To protect the health and safety of your lone workers from harm. Physical, psychological and environmental, needs special consideration. These employees will be working by themselves without close or direct supervision. And without other people being present or even anywhere nearby.

The fact that lone workers are unsupervised and alone makes them more vulnerable to the sorts of hazards. The main risks for lone working employees are illness and injury, abuse or assault. Hazards are more manageable where the employee is accompanied, or someone is available to call for help if needed.

How do we define Lone Working ?

• Working alone within premises
• Working separately from other people on the same premises or working outside normal hours
• Working away from company premises. Including:
• Health and social care employees visiting members of the public in their homes
• Employees involved in construction, maintenance and repair including engineers, plant installation and cleaners
• Service employees, such as couriers, taxi drivers, engineers, real estate agents, and sales/service representatives visiting domestic and commercial premises
• Delivery drivers including Heavy Goods Vehicle drivers and couriers using vans and bikes
• Agricultural and gardening employees

Both the employer and the employee have responsibilities as regards lone working. These include:

Entity Responsibilities

• Identify employees that are working alone and are classed as lone working employees
• Undertake a risk assessment to identify the hazards that may effect the lone worker
• Develop and implement safe work procedures. To reduce the risk associated with the hazard
• Ensure that lone working employees have access to adequate welfare facilities
• Develop and implement emergency response procedures to manage potential incidents during lone working
• Have a process in place to allow lone working employees to report emergencies and other incidents

Employee Responsibilities

• Not endanger themselves or others
• Follow precautionary measures to ensure that lone work activities are performed safely and without risk to health
• Cooperate with the company and follow safety instructions
• To report any activity or defect relating to lone working which they know is likely to endanger the safety of themselves or another

Lone Working Guidelines

Companies should identify where possible, alternatives to lone working. Or take steps taken to reduce the amount of time an employee spends working alone.

When planning safe working arrangements for lone working employees. Companies should consider:

• Has the lone working employee any medical conditions which may make them unsuitable for working alone ?
• Has all applicable health and safety training been provided ?
• Is the lone workder sufficiently experienced and understands the risks associated with their lone work ?
• Have limits been set as to what lone working employees can and cannot do ?
• Is the lone worker competent to deal with any circumstances which are new, unusual or beyond the scope of their training ?

Health and Safety Risk Assessments for Lone Working

When conducting risk assessments for lone workers hazards to look out for may include:

• Violence
• Physical or verbal abuse
• Lack of supervision
• Lack of welfare facilities
• Incidents or emergencies arising from work activities
• Sudden illness with no access to first aid or medical assistance

The risk assessment should ensure that the following factors have been considered:

• Identification of hazards present at each lone working location
• The equipment or materials being used
• The length of time an employee will be lone working
• The location of the work activities
• The supervision and monitoring of lone working
• Access to emergency services
• Competency of the lone working employee
• Communication process between the lone working employee and their supervisor
• Identification of any employee with specific medical conditions or taking certain medications

Supervision and Monitoring

The extent of supervision and monitoring required will depend on the risks involved and the ability of the employee to identify and deal with health and safety issues.

There are some work activities where at least one other person must be present, such as confined space work.

The level of supervision required should be based on the findings of risk assessment. The higher the risk, the greater the level of supervision and monitoring required.

Procedures the company should use to monitor lone working include:

• Periodically visiting and observing a lone working employee
• Ensuring regular contact and communication between the lone working employee and a supervisor
• Checking that an employee has returned to their base or home on completion of a lone working activity or task
• Development and training on emergency procedures
• The lone working employee should have access to adequate first aid facilities and mobile employees should carry a first aid kit suitable for minor injuries

Training

The company should provide information and training on lone working in languages and in a format that employees understand. Be sure to include:

• Significant hazards identified due to lone working
• Procedures to ensure the safety and health of employees performing lone working activities
• Procedures to cope with an emergency

Emergency Preparedness and Response

The company should have an emergency plan for lone working in place and ensure that it is communicated frequently to all lone working employees. Be sure to include:

• The development and implementation of emergency procedures for lone working
• Lone working employees access to first aid and the ability to perform first aid on themselves

 

If you are looking for an HSE Consultant in the UAE, Corporate OHS is a Health and Safety Consultancy services provider whose HSE Consultants offer expert resources and superior performance to give you greater results.

We specialize in creating workable, user friendly solutions aligned to your business activities, operations and budget.

Our range of health and safety consultancy services includes;

• Health and Safety Risk Assessments
• Hazard identification and control measure implementation
• Gap Analysis
• Audits and compliance audits
• HSE management system development, implementation and review including locally compliant systems such as OSHAD or OSHJ and/or accredited systems such as ISO 45001, ISO 14001,
  ISO 9001 and ISO 50001
• HSE legal compliance reviews and assistance
• Accident investigations
• Business continuity and crisis management
• Long term or project based HSE outsourcing
• Flexible monthly support retainers giving access to HSE service without the burden of a permanent cost

To find out more about our services, please visit our website www.corporateohs.com or send an email to enquiries@corporateohs.com, or call 00 971 4 550 7862.