6.1 Lone Working Policy

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

This guidance describes what managers should be providing for staff who may be exposed to risks while lone working. Following this guidance will help managers comply with the health & safety legislation and safeguard health and safety of staff working alone. The guidance offers advice, outlines roles and responsibilities of managers and staff working alone.

RELEVANT CHAPTERS

Supervision Policy

This is a new chapter for November 2010.

Introduction
What is Lone Working?
Legal Framework
Assessing and Preventing Risks of Lone Working
Employers/Managers Duties
Staff Duties
Safety Hints and Tips
Working Alone on Site
Use of Equipment
Working Safely
Role of Contractors

Appendix 1: Lone Working Flowchart Ensuring Lone Workers Safety

Appendix 2: Checklist for Assisting a Risk Assessment - Site Visits/Lone Working

Appendix 3: Children's Social Care Lone Visits - Checklist

1. Introduction

Staff working in jobs where they have to work alone without colleagues or direct supervision is a growing concern in the Council. This can increase their susceptibility to many health and safety hazards. There can also be additional problems if the unexpected - such as fire, equipment failure, accidents or illness - occurs.

This guidance should be read in conjunction with the Guidance on General Risk Assessment (this can be found on the Intranet under Resources /Key Documents /Health & Safety Manual); which outlines the general principles of risk assessment. In addition refer to the reference documents and the checklist listed in the Appendices (see Appendix 3, Children's Social Care Lone Visits - Checklist).

All managers whether they manage people, premises or work activities have a responsibility for the health, safety and welfare of their staff and others. The responsibilities cannot be transferred to employees who work alone or without close supervision. All employees have responsibilities to follow health and safety arrangements.

2. What is Lone Working?

Definition of Working Alone - Lone Working

People who work alone without interaction with other workers or without close or direct supervision are known as lone workers. Lone workers include:

People in fixed establishments who:
- work outside normal hours: e.g. cleaners, security workers, maintenance/repair staff, painters and decorators, teachers /managers working late evenings, support staff, emergency duty teams.
- work separately from others: e.g. in small workshops, specific areas or buildings, some training facilities, leisure centres, libraries, evening classes, admin office, receptionist, interview room, post room, day centres, where other staff/public are close by, possibly in shouting distance, home workers.
- people working totally alone in a building: department or service with no one in close proximity e.g. in premises officers, cleaners.
- people working in premises that are closed: such as schools during holidays.
Mobile workers who:
- work away from their base: e.g. outreach workers, anyone visiting external sites/organisations, capital works management, client officers, customer services, premises officers, homebound library workers, safety advisers, welfare workers.
- work outside in the community: social workers, community workers
- visit people in their homes: e.g. homebound library staff, educational welfare workers, early years staff.

3. Legal Framework

Legal Requirements

Is it legal to work alone?

There is no general prohibition to lone working but need to assess the risk and put in measures to avoid or control the risk. See Section 4, Assessing and Preventing Risks of Lone Working.

However, where staff are lone working, arrangements and procedures need to be in place in order to ensure the health & safety of lone workers and discharge health and safety duties as outlined in the Health & Safety At Work Act (HSWA,1974) and the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations (1999) and other relevant regulations.

Working Alone - What does the Law Say?

Managers have the same responsibilities towards their staff who work alone as they have to other workers. The Health and Safety Executive says that "lone workers should not be at more risk than other employees" and that extra safety measures may be needed.

Remember, risks increase as you move away from the office with its familiarities and possible built in supports.

Managers must ensure staff and others who may be affected by their activities, are not put at risk whilst in the course of work duties. This includes providing a safe workplace, safe access and egress and a safe system of work. These responsibilities cannot be transferred to people who work alone.

Employees have responsibilities to take care of themselves and other people affected by their work and to co-operate with their employers in meeting their legal obligations.

4. Assessing and Preventing Risks of Lone Working

Managers must carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments, identify the hazards associated with the work, assess significant risks to lone workers and take steps to avoid or control the risk and implement safe working arrangements/procedures. Managers should take steps to check that controls measures are used and review the risk assessment from time to time to ensure it is still valid.

All staff working alone must be assessed using the risk assessment process outlined in the Corporate Health & Safety Manual. The appendices in this document will help you in this task.

If it is not possible to devise arrangements for work to be done safely by one person, alternative arrangements MUST be devised such as providing help or back up cover

Managers must provide information, instruction and training to staff. Other regulations specify that first aid and welfare provision should be made. The assessments must also address specific issues of persons working in the premises of other organisations (e.g. contractors).

Some very high-risk activities may prohibit working alone (e.g. working in confined spaces; electrical work near live conductors). These types of jobs have specific regulations which stipulate at least two people must be involved, adequate supervision must be provided and safe systems/procedures must be in place.

Managers need to be aware of any specific legal requirement applying to their service area and ensure the necessary equipment; instruction, information, training and supervision are provided.

Other regulations with implications for lone workers/ site visitors are:

Provision and Use of Work Equipment (PUWER) Regulations 1998
Electricity at Work Regulation (1989)
Health and Safety (Welfare) Regulations 1992
Manual Handling Operations Regulations, and
Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR), 1995. Managers must notify the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) in the event of an accident/or work related ill health- if the employee is absent from work for more than 3 days or if there is a dangerous occurrence (Refer to the Corporate Accident/Incident Reporting Guidance Section for more details). This also includes reporting violence and aggression.

5. Employers/Manager's Duties

It is important for managers to talk/consult with their staff and their safety representatives, as they are a valuable source of information and advice.

Organising safe working arrangements for lone workers is no different from organising the safety of other staff. However, lone workers may face particular problems, some issues which need particular attention when planning for safe working arrangements are as follows:

ensure risk assessments identify lone working on and off site. The risk assessment must include physical fitness along with other hazards. If 5 or more people are employed, managers must record significant findings of the risk assessment and bring it to the attention of staff.
monitor and review risk assessments and ensure control measures are effective, implemented and used, and that the lone workers remain safe.
ensure systems are set up regarding the use and maintenance of plant and/or dangerous equipment tools, etc. Systems would involve ensuring plant/equipment/tools are free from defect; regularly maintained, maintenance logs should be kept including dates when they were last checked.
ensure clear policies, procedures/arrangements are in place before staff visit or work alone on sites.
staff must have access to safety critical information e.g. to staff of high-risk areas and/or who carry out site visits. This is particularly important for new starters and less experienced staff. Records and information need to be up to date.
arrangements need to be in place to share safety critical information across Directorates/service areas taking into account Data Protection requirements. Staff should check any local information held before visiting individual addresses.
review procedures regularly to ensure they are still working or where circumstances change.
ensure staff receive the necessary/appropriate training, supervision, instruction and health and safety information - the risk assessment will help decide what levels of competency is needed.
training/instruction must include giving staff the skills to carry out their own dynamic risk assessments on site e.g. when circumstances change.
ensure staff are provided with protective equipment if required (hard hats, fluorescent and/or waterproof clothing, suitable footwear, etc),
where appropriate arrange escorts or safe means of access and egress, especially if working at night or early hours of the morning.
re-assess the handling of cash, valuables or dangerous materials regularly.
safe working practices should be in writing ensuring that the lone worker has full knowledge of the risks and hazards they are being exposed to. This should also be the case for the procedure if something goes wrong.
written details of the whereabouts of the lone worker while at work should be kept up to date
ensure client officers obtain 'Lone Worker' risk assessments from contractors/sub-contractors working on LBL sites before work commences.

Managers need to ask three main questions:

Does the person have access to support if needed?
Is the person contactable or traceable when working alone?
What happens if they do not have any support or not contactable or traceable?

It is easier to organise support for staff when they are in their own premises as opposed to working outside.

Consideration MUST be given to staff working alone to have safe working procedures and to ensure managers and staff know exactly what to do in an emergency.

6. Staff Duties

When visiting or working on other sites, staff must:

ensure someone knows where he or she is (i.e. manager, supervisor, colleagues, etc). Use a signing in-out board and/or group/electronic diary or other means of communication.
inform people of any changes in plans, especially if attending evening meetings.
ensure they can be contacted in the duration of the visit (e.g. mobile phones pager, track alert systems, two-way radios - make sure they are charged, and if possible, be in an area with a good reception etc).
use a checking in system. All staff are expected to sign a visitor's book when they visit other sites.
find a safe place to park- staff should think about the places where to park and try and park in a well-lit area, near a main road if possible, so that they can be easily seen on their return. Cars should be parked facing the way out for a quick easy exit.
keep any expensive equipment concealed (e.g. camera, instruments, laptops etc)
take a colleague with them (if possible) when carrying out visits to premises if they are not sure of or are known to be risky. If uncertain, staff should bring this to the managers' attention- risk assessment should be reviewed with the manager before undertaking the visit.
ensure they have access to the any relevant information - check for flagged-up addresses and ask for update from colleagues who may have assessed the client on the risk factor for that address. Feedback to your manager, any incident that could result in further risk assessments.
report any accidents/incidents to you're your manager - using CS2 Form - see the Corporate Accident/ Incident Reporting Guidance- including verbal abuse or violent/aggressive behaviour.

7. Safety Hints and Tips

Wear appropriate shoes and clothes that are comfortable and will not draw attention to you.
Leave personal valuables at home or at work.
You may want to carry 2 purses/wallets and ensure you have cash. The aim here is to be prepared for an unfortunate event (i.e. you may be subject to a personal attack). If you are asked to handover money, you would then hand them your 'bogus' purse/wallet, without handing over all your possessions, and you would still retain cash to reach back home. If incidents such as these occur, you must inform the local police station straightaway and inform your manager and follow the Council's incident reporting procedures.
If you are attacked for the organisation's money, which the attacker knows you have, hand this over-don't put yourself at greater risk.
The general principles that should be followed is outlined in the H&S Manual and HR Policy on Managing Violence and Aggression at Work (Well Being at Work) - to follow.

8. Working Alone on Site

National statistics show that many accidents have occurred involving outside workers, simply because staff were not aware of their presence or had not considered the impact of their own activities or those to be carried out. Pre-planning and good communication will minimise the chances of this happening. Simple guidelines involve:

a signing in and out procedure;
agreed reporting lines for lone workers on site (e.g. 'Final calls' should be made at appointed finishing times, especially at night);
as well as mobile phones or two-way radios, groups of lone workers should have travelling first aid kits if they work in isolation or use dangerous equipment, plant, a first aid person or nominated first aider must be available at all times.
ensure host employer provides induction sessions for the visiting worker, covering items such as emergency procedures, accident reporting, use of personal protective equipment, safe access and egress, welfare facilities, first aid provisions, explanation of risk assessments and protective and preventative measures;
agree arrangements for the provision of work equipment (i.e. ladders, tools, electrical equipment, etc).

9. Use of Equipment

One major source of accidents when working away from base, is the poor selection and use of tools and equipment.
Selection and use of equipment must be in line with the requirements of PUWER (Provision and Use of Working Equipment Regulations).
Portable electrical equipment should be regularly checked to comply with the duties under the Electricity at Work Regulations. (There should be a sticker on the item with the date starting when the equipment was last PAT tested).
Where equipment is issued, records of such issues and subsequent testing must be kept.

10. Working Safely

The prevention of accidents and injuries at work is a matter, which is of concern to all managers and staff. It is the responsibility of all members of staff to do all in their power to prevent accidents or injury at work. No member of staff should expose themselves to unacceptable risks. Observation and compliance with safety rules; exercising acquired skills; taking appropriate precautions and adopting a common sense approach will help to minimise risks.
Take all 'reasonable care' to ensure your health and safety and that of anyone accompanying you and members of the public.
If appropriate, use protective equipment and clothing.
Use expertise, experience and common sense to look for unsafe conditions and avoid unsafe acts.
If the act of any person is likely to result in an accident to themselves or any other person, you should immediately draw his/her attention to the fact.
All accidents, near misses, incidents of violence etc. must be reported to the appropriate manager when returned to the normal place of work, using the Councils CS2 Form. These reports should be studied at regular intervals to prevent re-occurrences by the relevant management team.

11. Role of Contractors

Contractors who visit LB Lewisham sites should have their own procedures on site visits and lone working. This includes any sub-contractors they use. However, there is a need to share information with LB Lewisham workplaces/ schools to ensure an adequate risk assessment is prepared. The following MUST be checked:

Asbestos Database
Confined Space database (if applicable)
Where they may be a risk from visiting /working alone.
Other site-specific information that may be relevant to a lone worker or contractor visiting the site such as permits to work.
All Contractors to report incidents, accidents and near misses to their employers who should report back to the LBL Lewisham. The information should be channelled through client officers who should ensure the relevant incident/accident forms are recorded/reported.
All HSE RIDDOR events must be reported verbally or in writing to the Corporate Health & Safety Team within 24 hours, RIDDOR - F2508 forms must be completed and sent to the Corporate H&S and HSE, and the Corporate Health &Safety Team in Laurence House, 2nd floor
Contractors are to be briefed on these procedures and client officer /managers must ensure they have undertaken adequate risk assessment for their lone workers.

Further Information /References

Further information or advice can be obtained from Corporate Health & Safety Team, 2nd floor, Laurence House, 0208 314 8953/52.
LBL Corporate Health & Safety Manual - intranet site under Resources/Key Documents/ H&S Manual.
Managing Violence and Aggression At Work, LBL HR Policy/Guidance & Leaflet
www.hse.gov.uk
HSE produces a number of H&S leaflets and publications contact the HSE Info line Tel: 08701 545500
Working Alone in Safety INDG73
Violence at Work INDG69

Appendix 1: Lone Working Flowchart Ensuring Lone Workers Safety

Click here to view 'Flowchart for Ensuring the Safety of Lone Workers'

Appendix 2: Checklist for Assisting a Risk Assessment - Site Visits/Lone Working

Click here to view 'Checklist for Assisting a Risk Assessment - Site Visits/Lone Working'

Appendix 3: Children's Social Care Lone Visits - Checklist

Initial Risk Assessments

These procedures apply to all social workers other than Emergency Duty Team Workers who have a separate lone working policy which can be found in the Part 4 of this manual, Children in Specific Circumstances.

Social Workers carry out a number of visits under different circumstances. This means that they will not always have sufficient prior knowledge of a service user to carry out an informed risk assessment before visiting them. However it is imperative that where potential risk becomes known, either from Children's Social care records or via other agencies, that the following arrangements are made:

When a case is allocated to a worker for a visit, which may be on duty or a planned visit for Initial or Core Assessment, it is that worker's responsibility to review the available information in CSC records / and where appropriate undertake checks with partners, to establish if there are any health and safety risks associated with a home visit.
If there is a perceived risk the social worker will raise this with a team manager and a risk assessment, along with the attached DANGEROUSNESS CHECKLIST, is to be jointly undertaken and a plan agreed. A record of this risk assessment must be recorded by the responsible manager as a 'Supervision/management advice' case note, using 'Risk Assessment' as the Reason for Contact.

Arrangements for lone visits where a specific health and safety risk has not been identified.

Details of the visit must be recorded in the case workers electronic calendar and paper movements sheets including:
- the family name
- 1st line of address
- time of visit and estimated time of completion
- ICS case number
- SW's contact mobile phone number

Arrangements for visits if a health and safety risk has been identified.

The social worker should record details of the visit in their electronic diary and movements sheet as described in paragraph 3 above. For duty cases, the relevant duty manager should record this information in the duty diary.
A joint visit should be considered and this discussion should be recorded on ICS by the Team Manager.
The worker should either obtain a mobile phone from the "phone pool" or provide their own mobile number when conducting a visit. If immediate police assistance is required the worker must dial 999. If the mobile phone has no signal, dialling 112 will divert the call to a satellite signal which will be put through to the 999 call centre and will also supply a GPS trace of the caller. All telephone companies have signed up to this service.
The case worker must inform the responsible manager when they are leaving for their visit and inform them upon completion of the visit. This includes visits taking place within normal office hours, those that take place or end outside office hours and on occasions when the case worker is not returning to the office.
The responsible manager is to contact the worker if they have not been notified of safe completion of the visit within 1 hour of the given estimated time of completion. If no contact can be established or it is established that the worker/s is at risk the manager will contact the police and ask for assistance.
Where a risk has been substantiated or judged to be potentially serious, a Hazard warning must be put on ICS and a Violence to Staff Planning meeting considered. The need for a Hazard and the risk assessment should be kept under review and this information should also be shared with relevant parties, such as the Health Visitor, adults team and school, to alert them to the potential risk to their staff. If the Risk / Hazard is removed, the relevant parties should once again be informed.

N.B. For further information please refer to CYP Directorate Lone Working Policy.

Click here to view 'Children's Social Care - Dangerousness Checklist'.

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