Working alone: Is it legal and is it safe?
I’ve been asked to work alone, what now?
If you have been asked to work alone, you may be asking whether this is legal, whether it’s safe, and what your rights are. In the UK there is a lot of legislation and advice around lone working that we’ll try and make as digestible as possible.
Am I a ‘lone worker’?
First, it’s important to determine whether you meet the definitions of a ‘lone worker’, which comes with certain rights and protections. If you work alone for any time of the day, no matter whether you’re full time, part-time, zero-hour or contracted, then you are probably seen as a lone worker.
The most typical definition of a lone worker comes from the Health and Safety Executive:
‘Those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision’.
But a much clearer description comes from the NHS:
‘Any situation in which someone works without a colleague nearby or when someone is working out of sight or earshot of another colleague’.
For more information on who does and doesn’t count as a lone worker, have a look at this article.
Is working alone legal?
Most of the time, working alone is perfectly legal. However, organisations must carry out a full risk assessment before asking anyone to work alone and, if your business employs five or more people, this assessment must be written down.
As long as your employer carries out a risk assessment of your lone working activities, and actively takes efforts to make sure you are provided with any relevant training and protection (which may include lone worker devices), then it is probably legal.
We have much more information on what an employer must do to protect lone workers in our Lone Working Guide.
Can I refuse to work alone?
If you feel uncomfortable working alone due to a lack of training or support, a high level of risk, or if you have a condition that would make it unsafe, you should speak to your supervisor. They may not be aware of the risks, and a simple conversation can help.
According to the Employment Rights Act, employees cannot be punished in any way for ‘reasonable actions they take on health and safety grounds’. Employees have a right to act according to their health and safety protocols, to bring up concerns around the risks of a task, and to take actions to protect themselves against threats of ‘serious and imminent danger’.
Is working alone safe?
There is nothing inherently dangerous about lone working. For instance, people who do admin work from home often work alone, and this may not be any more dangerous than their regular office-work.
However, whenever risk is introduced to a job role, lone working can make it worse. This is because lone working, by its nature, can make supervision more difficult, and response times longer. What’s more, many lone working roles involve higher risk tasks such as working in remote locations or working with the public.
For more details on lone working and safety, you can download our free guide.
What we do to protect lone workers
Here at Safepoint, we provide clever, modern solutions to keeping lone workers safe. We work across all sectors to keep teams protected and organised. Find out more here.