A Lone Worker Policy sets out the aims of the principal officers of a business as part of their employer safety & security strategy, showing how they expect to manage lone working staff and keep them safe. Get a copy of our Lone Worker Policy Checklist to check if your own policy, and ongoing processes of risk identification, assessment and mitigation, training, continuous improvement, and co-operation between all levels of management and staff are helping to keep your lone workers free from harm.

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Lone Worker Policy Checklist
Introduction
Many people are required to work alone. Lone work exposes workers to additional health
and safety risks which may not be present in other circumstances. Exposure to violence or
abuse and limited access to help or assistance in case of accident or emergency are just some
of the hazards that increase the risks to people who work alone.
All staff should feel safe and secure at work. They should be able to carry out and perform
their duties free from the fear of violence, and with the confidence of knowing that if they
need help or find themselves in a threatening situation, they are backed up by an organization
that is committed, supportive and has put strict management procedures in place necessary
to minimise harm and enable an effective and rapid response.
A Lone Worker Policy sets out the aims of the principal officers of a business as part of their
employer safety & security strategy, showing how they expect to manage lone working staff
and keep them safe. Not only does the Policy represent good governance, but is an important
means of communicating management intentions, describing the systems and procedures
that will monitor its requirements and effectiveness, and helping make sure everyone in the
business knows what is expected of them.
The ongoing processes of risk identification, assessment and mitigation, training, continuous
improvement, and co-operation between all levels of management and staff reflect good
practices that will help keep lone workers free from harm.
This short guide offers some general suggestions to help organisations establish and review
their lone worker policies. We hope you find it helpful.
Please note that we are not legal advisors and this document is intended to be used simply as
a guide to help you develop lone worker policies within your own organization.
Lone Worker Safety www.loneworkersafety.org
Bob Barrington - Chief Safety Officer and CEO of Lone Worker Safety
enquiries@loneworkersafety.org

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Table of Contents
Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................1
Lone Worker Policy Checklist.................................................................................................................3
Statement of intent............................................................................................................................3
Purpose and aim ................................................................................................................................3
Scope..................................................................................................................................................3
Definitions..........................................................................................................................................3
Legislation ..........................................................................................................................................3
Roles and responsibilities...................................................................................................................3
Managing & controlling lone worker risks.........................................................................................4
In the event of an incident.................................................................................................................5
Policy compliance...............................................................................................................................6
Policy delivery ....................................................................................................................................6
Policy implementation.......................................................................................................................6
Distribution ........................................................................................................................................6
Review of this policy ..........................................................................................................................6
References .........................................................................................................................................6
Lone Worker Policy Examples................................................................................................................6

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Lone Worker Policy Checklist
Item Description Check
Statement of intent Sets the context in which the organisation is committed, at all levels, to
protect lone working employees, as far as is reasonably practicable,
from risks to their health and safety, employing controls to reduce
exposure or eliminate the risks of lone work altogether.
Purpose and aim The policy should aim to ensure that every lone worker is fully informed
and knowledgeable of the hazards and risks to which they will be
exposed, participates in the process, knows how to mitigate risks to
their safety & wellbeing, and knows what to do if something goes
wrong.
Colleagues, supervisors &/or line managers should know:
 the whereabouts of every lone worker in their care
 the task they are engaged in
 when they are due back
 the emergency response procedure to implement in case of
accident or emergency
Scope The policy applies to all officers, staff, employees and contractors and
relates to all activities carried out on behalf of the organisation.
It applies to all lone working employees whether regularly employed in
that capacity or from time to time, their supervisors and line managers,
principals and officers of the company and all staff whose duties and
activities may affect the safety of lone workers.
Definitions Include as required
Legislation Note here any relevant health and safety legislation and regulations
that underpin this policy.
For example the derivation of a statutory duty of care to provide and
maintain a safe working environment for all employees, including those
who work alone.
Roles and responsibilities Include as appropriate:
 The obligations of employer and employees within the legislation.
 The senior manager/officer responsible for ensuring that this policy
is implemented and for keeping it under review.
 The obligations of:
o Principal, CEO, GM, Director
o H&S Manager / Safety Manager
o Line Managers / Supervisors
o Lone working staff
o Contractors
 Any obligations to consult within the legislation. Whether the
views of safety representatives, safety committees, managers and
supervisors and Lone Workers been taken into account.
 Workers are aware of and have accepted their duties and
responsibilities.
 That all officers, managers and staff are aware that success of the
lone worker policy depends on their full cooperation and support.

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Item Description Check
 That the policy is clear on the allocation of health and safety duties
and responsibilities at different levels in the organisation.
 Discussing with contractors, before they come on site, how they
plan to do their job, whether they need any equipment from the
organisation to help them, whether they can operate in a
segregated area or only when part of the plant is shut down and, if
not, what hazards they may create for your employees and vice
versa.
Specific responsibilities may include:
 Monitoring lone workers when in the field or working alone at any
place or time
 Reporting, investigating and recording accidents and near misses
 Compliance with risk mitigation procedures
 Effectiveness of risk mitigation controls
 First-aid
 Safety inspections
 Training
 Fire precautions, drills and evacuation procedures
 Ensuring that all legal requirements are met, e.g. reporting
notifiable incidents
Managing & controlling
lone worker risks
Some factors to consider:
 Identifying Risks
o Who are our lone workers?
 Job descriptions
 Pre-qualification checks e.g. medical/health
checks
o High risk environments e.g. enclosed spaces, heights etc.
o Offices/shops/retail outlets/warehouses
o Lone workers in fixed establishments
o Lone workers working away from a fixed base
o Working outside normal hours
o Home workers
o Travel – including urban, rural and overseas
o Working late on their own
o Application of the policy to off duty staff and staff
travelling to and from work
 Controlling and managing risks
o Safe work practices and behaviours
 Preparation and procedures before a lone worker
visit
 Dynamic risk assessments
 How to behave in a lone working situation
 Recognising warning signs
 Managing violent or abusive behaviour
 Dealing with animals
 Cultural sensitivity
o Technology
 Providing effective means of communication
 Lone worker protection devices e.g. smartphone

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Item Description Check
apps
 Alarms
 Satellite communication
 Personal security systems
 Distress beacons
 Lone worker devices
 Personal Protective Equipment
o Training
 Training employees, supervisors and managers to
enable them to work safely and to carry out their
health and safety responsibilities efficiently.
 Training specific to your industry and organization
 Conflict resolution
 Self defence
 Refresher training
 Training new employees - induction
 Scope for online training (e-learning)
o Supervision and induction
 Supervising employees so far as necessary for
their safety – especially young workers, new
employees and employees carrying out unfamiliar
tasks.
 Regular inspections to keep check of the
workplace, machinery appliances and working
methods.
o Travel
 By car
 On foot
 By taxi
 By public transport
 At night
 Interstate/abroad
 Managing and monitoring lone workers
o Reinforcing a culture of safety within the organization
o Movement records - Check in/out boards, diaries, phone
calls, texts & emails
o Who is responsible for monitoring lone workers?
o When is monitoring provided, and when not?
o Risk, incident & near miss review
o Metrics and reports
o Ensure systems and processes remain effective when
required and responses are within agreed parameters
o Ensuring personal details, contact details and escalation
instructions are maintained up to date
In the event of an incident Self-Monitoring
 Receiving, managing, responding, escalating and resolving incidents
 Emergency procedures
o How to verify, respond to alerts, missed check-ins,
session/timer expiry etc.
o Escalation paths, e.g. when to call emergency services (and

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Item Description Check
what information will be passed to them?)
 Emergency Services
o Details of the local Emergency Services will form part of
the Risk Assessment/Method Statement process for
remote locations. Include police, fire, ambulance
 Incident capture, review and reporting
Outsourced monitored alarms
 Maintaining personal details, contact details and escalation
instructions up to date
 Receiving management reports and performance metrics
 Dealing with false alerts and false alarms
 Post incident support
 Post incident action
 Post incident review
 Any sanctions and penalties
 Policy regarding recording, retaining, accessing, reviewing and
notifying incidents
 Policy regarding publicity and PR
Policy compliance Responsibility for ensuring compliance with this policy
Policy delivery Signed and dated by a partner or senior officer
Policy implementation Responsibility for implementing this policy
Distribution Responsibility to distribution of this policy
Review of this policy Responsibility and time intervals for periodic reviews of this policy
References Any references this policy refers to
Lone Worker Policy Examples
A web search revealed the following lone worker policies accessible in the public domain. We don’t
claim that these will be appropriate to your organization, but they may offer useful insight to you in
developing your own lone worker policies.
 Southern Health and Social Care Trust – February 2010
 University of Roehampton – London – June 2010
 Gloucestershire County Council – 2006-2010
 The Learning Curve – March 2013
 NHS Trust Portsmouth Hospitals – November 2014
StaySafe Lone Worker Protection - Draft Policy Statement An illustrative lone worker policy
statement designed to be used in conjunction with StaySafe alert management procedures and
available to all StaySafe Business customers.