LONE WORKER POLICY

1                         Purpose

1.1                   We are committed to ensuring the safety of workers who carry out their duties in the absence of any colleagues or supervisors and to ensure that we comply with all our legal obligations.

1.2                   This policy aims to set out the risks presented by lone working; to identify individual responsibilities and to describe procedures designed to minimise these risks.  It is not intended to overstate the risks of lone working but to provide a framework for managing these.

1.3                   This policy is non-contractual but aims to explain how we manage the issue of lone working.

2                         Scope

2.1                   This policy applies to all employees and workers who spend some, or all, of their working hours alone for a variety of reasons. They may work in an isolated location, at a client’s or any of our premises, work from home, in the community or may simply be working outside normal office hours in the office. Working alone may involve an increased risk to the health and safety of our employees. This policy helps to ensure that we manage these risks.

3                         Risk assessments

3.1                   We will carry out risk assessments on all types of work that are (or are likely to be) undertaken alone with particular regard to the following factors:

·        risk of violence

·        equipment

·        location

·        materials

·        proximity to help.

3.2                   Once the work has been fully assessed, we will consider whether the employee is fit and suitably experienced to work alone, and whether they have any medical condition that may create a risk if working alone.

3.3                   It is important that employees notify us of any medical conditions that may make them unsuitable for working alone and that these are properly considered.  Where necessary, advice will be sought from the employee’s GP or from an occupational health advisor.

3.4                   The risk assessment will also identify any precautions that need to be undertaken. We will then set limits as to what can, and cannot, be done whilst working alone, ensure employees are familiar with the warning signs of a potential risk and advise the employees of the types of circumstances when they should stop work and seek advice.

4                         Safety precautions

4.1                   All lone workers should adhere to the following guidelines:

·        unnecessary out of hours working should be avoided where possible

·        managers should be notified if employees are intending to work alone or outside normal hours, and should have the employee’s contact details

·        employees should familiarise themselves with the location, fire safety procedures and escape routes in the event of an emergency, as well as any alarm system operational at their location

·        where possible, employees should ensure that they have keys to all entrances and exits and keep them locked at all times

·        unexpected visitors should not be allowed in unless they carry sufficient identification

·        any illness or accident, however minor, should be reported

·        if an employee feels unwell whilst lone working, help should be sought immediately and, if necessary, they should make a 999 call

·        employees should ensure that they inform anyone at their home of their movements, so that failure to return home at the expected time will result in action being taken to contact them.

5                         Control measures

5.1                   The extent of any supervision will depend upon the tasks involved and the ability of the lone worker to identify and handle health and safety issues. The level of supervision will be based on the findings of the assessment.

5.2                   Periodic checks of employees working alone will be made.

5.3                   Employees working anywhere other than our premises must call in every 4 hours, and at the beginning and end of each day during normal working hours.  

5.4                   Automatic warning systems or devices should alert the manager if the required level of contact is not maintained by the lone worker. An agreed plan of action will be put in place should an employee fail to report in as required.

5.5                   Employees working outside normal working hours must carry a fully charged mobile phone at all times.

5.6                   Regular contact via telephone/radio/email as appropriate to the type of work should be maintained.

5.7                   A shared log of individuals or circumstances that pose a known threat to lone workers with appropriate planned responses will be put in place and made available to all such workers.

5.8                   Alarm devices will be available to be used in emergencies. In the event of an emergency, the main point of contact will normally be the immediate line manager.

5.9                   All lone workers must comply fully with this policy and with any additional instructions received. Failure to do so may constitute a disciplinary offence.

6                         Incident reporting

6.1                   We will put the steps indicated above in place to ensure the safety of our employees that work alone, however in the unfortunate circumstance that an incident does occur, it is important that this is reported to the appropriate manager to ensure that action can be taken, and that our risk management and procedures can be reviewed.

6.2                   Support mechanisms are in place and readily available for lone workers affected by an incident.

 7                         Further information

Any queries or comments about this policy should be addressed to your line manager in the first instance.

8                         Policy owner

This policy is owned and maintained by the Directors.