1. Purpose and Scope
This policy sets out the requirements to identify, assess, and protect employees and contractors who work alone. It applies to all personnel operating without direct supervision or nearby colleagues who can see, hear, or assist them.
Applicable scenarios include:
- Personnel opening or closing facilities alone.
- Employees conducting home or off-site visits.
- Delivery drivers and field staff traveling between locations.
- Staff working outside standard operational hours in unoccupied buildings.
- Contractors conducting solo work on organizational premises.
Working through related paperwork at the same time? See also our NY Retail Worker Safety Act Policy Template, Lone Working Policy & Procedure Template and Accident & Incident Reporting Procedure Template.
2. Policy Statement and Responsibilities
Staff may work alone only after evaluating task risks, establishing required controls, and activating a check-in system. If a risk assessment shows a task is too hazardous to perform alone, do not proceed without extra staff, a modified schedule, or an adjusted scope.
All lone workers have the authority to stop work and move to a safe location if safety concerns arise, without fear of reprisal.
- Policy Owner: [Designated Role] oversees policy implementation, risk assessments, and check-in system operations.
- Managers: Identify lone-working scenarios, conduct risk assessments, enforce controls, and manage check-in protocols.
- Lone Workers: Follow assigned safe work procedures, adhere to check-in protocols, and report hazards or incidents immediately.
3. Risk Assessment Procedure
Managers must complete and document a risk assessment in [Designated System/Location] for every lone-worker role or scenario before authorizing work.
The risk assessment must evaluate:
- Emergency Identification: Identify potential medical emergencies, falls, equipment failures, or fires, and set clear notification protocols for each scenario.
- Violence and Security Risks: Evaluate risks associated with cash handling, late-night opening, public interaction, home visits, or lone reception duties.
- Prohibited Solo Tasks: Explicitly list tasks prohibited for solo workers (e.g., work at height above specified limits, confined space entry, high-voltage electrical work, or designated high-risk machinery operations).
- Worker Capability: Verify worker experience, training completion, and fitness for lone work. New employees cannot work alone until meeting designated authorization criteria.
- Location and Environmental Controls: Document specific controls for remote locations, areas with poor cellular coverage, or third-party premises.
4. Check-In and Escalation Procedure
All lone work requires a structured check-in process tailored to the task’s risk level. The standard procedure includes:
- Pre-Work Log: Before starting work, the worker confirms their location, planned task, and expected finish time with [Designated Contact/System].
- Periodic Check-Ins: The worker completes scheduled check-ins at specified intervals (e.g., hourly for elevated risk levels) via [Designated Communication Method]. Workers must check in immediately upon changing location.
- Shift Completion: The worker submits formal confirmation upon finishing work. Treat unconfirmed completions as potential emergencies.
- Missed Check-In Escalation:
- At [Number] minutes past a scheduled check-in, the contact calls the lone worker.
- If unanswered, the contact calls the designated secondary contact number or site location.
- If unresolved, the contact initiates emergency escalation protocols (notifying [Designated Manager], dispatching a welfare check, or contacting emergency services) without waiting for a second missed check-in.
- Emergency Signaling: Lone workers must carry an immediate emergency communication mechanism (e.g., panic signal, duress code, or designated verbal phrase) that does not require standard phone dialing.
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5. Operational Risk Controls
Lone workers must adhere to specific safeguards based on operational context:
- Opening and Closing Alone: Inspect exterior premises for signs of forced entry before entering. If you spot suspicious activity or forced entry, call emergency services or [Designated Manager] from a safe distance. Keep exterior doors locked prior to business hours and count cash out of public view.
- Home and Client Visits: Review client history for safety flags prior to appointments. Maintain scheduled visit logs in [Designated System]. Park vehicles facing outward to allow an immediate exit. Terminate visits and leave immediately if safety is compromised.
- Late-Night and Out-of-Hours Work: Secure external access points, verify active security and monitoring systems, and adjust check-in frequencies to shorter intervals.
- Travel and Driving: Share journey plans for extended travel, observe mandatory rest breaks, and complete all check-ins while safely parked.
- Required Safety Equipment: Lone workers must carry a charged communication device, basic first aid supplies, and supplementary equipment (e.g., flashlight, personal alarm) as mandated by the risk assessment.
6. Incident and Near-Miss Reporting
- Report all lone-worker incidents, threats, near misses, or missed check-in escalations to [Designated Role] on the day of occurrence.
- Log details within the standard injury and illness reporting system.
- Re-evaluate and update the corresponding risk assessment and check-in procedures prior to resuming lone work in the affected scenario.
7. Training, Records, and Policy Review
Training Requirements
Lone workers, managers, and designated check-in contacts must complete training before receiving lone work authorization. Training must cover:
- Check-in procedures and communication protocols.
- Missed check-in escalation workflows.
- Stop-work and withdrawal authority.
- Role-specific risk controls and emergency procedures.
Records Retention
Maintain risk assessments, training acknowledgments, check-in logs, and incident reports in [Designated System/Location] for [Designated Time Period].
Review Schedule
Review this policy and associated risk assessments [Designated Frequency, e.g., Annually], after any safety incident involving lone work, or whenever operational workflows, facilities, or schedules change.
- Policy Owner: [Designated Role]
- Effective Date: [Date]
- Next Review Date: [Date]
FAQs on a lone worker policy
What is a lone worker policy?
A lone worker policy sets out the requirements to identify, assess, and protect employees and contractors who work alone. It applies to all personnel operating without direct supervision or nearby colleagues who can see, hear, or assist them.
Having it written down means the same rules apply to everyone, so managers are not making judgement calls case by case under pressure.
What does a lone worker policy include?
This template covers risk assessment procedure, check-in and escalation procedure, operational risk controls and incident and near-miss reporting.
Every section is written to be filled in. The bracketed placeholders mark the decisions that are yours to make, such as timescales, approval owners and retention periods.
How to implement a lone worker policy with Whale
Copy this template into Whale and work through the bracketed placeholders so it reflects how your organisation actually operates.
Assign it to the teams it applies to so it sits where people work rather than in a shared drive, and set a review date so it gets revisited on schedule instead of quietly going out of date.
Use our templates to fast-track your documentation
Customize this template and 100s of others for free in Whale, the fastest way to get your team aligned.