What is Lone Working?
Lone working is defined by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) as work carried out by people who work by themselves without close or direct supervision.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the worker is physically alone; it means they are in a separate location from the rest of their team or manager.
For example, a retail worker putting stock away by themselves is classed as a lone retail worker the same as a meter reader entering someone’s home is a lone worker.
If an employee cannot be seen or heard by a colleague, they are a lone worker – whether that be for all or part of their working day. This also includes staff who work from home.
It is estimated that up to 8 million people in the United Kingdom are lone workers. That’s 22% of the 31.2m UK working population without taking into account the millions of newly created hybrid workers.
The term "lone worker" applies equally to desk workers who use technology to work from any location, as it does to engineers or manual workers ‘out in the field’.
They exist in all sectors, including those who:
work by themselves away from a fixed base
work on the same premises but out of sight and sound of a colleague
work outside normal working hours
travel alone during work hours
are left alone for periods of time
work alone but alongside members of the public
As of 2020, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) also extends this definition to include home workers, recognising the risks they face when working in isolation.
This non-exhaustive list demonstrates the diversity of roles which could come under the umbrella of lone working:
Delivery driver
Engineer
Estate agent
Cleaner
Security guard
Parking enforcement officer
Community nurse
Salesperson
Hotel receptionist
Petrol station operative
Housing officer
Lab scientist
Download our checklist to identify lone workers within your organisation
