HEALTH & SAFETY


GOING IT ALONE


Christian Berenger, Managing Director of Ezitracker Remote Workforce Management looks at what you need to know to protect your lone workers.


In the UK, it is estimated that up to eight million people are lone workers. That’s more than 20% of the 31.2 million working population.


The law requires employers to consider carefully, and then deal with, any health and safety risks for people working alone. Employers are responsible for the health, safety and welfare at work of all their workers. They also have responsibility for the health and safety of any contractors or self-employed people doing work for them.


“Employers who have five or more employees must record the significant findings of all risk assessments.”


These responsibilities cannot be transferred to any other person, including those people who work alone. Workers have responsibilities to take reasonable care


36 | TOMORROW’S FM


of themselves and other people affected by their work activities and to co-operate with their employers in meeting their legal obligations. Who are lone workers and what jobs do they do?


Lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. There are two distinct categories that lone workers can be placed into; those in fixed establishments, and mobile workers working away from their fixed base.


In fixed establishments a lone worker can be anyone working alone in a small workshop, petrol station, kiosk or shop. They may also work from home or work for long periods in factories, warehouses, leisure centres or fairgrounds. This category also covers anyone working on their own outside normal working hours, for example, cleaners, security guards and maintenance workers.


Employees involved in construction, maintenance and repair, plant installation and cleaning work are included in the mobile worker category. So too are agricultural and


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