Lone Working (Safetynet Guidance Document)

Lone Working (SafetyNet Guidance Document)

Last modified02 September 2011 16:23

Lone workers should not be placed at any more risk than other members of staff and KCC are required to assess and address any risk to the health, safety and welfare of staff, service users, pupils and contractors and those who may be affected by what we do. This includes volunteers, who for the purpose of this guidance shall be included in all references to staff. KCC has taken a number of steps to provide information and support for staff and their managers and some directorates already have detailed procedures and reporting mechanisms in place.

Definitions

Lone workers are defined as individuals who work by themselves, without close or direct supervision, in a wide range of situations, regardless of whether they work in a fixed establishment or are mobile workers away from a fixed base.

Many staff work in isolated situations, such as visiting people at home or working outside normal working hours and changing work patterns within KCC are likely to result in more staff working alone. Although not an exhaustive list, detailed below are examples of permanent or temporary lone workers:

• Workshop and maintenance staff
• Architects
• Surveyors
• Solicitors
• Grounds maintenance staff
• Countryside staff
• Security and heritage staff
• Teleworkers
• Computer room staff
• Domestic staff
• Delivery and social work staff
• Home workers
• Trading Standards Officers
• Teaching/technician staff

Lone workers also include people who work early or late, at night or at weekends, or who lock up buildings on their own at the end of the day (e.g. at area offices and schools).

Scope

This guidance is intended to provide an overview that sits alongside directorate practices and enables managers, in partnership with their staff, to be aware of their responsibilities to reduce and manage risks. Managers and staff should build upon the guidance by:

• Assessing and managing risks to staff.
• Writing specific guidance for their own team/establishment.
• Providing safe places and systems of work.
• Identifying training needs and providing information and training.
• Reviewing and improving working conditions, practices and procedures.

The why, what and how

Guidance for Managers

Managers should be aware of the potential risks associated with lone working and carry out risk assessments to minimise those risks. Adequate precautions and safe systems of work should be put in place following a risk assessment so that staff are not adversely affected by lone working.

Managers should be satisfied that so far as is reasonably practicable they have reviewed the risks and acted to reduce those that the team faces or that are present in their workplace.

Arrangements should be put in place for the reporting in and back-up of staff working away from base, particularly at the end of the day. There should be systems for raising the alarm and the response should be regularly practiced. Vulnerable staff should not be left alone without being able to raise the alarm.

Managers should ensure that their staff have been given, and understood, staff guidelines and procedures. These should be discussed with staff, and any risks that could apply should be identified. Managers must also identify training requirements and ensure that arrangements are made to meet them.

Working Procedures

Some examples of good practice are outlined below. How managers tackle
these issues will depend on their particular circumstances:

• Procedures for visiting clients at home or in isolated or potentially dangerous locations.
• Providing a panic button in reception areas and/or a coded message could be used by the receptionist to summon help from another office.
• Setting up a system of telephoning in after leaving a site or a client.
• Monitoring incidents and near misses and feeding results into the risk assessment process.
• Ensuring that staff are adequately trained and know what to do if an incident occurs.
• Making sure plant and equipment provided for lone working tasks is capable of being handled and operated by one person. Personal protective equipment may be needed for specific hazards.
• Making sure lone workers have reasonable access to welfare facilities including water and soap for hand washing, sanitary accommodation and a suitable rest area for eating and drinking.
• Putting emergency procedures in place including providing first aid and/or medical assistance.
• Ensuring lone workers are fit and healthy to work alone and seeking advice and assistance, if necessary, fromHuman Resourcesand Staff Care Services (Occupational Health).
• Further information on Risk Assessment is provided in SafetyNet.

There are certain circumstances where two staff must always be involved and a safe system of work should be followed, such areas include:

• Entering confined spaces.
• Using ladders that cannot be secured and require footing.
• Certain fumigation work and other work involving substances hazardous to health.
• Work with explosives.
• Unloading petroleum spirit at petrol filling stations and other premises.
• Certain construction work, such as erecting scaffolding.
• Work involving trainees and young people who have not received sufficient training and achieved an appropriate level of competence.

Associated procedures and documentation

Listed below are related topics within SafetyNet. To read a topic, select the link.

Topics

Managing Health and Safety

Risk Assessment

Accident Reporting and Investigation

Prevention of Violence at Work

The documentation listed below refers to legislation and Industry Standards. To read these in greater detail select the website links and type in the name of the document you require.

The Health & Safety at Work etc Act, 1974
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999
The Personal Protective Equipment Regulations, 1992

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I consider when staff are working alone?

Staff working alone may be particularly vulnerable. KCC has a duty to employees, contractors and visitors. When assessing the risks employers should identify situations where people work alone and ask questions such as:

• Are members of staff working in potentially unsafe environments?
• Can the risks of the job be managed by one person or should other staff be within calling range? Think about what would happen if a member of staff was attacked or injured whilst alone.
• Do some site or home visits need two members of staff to attend together?
• What criteria will you use to make this decision?
• Does the workplace present a special risk to the lone worker?
• Is there a safe way in and a way out for one person? Can any temporary access equipment, which is necessary, such as portable ladders or trestles, be safely handled by one person?
• Can all the plant, substances and goods involved in the work be safely handled by one person? Consider whether the work involves lifting objects too large for one person or whether more than one person is needed to operate essential controls for the safe running of equipment.
• Is there a risk of violence?
• Are there any workers that may be especially at risk if they work alone i.e., young workers or expectant mothers.

NB
Precautions should take account of normal work and foreseeable emergencies, e.g. fire, equipment failure, illness and accidents.

Suitable procedures and systems should be used to monitor the wellbeing of solitary workers and should include at least a check on the member of staff during and at the end of the working period.

Staff who visit sites or clients at home should have a check-in procedure at specified times.

As part of your safe system of work you may wish to consider equipment, which may be appropriate in particular circumstances. These include intrusion detectors, (which set off a desk-top alarm if a window or door is opened), portable alarms, personal attack alarms, cordless telephones (for moving about inside a building or mobile telephones when working outside.

If you manage staff who work in any of those situations, ask yourself what would happen if an individual suffered an accident or a violent incident and was rendered helpless:

• Who would know that there was a problem?
• Who would know where they were?
• How would they call for help?
• How long would it take for help to arrive?
• If help did arrive, would it be in time?

What training do I need to provide for staff who may be at risk?

You need to consider whether or not staff need training to improve their basic knowledge of issues associated with lone working and help them deal with situations accordingly.

Some staff may need additional skills because of the particular environment in which they work. For example, staff working in various units may need control and restraint training, while staff who use their cars to visit customers at home, particularly out of normal working hours, may need guidance in handling situations such as breakdowns or potential attacks.

If your workplace is subject to particular risks or hazards, your local policy should reflect these.

If your staff need further or specialised training or support, you should approach your Directorate Training Team and/or Staff Care Services (Occupational Health)in the first instance.