Safe – Skip and Scrappy found in a dustbin


Rescue – Grasshopper with Ellie and colleague Mel


is so important because it provides a network of support and help which is invaluable.


Employers have legal duties to protect all workers, whether they are office or factory based or work alone. Official guidance is that lone workers should be offered support and training, and should have regular contact with their employer.


Some employers provide lone workers with alarms, tracking devices or other ways of monitoring their daily routine in a bid to prevent the threat of abuse or violence.


But lone workers often have to look after their own safety, especially as many work in areas where there is the potential for conflict, such as bus drivers, social workers or health support staff.


“Women working alone face many challenges, often around their safety,” says Ellie. “Which is why being in Unite


“We have a good relationship with our employer and have negotiated some strong safety arrangements for lone working. If you feel unsafe as a lone worker, a colleague or manager is always at the end of a phone – and risk assessments are done to ensure danger is mitigated and risks managed.”


Ellie is secretary of Unite’s RSPCA national branch but her campaigning on health and safety issues for women is becoming well known in other sectors. She has experienced some examples of intimidation which she wonders would be different if she were a man, and admits her senses are heightened to any potential problem.


“I have a general awareness of my surroundings that men potentially don’t have,” she told Landworker.


Ellie believes the RSPCA is receptive to the issues facing female staff, especially those working alone, but as a union, Unite is campaigning on behalf of workers in many other industries for better health and safety.


The union has constantly highlighted 29 uniteLANDWORKER Summer 2023


the shortage of decent toilet facilities for lorry and bus drivers, let alone the thought of more areas alongside motorways or other major roads, with refreshments and even showers.


Unite has been lobbying the government for years for badly needed improvements for drivers, and despite promises of more money being allocated, drivers say they see little improvement.


Ellie is determined to press ahead with her campaigning and believes the government should also be lobbied on the issues facing women working remotely, such as the provision of sanitary items and decent facilities for those needing to ‘spend a penny’.


Recruiting lone women workers to join Unite is also a challenge, as they are often difficult to contact, especially if they operate in areas with poor mobile phone signals.


But Ellie’s work on agreements with management on period dignity, menopause issues and access to decent toilets are a huge help to women, so hopefully even those in the remotest parts of the country will get to read about this and other plans Unite women are working on for them.


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