Every UK employer has a legal duty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 to assess the risks their employees face — and that includes lone workers. A proper risk assessment is not just a paperwork exercise. It is the foundation of a safe working environment, and it forms the basis of any defence if something goes wrong.
The process does not have to be complicated. A well-structured lone worker risk assessment follows five clear steps.
Step 1 — Identify who works alone and when. Make a list of all roles where staff work without direct supervision. This includes obvious cases like field engineers and community workers, but also less obvious ones such as cleaners working before hours, drivers between stops, or office staff working late. Note the times, locations, and frequency of lone work for each role.
Step 2 — Identify the hazards. For each lone working scenario, think about what could realistically cause harm. Common hazards include workplace violence and aggression, medical emergencies, slips and falls, vehicle accidents, hazardous environments (heights, confined spaces, chemicals), and difficulties contacting help in remote areas. Consider both the likelihood and the severity of each.
Step 3 — Decide who might be harmed and how. This is where you connect each hazard to the specific people affected. A care worker visiting elderly clients faces different risks from a security guard patrolling a warehouse. Tailor your assessment to the actual reality of each role rather than using a generic template.
Step 4 — Evaluate the risks and put controls in place. For each identified risk, decide what controls will reduce it to an acceptable level. Controls might include providing lone worker alarms with GPS and fall detection, setting up regular check-in procedures, banning lone working for certain high-risk tasks, providing conflict resolution training, ensuring vehicles have breakdown cover, or pairing staff for higher-risk visits.
Step 5 — Record your findings and review regularly. Document the assessment in writing, share it with relevant staff, and review it at least annually — or whenever circumstances change. New roles, new locations, new equipment, or new incidents should all trigger a review.
A common mistake is treating lone worker risk assessments as a one-off task. Risks evolve as your business does. A staff member who was once office-based may now work from home; a new contract may take a team into unfamiliar territory; an incident in another organisation may highlight a risk you had not previously considered.
Investing time in a thorough risk assessment pays off in fewer incidents, lower insurance costs, better staff retention, and full compliance with your legal duties. And in the worst-case scenario, it ensures help can reach your people quickly when they need it most.
