The HSE (Health and Safety Executive), defines lone workers as those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. Although there is no general legal prohibition on working alone, the broad duties of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 still apply. These require the identification of hazards, assessing the risks involved and putting measures in place to avoid or control the risks.
Key responsibilities – Managers
- Management must ensure that all team members who work alone are identified, that hazards and risks are properly assessed, ensuring suitable controls are put in place to minimise those risks.
- Management must prohibit any lone working where the risks are unacceptably high and should consider whether, if the task still needs to be completed, whether more than one person could perform it safely.
- Management must consult team members during the assessment process and make team members aware of the outcome of risk assessments.
Key responsibilities – Team Members
- Employees must carry out their work in a safe manner and comply with the control measures identified in the risk assessment. If, on finding themselves in a lone working situation, risks are greater than those assessed, the line manager must be contacted for guidance.
- Team members are responsible for reporting any medical conditions or ill-health that might have an impact on their ability to work alone.
- If at any time an employee feels under threat or that the risk has unacceptably increased, he/she should withdraw from the area and contact his/her Line Manager from a place of safety.
- Accidents, assaults, and abusive behaviour towards team members must be reported.
Risk assessment
All activities where there might be risks to the individual’s personal safety should be risk assessed, including lone working. Establishing safe working for lone workers is no different from organising the safety of other employees. Lone workers should not be at more risk than other employees and this may require extra risk control measures. Whilst resource implications cannot be ignored, safety must be the prime concern.
Employee safety is paramount to us as a Group and team members should not feel at risk when working alone. A lone working risk assessment will be carried out and in place to each site according to specific lone working needs before the start of the lone working activities.
The mandatory procedures below must be in place to ensure the overall safety of all team members. The lone worker risk assessment will build on these procedures.
Security of buildings
- Management are responsible for ensuring that all appropriate steps are taken to control access to the building, and that emergency exits are accessible.
- Alarm systems, where installed, are tested regularly.
- Key codes for access should be changed from time to time, and as a matter of course if a breach of security is suspected.
- Team members working alone must ensure they are familiar with the exits and alarms.
- There must be access to a telephone and first aid equipment for team members working alone.
- If there is any indication that a building has been broken into, a team members should not enter alone, but should wait for back-up.
Personal safety
- Team members must not assume that having a mobile phone and a back-up plan is a sufficient safeguard in itself. The priority is to plan for a reduction of risk.
- Team members should take all reasonable precautions to ensure their own safety, as they would in any other circumstances.
- Before working alone, an assessment of the risks involved should be made in conjunction with the line manager.
- Where team members work alone for extended periods and/or on a regular basis, managers must make provision for regular contact, both to monitor the situation and to counter the effects of working in isolation.
- Team members working alone should have full access to a mobile or phone.
Working Alone
To ensure the safety of the teams, lone working is only permitted for low-risk activities where a risk assessment in place as detailed above.
We appreciate that sometimes there are tasks which need to be completed which do not require more than one person present. Please ensure you take all security measures when you are alone on site.
In these circumstances there are strict guidelines in place to ensure that no duties are undertaken that may put the lone worker at risk. There must be a minimum of 2 workers on site for certain activities.
Working alone in the restaurant is prohibited for:
- High risk activities such as working at height, with machinery, with electrics and with heat. (Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and activities should be carefully examined and risk assessed to ensure team members safety).
Actions prior to working alone.
- Team members must be fully briefed in relation to risk as well as the task itself.
- Management is responsible for agreeing and facilitating these arrangements, which should be tailored to the operating conditions affecting the team or individual.
Supervision
- Lone workers cannot be subject to constant supervision.
- It is the responsibility of Management to ensure that there is regular monitoring of health and safety and risk issues for the lone working employee.
Monitoring of Lone Workers may include:
- Periodic visits and observations.
- Regular contact between lone worker and manager.
- Automatic warning devices and/or alarms.
- Checks on the lone worker when task completed.
Medical and Emergency Issues
- There must be adequate first aid facilities available to the lone worker.
- Risk assessments should include responses to emergency situations such as illness, accident or fire, and lone workers should be clear how to respond to such situations.
December 2022.