Working alone is normal in agriculture and forestry. Moving stock, doing maintenance at base or at distance, or operating mobile machinery, the rural worker is often a lone worker.
In Landworker Winter 2024, we looked at loneliness, but working alone is different – many outdoor workers feel comfortable alone. But lone working has risks that can endanger workers suddenly or, as with mental health, so gradually that they are hard to see at first. The outcomes of accidents are made worse by remoteness and communication difficulties.
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to carry out risk assessments, create safety procedures, provide appropriate training, and ensure competent people are in place.
For the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, HSE states, “The 1974 Act places general duties on employers, and some self-employed people, to do what is ‘reasonably practicable’ to ensure their health and safety and that of others who may be affected by what they do.”
Your employer should have done risk assessments for your situation, and you should see them, and be able to suggest or demand changes. As a “team of one”, you may be the best person to report conditions for your task or location. Be alert to where you need specific training, and possibly protective clothing (PPE).
Some workers are not comfortable with hard hats. If your PPE suffers from a bad fit, visual obstruction or poor ventilation, discuss with the person in charge if a better version could be found. The right hard hat or other PPE could mediate between a dangerous accident and a fatal one.
Of paramount importance to lone workers is communication, whether with co-workers at a little distance, or a base miles away.
Said Mark Heaysman, Unite rep at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, “We as an organisation have manual staff that on the whole work as lone workers.
“The H&S department have been trying to come up with a solution that would make our working day safer.
“We have been talking about a few systems, where you press a button and it sends a message to someone. But if it is just a phone, in some places you can’t get a signal.
“I’ve had some suggestions from colleagues in related fields.”
Seeking opinions from colleagues in other organisations can be a valuable source of first-hand experience.
“Also, some staff don’t mind working on their own, but others really need contact with other staff every few days,” Mark adds.
Mobile phones have transformed personal communications, except in remote areas. ‘Remote’ can mean quite nearby if you are in one of the many ‘dead’ areas in the mobile networks. So it is essential not to rely on your mobile alone.
All work locations should be checked regularly for the right mobile signal (which can change with the weather, or with a change of provider).
Unite’s booklet by national health and safety adviser, Rob Miguel, Lone Worker Protection for RTC and Logistics, looks at examples of lone worker safety devices, with the OWL Portal Lone Worker Management Tool, and the LoneAlert Safety Watch, which can operate through WiFi, BlueTooth and Voip, to function in areas with poor or no mobile network signal.
41 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2025
Technological lone worker safety devices are now widely available, including radio, satellite phone and others that can signal colleagues or an emergency hub to get help in the shortest time. Many are designed specifically for locations with no mobile signal. Some are triggered automatically by a fall or impact. Variants include:
'Man Down Alarm'/Fall Alarm: Automatically detects if a worker has fallen, or is not moving, and triggers an alarm at a contact centre or colleague.
GPS Tracking: Provides real-time location information for responders.
SOS Alarm: Can be triggered by the wearer to alert a call centre, emergency services or colleague.
Two-way communication: Some but not all devices allow the wearer to talk to colleagues or the emergency services.
Scheduled check-in: Triggers an alarm at pre-set times if the worker does not make contact with base first.
Handheld satellite devices: Get round poor mobile coverage in remote places by using satellite communications.
There are now many suppliers, and reviewing and choosing a suitable system or stand-alone devices needs to be matched to the work and environment involved.
Devices should meet the BS8484 standard, and Receiving Centres meet BS BS5979 (Cat II). Devices should be matched to the location, type of work and needs of the workforce to maximize the effectiveness of the communications.
Lone workers outdoors should arrange to check in or be checked on at specific times. Their contact should always know in advance where they are due to be.
Working afar with quad bikes and stock has a high potential for serious accidents, as the driver’s attention may be focused on the herd rather than the ground conditions.
Indoor working may pose a different set of dangers, not least from chemical leaks or storage gases like nitrogen, deadly in a non-oxygen environment. Never enter a store of this kind without oxygen support equipment. Encouraging anyone to do so is a potentially criminal act. Lives have also been lost when a second person tried to rescue the first one without themselves donning a mask.
Farmworkers, including family members who spend their days doing administration and maintenance largely by themselves, may suffer from depression – this is where lone working crosses loneliness. This is particularly likely if there are financial problems, or other business issues, at the farm.
The first and most important message is – make sure you can make contact with someone quickly if you need to, particularly if you have had an injury or accident.
FIND OUT MORE
Unite publications safety downloads – click on Lone Working – RTC and Logistics:
https://bit.ly/44ZvK0b
HSE Training supervision and monitoring:
https://bit.ly/44XI7Kk
HSE Download: Protecting Lone Workers:
https://bit.ly/3EZasoX
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