UK employers should identify who works without close or direct supervision, assess how the person, task, place and timing affect risk, put proportionate controls in place, and define exactly how monitoring and emergency response will work. The arrangement must be understood, tested and reviewed whenever circumstances change.
This practical checklist is for employers, facilities teams, health and safety leaders, security managers and operational directors responsible for people who work alone at fixed sites, on the road, in other organisations' premises or from home.
A lone worker is someone who works by themselves without close or direct supervision. They may be alone for an entire shift or only for part of a task. Lone working can arise in obvious settings, such as a remote plant room, vacant property or night security post, but it can also occur in routine work.
Examples include:
engineers, inspectors and maintenance staff visiting sites alone;
security officers, cleaners and facilities staff working out of hours;
delivery drivers and mobile employees travelling between locations;
retail, hospitality or healthcare staff opening or closing premises;
housing, social care and public-facing employees visiting people in the community;
homeworkers who may be isolated from normal support;
people working in a separate part of a busy site where help is not immediately available.
The key question is not whether other people are somewhere nearby. It is whether assistance, supervision or effective communication would be available if the worker faced an incident.
Lone working is not generally prohibited, but employers must manage the health and safety risks. The Health and Safety Executive guidance on managing lone working risks states that employers must train, supervise and monitor lone workers, keep in touch with them and respond to incidents.
The assessment should consider risks that may be more serious when a person is alone, including violence, stress and wellbeing, medical suitability and isolated workplaces. Some high-risk activities require another person or specific rescue arrangements, so lone working must not be accepted simply because it is operationally convenient.
Begin with a structured assessment and a record of proportionate controls. Our guide to completing a health and safety risk assessment provides a useful foundation for identifying hazards, deciding who may be harmed and assigning actions.
Consider experience, competence, language, communication needs, health, disability, pregnancy, fatigue and confidence in managing foreseeable situations. Do not make assumptions about an individual. Involve the worker and agree any reasonable adjustments or restrictions confidentially.
Identify hazards created by the work itself. These may include machinery, electricity, lifting, hazardous substances, driving, working at height, handling cash, enforcing rules, dealing with distress or entering an unfamiliar property. Decide whether the task can be completed safely by one person and whether help could arrive quickly enough.
Assess access and egress, lighting, mobile signal, environmental conditions, public access, security history and distance from support. Consider whether the location is controlled by your organisation or by a client, landlord or other employer. When staff visit another workplace, obtain information about local risks and controls before the visit.
Risk may change outside normal hours, during bad weather, at shift handover or when the public is leaving a venue. Identify when staffing, transport, supervision, communications or emergency response are reduced. Fatigue and extended shifts should be included, especially where concentration is safety-critical.
Map roles and tasks rather than relying only on job titles. Speak to workers, supervisors and contractors about when people are actually alone. Include informal practices, travel, early starts, late finishes, call-outs, breaks, home visits and work in isolated parts of a site.
Record who controls the work and who is responsible for monitoring and response. Contractors and temporary workers must not fall into a gap between organisations.
Use incident reports, near misses, absence data, complaints, local intelligence and worker experience. Consider both routine hazards and scenarios that become more serious without immediate assistance, such as:
slips, falls or sudden illness;
violence, harassment, robbery or aggressive behaviour;
vehicle breakdown or collision;
loss of communication or power;
becoming locked in or unable to leave;
equipment failure or exposure to a hazardous environment;
fatigue, stress or a wellbeing concern;
an emergency at a remote or unfamiliar location.
Account for employees, agency workers, contractors, volunteers and self-employed people under your control. Consider new starters, young workers, people returning after absence, employees with limited local knowledge and anyone whose communication or medical needs could affect the response.
Describe the possible harm clearly. This helps determine whether a check-in call is sufficient, whether a monitored device is appropriate or whether the activity should not be performed alone.
Start by asking whether lone working can be removed. Reschedule the task, pair workers, complete the work remotely or arrange access during staffed hours where reasonably practicable. If lone working remains necessary, reduce exposure through engineering, physical, procedural and organisational controls.
Controls may include secure access, improved lighting, barriers, remote isolation, safe meeting arrangements, conflict-management procedures, cash limits, journey planning, defined prohibited tasks, enhanced supervision and reliable communications.
The monitoring method should match the severity, likelihood and speed at which harm could develop. Options include:
scheduled calls, messages or app check-ins;
supervisor visits;
journey plans and arrival confirmation;
radio or telephone contact;
manual panic alarms;
automatic fall, inactivity or missed-check alerts;
location-enabled devices where lawful, necessary and proportionate;
control-room monitoring and escalation.
The HSE advises employers to monitor lone workers, keep in touch, use reliable arrangements to confirm safe return and test the systems and emergency procedures. Its guidance on training, supervision and monitoring also highlights the value of closer supervision for new workers, higher-risk tasks and unfamiliar situations.
There is no single check-in interval suitable for every role. Base the frequency on the risk assessment. A low-risk homeworker may need normal management contact, while a worker entering an isolated high-risk location may need check-in and check-out, task milestones and continuous alarm capability.
Specify who initiates contact, the permitted time window and what happens if the worker does not respond. Avoid a system that depends on one busy supervisor remembering to make a call without a backup or automated reminder.
A missed check-in must trigger a timed, documented response. The procedure should state:
how the first alert is generated;
who attempts contact and by which channels;
how long to wait between attempts;
who escalates and who takes command;
what location and task information is available;
when a colleague, manager, security team or emergency service is contacted;
how responders avoid placing themselves at risk;
how the incident is logged, communicated and reviewed.
Include foreseeable complications, such as a flat battery, poor signal, false alarm, cancelled visit, changed location or device failure. Workers should know that raising an alarm will lead to a prompt and proportionate response.
Training should cover the hazards, required controls, limits of the role, use of devices, dynamic risk assessment, de-escalation, reporting and emergency action. Workers should understand when to withdraw, abandon a task or request support without fear of blame.
Test understanding through realistic scenarios. A worker who can explain and practise the response is better prepared than someone who has only signed a policy. Refresher training is especially important after changes, incidents or long periods without using the alarm process.
Lone working does not remove the need for management. Decide how supervisors will observe work, review check-in records, discuss concerns and confirm that controls remain effective. New starters and people performing unfamiliar or higher-risk work may need more frequent contact and direct observation.
Supervision should also address workload, fatigue, stress and conduct. Monitoring should support safety, not become a substitute for meaningful management contact.
Keep the assessment, monitoring arrangements, training records, test results, alarm activations and corrective actions. Review patterns rather than treating each alert as an isolated event. Repeated false alarms may indicate a device, training or workflow problem. Repeated missed check-ins may show that the process is impractical or poorly supervised.
Violence risk includes verbal abuse, threats, harassment and online abuse as well as physical assault. Lone workers may have fewer opportunities to obtain help, leave safely or rely on a colleague as a witness.
Use visit flags, appointment information and previous incident history lawfully and responsibly. Establish clear rules for high-risk visits, including when two people are required, when a meeting should take place at a controlled location and when police or specialist support may be needed. Do not expect staff to continue an interaction that has become unsafe.
Practical controls can include secure interview areas, access to an exit, duress alarms, coded messages, pre-visit contact, conflict-management training and accurate location information. A post-incident process should provide medical help, psychological support, reporting, evidence preservation and a prompt review of controls.
A lone worker app or alarm device can strengthen protection, but only when it sits within a complete response system. Evaluate:
coverage in the places where it will be used;
battery life, charging and device checks;
ease of activation under stress;
manual and automatic alert options;
location accuracy and privacy controls;
control-room availability and resilience;
response times and escalation paths;
training, testing and maintenance;
records available for audit and improvement.
Consult workers about monitoring arrangements and be transparent about what data is collected, why it is needed, who can access it and how long it is retained. Obtain data protection advice where appropriate. Safety monitoring should be necessary, proportionate and governed.
Using a generic risk assessment for different roles and locations.
Assuming a mobile phone is always available, charged and within coverage.
Setting check-in times without defining the response to a missed check.
Buying alarm technology without arranging trained responders.
Failing to include contractors, agency workers or out-of-hours tasks.
Ignoring violence, stress, fatigue or medical suitability.
Allowing high-risk work to proceed alone because it is routine.
Not testing devices and emergency contacts.
Collecting location data without clear governance.
Reviewing the assessment only after a serious incident.
Set a planned review interval, but do not wait for the calendar when conditions change. Review the assessment after:
an incident, near miss, threat or alarm activation;
a change in task, equipment, location or working hours;
a new client, site or public-facing activity;
changes to staffing, supervision or emergency response;
a communication failure or repeated missed check-in;
new information about violence, local conditions or other hazards;
a worker reports that the arrangement is no longer effective;
a relevant change in legislation or official guidance.
Broader security and operational changes should also trigger review. Circle UK Group explains how to connect site controls, supervision, technology and continuing reassessment in its guide to proactive, risk-focused security.
Circle UK Group can help you assess operational risks, define monitoring and escalation requirements, and connect safety controls with security and business continuity.
A good lone worker risk assessment identifies more than hazards. It produces a practical operating arrangement that answers four questions: who is at risk, how their safety will be monitored, what will trigger escalation and who will respond.
Effective arrangements are specific, proportionate and tested. They combine competent people, reliable communication, clear limits, appropriate technology and accountable supervision. Most importantly, they give workers confidence that if they raise an alarm or fail to check in, somebody will notice and act.
This guide provides general information and is not legal advice. Employers should obtain competent advice for their circumstances and check current legislation and official guidance.