Is Lone Working Legal?
Yes, it is not against the law to work alone. Although there is no specific law related to lone working, general health and safety legislation (i.e. Health and Safety at Work Act, Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, etc.) must be complied with.
The HSE states that: “It will often be safe to work alone. However, the law requires you to think about and deal with any health and safety risks before people are allowed to do so”.
To ensure that lone workers are not put at risk, employers need to consider:
- Assessing specific areas of risk (e.g. violence, physical health, task)
- Requirements for training
- Levels of experience
- How to monitor safety and keeping in touch
- Response to any incident
