Your company may require some staff members to work alone. Especially if your business operates within the agricultural or forestry industry.
When this happens, you have a duty of care to ensure their safety when working alone. Not doing so could lead to them suffering serious injuries, or even worse - a fatal accident. To avoid this, you should create a clear and concise lone worker policy.
In this guide, we'll discuss what a lone working policy is, why you need one, and what to include in yours.
What is lone working?
Lone working is when employees work by themselves without close or direct supervision - or a fixed base. This can be someone who's a contractor, self-employed, or an employee.
Whilst lone working gives staff more freedom, they can be susceptible to a higher risk of injury. For examples they can encounter following hazards:
- Inadequate provision of first aid.
- Road traffic accidents.
- Poor welfare facilities.
- Physical violence or verbal abuse from members of the public.
- Inadequate rest from working outside of normal hours.
Examples of a lone worker
There are many examples of lone workers. People employed in fixed establishments - such as a petrol station - are considered lone workers. Others include:
- Postal workers.
- Factory, warehouse, or quarry workers.
- Forestry or agricultural workers.
- Social workers.
If you have any lone workers within your company, it's important you implement a lone working policy.
What is a lone working policy?
A lone worker policy is a document that covers the risks faced by lone working staff.
As well as the risks it should outlay the responsibilities of you, the employer, and the employee, in ensuring lone worker safety.
Why do you need a lone working policy?
A lone worker safety policy is vitally important when providing a duty of care for all your employees. It involves providing safe systems, a safe place of work, and arrangements for staff welfare. Not doing so could lead to one of your employees suffering a serious injury.
Alongside a risk assessment for lone workers, a policy makes up a vital part of ensuring their Health & Safety. Having both of these means you're providing a duty of care for each lone worker.
Tips for creating an effective lone working policy
As an employer, it's important you create an effective lone working policy. Doing so means lone workers will be able to work safely and with minimised risk.
Let's take a look at some tips to ensure you're creating the most effective policy for your staff:
Keep it simple but effective
It's vitally important all your lone workers understand and follow the policy you create. To make sure they do this, keep it as concise and simple as possible.
Clearly explain the risks they could face when lone working, and the steps they should take to keep these at a minimum.
Regularly update it
Another way to make sure it's effective is to update your policy when required. For example, when you perform your annual risk assessment, make changes to match your new findings.
This could include asking staff to undergo training courses, or the introduction of new policies.
Involve all your lone workers
A good way to get your lone workers on board with your policy, is to make sure they're involved in the process of creating it. Speak with them about the risks they typically face when working alone, and ask them to suggest ways they could feel safer.
Clearly explain to your employees why you chose to develop the policy and what control measures you're going to put in place.
Include lone working procedures
A lone worker procedure is the steps that must be followed for an employee to work alone safely. These standard operating procedures should ensure the safety of any lone workers you have.
Examples of such procedures are:
- How anyone working alone should check-in with their supervisor, and how often.
- How each lone worker should use their apps or devices to check-in.
- What to do if a client turns potentially violent.
- What to do if a random or unauthorised person attempts to enter a building when an employee has to work alone.
These emergency procedures must be established and any lone workers must be fully trained in them.
What to include in your lone worker policy?
It's important you know what to include in your lone worker policy. You should aim to cover all the risks someone working alone could face, and what steps you're taking to ensure their safety.
Remember, you have a duty of care to all your employees. So you should include your business' responsibilities to the safety of each member of staff.
The following should be in your policy:
- Any Irish laws that apply to lone working.
- Essential legal requirements.
- Clearly explain the different types of lone workers, and examples you'll have in your company.
- The personal responsibility of an employee who's working alone.
- Emergency contact numbers to ensure regular contact between the line manager and lone worker.
- Emergency equipment for the lone worker, such as panic alarms.
You should create a template of your policy, which can easily be changed when required.
Get expert advice on your lone working policy from Peninsula
Throughout your business, some of your employees may be required to work alone. This could be throughout a night shift in a fuel station, or in the agricultural industry.
And if this is the case for your company, you must ensure their safety. You have a duty of care to all your employees. One way of doing this is to create a lone working policy, which can help to minimise the risks they face - not doing so can lead to serious injury.
Peninsula offers 24/7 HR advice which is available 365 days a year. Want to find out more? Contact us on 0818 923923 and book a free consultation with one of our consultants.
