Lone working: Protect those working alone

1. Overview

As an employer, you must manage any health and safety risks before people can work alone. This applies to anyone contracted to work for you, including self-employed people.

Lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision, for example:

as delivery drivers, health workers or engineers
as security staff or cleaners
in warehouses or petrol stations
at home

There will always be greater risks for lone workers without direct supervision or anyone to help them if things go wrong. Many of them are exposed to work-related road risks^[5].

We have separate advice for lone workers themselves^[6].

Video on lone working

The following video gives basic advice on protecting lone workers.

View a printable version of the whole guide^[8]

Link URLs in this page

Manage the risks of working alone https://www.hse.gov.uk/lone-working/employer/manage-the-risks-of-working-alone.htm
Violencehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lone-working/employer/violence.htm
Stress and other health factorshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lone-working/employer/stress-other-factors.htm
Training, supervision and monitoringhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lone-working/employer/training-supervision-monitoring.htm
road riskshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/roadsafety/index.htm
advice for lone workers themselveshttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lone-working/worker/index.htm
Next page Manage the risks of working alone https://www.hse.gov.uk/lone-working/employer/manage-the-risks-of-working-alone.htm
View a printable version of the whole guidehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lone-working/employer/print.htm
Protecting lone workers: How to control the risks of working alone (INDG73)https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg73.htm
Lone workers – your health and safetyhttps://www.hse.gov.uk/lone-working/worker/index.htm
Advice on work-related violencehttps://www.hse.gov.uk/violence/index.htm
Self-employed workershttps://www.hse.gov.uk/self-employed/does-law-apply-to-me.htm