| Reviewed by: | Suzanne Deadman, 07 05 2025 |
| Ratified by: | Resources Committee, 05 06 2025 |
| Next Review: | Summer Term 2027 |
Contents
Definition
‘Lone Working’ refers to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) definition of lone working: “Lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision.” This includes situations where staff, in the course of their duties, work alone in the school and are physically isolated from colleagues, possibly without immediate access to assistance.
It is possible for a staff member to be ‘lone working’ with other staff members in the building due to the nature of the building creating isolated areas. Where associated tasks require staff to work alone, both the individual staff member and Oakbridge Federation have a duty of care to assess and reduce the risks which lone working presents.
While many hazards at work are relatively easy to identify and control, other health and safety aspects are less easy to define.
Scope: Identifying Lone Workers:
Working alone is not in itself against the law and it will often be safe to do so. However, 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.
These responsibilities cannot be transferred to any other person, including those people who work alone. Workers have responsibilities to take reasonable care of themselves and other people affected by their work activities and to co-operate with their employers in meeting their legal obligations.
Those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision, either employees who work separately from others in an establishment, or mobile workers who work away from a fixed base are classed as lone workers. Examples of employees who may be classed as lone workers include: Premises staff with responsibility for opening up and closing buildings; School staff working during holiday periods, Staff working in an isolated part of the building; including the boiler house, Staff working in an environment away from the school (home visits)
Consideration therefore needs to be given to the potential risks faced by lone workers, as follows:
- A commitment to supporting staff both in establishing and maintaining safe working practices;
- Recognising and reducing risk by adopting a systematic approach to undertaking regular risk assessments;
- A commitment to the provision of appropriate support for staff;
- A clear understanding of responsibilities;
- The priority placed on the safety of the individual;
- A commitment to providing appropriate training for staff if required;
- Provision of equipment such as mobile phones, personal alarms, etc. made available.
Roles and Responsibilities
As the employer the Executive Head Teacher (ENT) has ultimate responsibility for the Health and Safety of all employees. The Governing Body has responsibility under the relevant legislation for ensuring that there is due regard to matters of health, safety and environmental matters within the schools.
The EHT has overall responsibility for the effective implementation of the Health and Safety Policy and for encouraging staff to implement health and safety arrangements.
The Executive Headteacher has delegated the School Business Manager (SBM) and Premises Manager (PM) to act as the ‘Competent Person’ on health, safety and welfare issues, including lone working, and ensuring that the objectives of the policy are achieved in practice.
Assessing the risks:
The employer has a duty to assess risks to lone workers and take steps to avoid or control risks where necessary. This must include:
- Involving workers when considering potential risks and measures to control them;
- Taking steps to ensure risks are removed where possible, or putting in place control measures, e.g. carefully selecting work equipment to ensure the worker is able to perform the required tasks in safety;
- Instruction, training and supervision;
- Reviewing risk assessments periodically or when there has been a significant change in working practice. This may include being aware that some tasks may be too difficult or dangerous to be carried out by an unaccompanied worker;
- Where a lone worker is working at another workplace;
- When a risk assessment shows it is not possible for the work to be conducted safely by a lone worker.
Risk assessment should help employers decide on the right level of supervision. There are some high-risk activities where at least one other person may need to be present.
Examples include:
- Working at height; Excessive manual handling
- Working with substances that are hazardous to health including flammables Working in a confined space,
- Working with electricity
- Dealing with unpredictable persons
The federation must record the significant findings of all risk assessments.
Access:
- Is access to the building adequately controlled? All staff should sign in and sign out using the Inventry system;
- All doors should be secure. Who knows who is in the building? Any staff or visitors should sign in and out at Reception;
- Premises staff should be made aware of any visitors;
- Ensure all visitors to the school are provided with a visitor’s badge;
- Ensure security doors throughout the building are locked preventing access from outside the building;
- Do not endeavour to deal with a situation which will put anyone at risk.
All staff that work alone will liaise with their line manager prior to undertaking any lone working to agree a procedure setting out how to respond to any foreseeable emergencies that may arise during the course of your work.
Isolation:
- Are employees working alone in isolated offices or parts of the building should advise staff within other areas they are in school.
- Employees that meet with outside agencies or members of the public in isolated offices should inform staff of their whereabouts and who they are with.
- A suitable line of communication between the lone worker and a designated person should be implemented to ensure there are procedures in place to contact the lone worker. Regular communication network should ensure appropriate contact and wellbeing of lone worker.
- Can employees in isolated areas summon help or raise an alarm? Ensure employee has direct access to either a departmental phone or mobile phone. By ensuring the Premises Officer is informed when staff leave the premises, this should avoid the situation of staff being locked in school at the end of the day.
- Working staff should be aware of any fixed closure times.
For employees who are required to work alone and away from a fixed location they should use the following checklist:
- Have you signed in/out from at reception?
- Do other staff know where you are going and how long you will be and your estimated time of return.
- Can you make contact other staff or they with you?
- What should you do if you are making a sensitive or high-risk visit?
Personal Safety
The first priority is to plan for a reduction of risk for staff working alone. Staff should take all reasonable precautions to ensure their own safety, as they would in any other circumstances.
Before working alone, an assessment of the risks involved should be made in conjunction with the line manager. Staff should inform their Line Manager or other identified person when they will be working alone, giving accurate details of their location and following an agreed plan to inform that person and the Premises Manager when leaving the building. Lone Working can only be undertaken following authorisation from an employee’s line manager. It is the responsibility of the individual concerned to ensure all necessary precautions and methods are adhered to at all times.
A robust system is in place for signing in and out within the main office, and staff should follow these procedures.
Where staff work alone for extended periods and/or on a regular basis, procedures should be in place for regular contact between staff, both to monitor the situation and to counter the effects of working in isolation.
Where staff are issued with mobile phones or radios, they are responsible for ensuring that they are charged, and in working order. Personal alarms may also be considered.
Vulnerable Workers
Vulnerable employees that may be at a higher risk from lone working should be considered individually e.g. pregnant women and young workers. Employees must inform their line manager of any relevant medical conditions. that may affect their ability to work alone or the risks may be too high
Emergency Procedures
Consideration has been given to the procedures for fire evacuation and first aid provision.
Incident Reporting:
- Should an incident occur the lone worker must report this to their Line Manager and a de-briefing should follow any incident.
- Any incidents or concerns in relation to lone working should be reported to the Office Manager and the Head of school
Monitoring and Review:
Having undertaken appropriate risk assessments and implemented all necessary controls it is important that all lone working situations are monitored and continually reviewed.
Policy Review
This policy will be reviewed every two years or sooner if required.