Safety Executive can be contacted, and raising a genuine safety concern can be a protected whistleblowing disclosure.