Purpose and Scope
This policy outlines required measures to protect personnel who work alone, routinely or occasionally. It applies to all employees, contractors, and casual workers operating for [Organisation Name].
Use this document alongside the general health and safety policy and role-specific risk assessments.
Working through related paperwork at the same time? See also our US Lone Worker Policy Template, Working at Height Procedure Template and Accident & Incident Reporting Procedure Template.
Policy Statement
[Organisation Name] requires managers and staff to assess and control all lone working risks before work starts. If a risk assessment shows a task cannot be performed safely by one person, do not attempt it alone under any circumstances.
Lone workers have a right to a safe working environment and must follow all established safety measures, including mandatory check-ins.
Definition of Lone Working
A lone worker is anyone who works without close or direct supervision for any part of their shift. This includes staff who:
- Open or close facilities alone, or work single-staffed shifts.
- Visit clients, customers, or patients at external sites or residential addresses.
- Travel alone between work sites or appointments.
- Work outside standard operating hours in unoccupied facilities.
- Work from home away from [Organisation Name] premises.
Responsibilities
- [Role]: Owns this policy, oversees lone working risk assessments, and manages the check-in system.
- Managers: Identify lone working arrangements in their teams, enforce check-in protocols for every solo shift or visit, and trigger escalation procedures immediately if a check-in is missed.
- Lone Workers: Follow check-in protocols, keep a fully charged phone or device, report all incidents and near-misses, and stop work immediately if safety is compromised.
- All Staff: Treat every missed check-in as a potential emergency and follow escalation procedures without delay.
Risk Assessment Procedure
- Evaluate the Task: Check if the work involves hazardous machinery, chemicals, cash handling, work at height, or physical exertion that requires help.
- Evaluate the Individual: Confirm the worker completed required training, is fit to work alone, and has enough experience to handle potential hazards.
- Evaluate the Environment: Check mobile coverage, access routes, lighting, and any threat of aggression or violence.
- Define Control Measures: Set check-in intervals, list required safety equipment, outline prohibited single-person tasks, and establish withdrawal procedures.
- Establish Review Triggers: Set a formal review schedule for the risk assessment and re-evaluate immediately after any incident or operational change.
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Check-In and Escalation Procedure
- Assign a designated contact ([Role]) for every lone shift or visit to track the worker’s location and schedule.
- Verify the lone worker updates their calendar or log in [System] before starting work.
- Complete scheduled check-ins using [System/Method] at agreed intervals, including at the start and end of shifts or site visits.
- Try to reach the worker directly as soon as a check-in is missed.
- Start the escalation process if the worker does not respond within [Number] minutes:
- Call the lone worker’s designated emergency contact.
- Send a representative to their last known location.
- Call emergency services if you suspect risk to life or safety.
- Log all details of the missed check-in and escalation steps in [System/Location].
Emergency Arrangements
- Lone workers must carry a charged mobile phone or dedicated personal alarm at all times.
- Leave the area immediately if you face a threatening situation. Personal safety always comes before completing a task or protecting property.
- Keep first aid supplies updated, including travel kits where required.
- Report all accidents, near-misses, and hostile incidents on the day they happen using the standard incident reporting procedure.
Training Requirements
- All lone workers must complete policy training before taking their first solo shift or visit.
- Training covers check-in protocols, escalation steps, dynamic risk assessment, and safe withdrawal.
- Designated contacts must receive specific training on how to handle missed check-ins.
- Run refresher training every [Frequency] and log it in staff records.
Records and Review
- Keep risk assessments, check-in logs, escalation reports, and training records in [System/Location] for at least [Period].
- Review this policy and related risk assessments every [Frequency], after any lone working incident or near-miss, or when operational routines change.
- Policy Owner: [Role]
- Next Scheduled Review: [Date]
FAQs on a lone working policy and procedure
What is a lone working policy and procedure?
A lone working policy and procedure outlines required measures to protect personnel who work alone, routinely or occasionally. It applies to all employees, contractors, and casual workers operating for your organisation.
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 working policy and procedure include?
This template covers definition of lone working, risk assessment procedure, check-in and escalation procedure and emergency arrangements.
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 working policy and procedure 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.