How to write a lone working risk assessment
By the SafetyEvo team · · reviewed · 7 min read
A lone working risk assessment follows the same pattern as any other: identify the hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate the risk, put controls in place, and review. What is different is the extra question of how you would know someone needs help, and how quickly you could get it to them.
Step 1: list the lone working tasks
Start with what people actually do alone. Be specific: "evening cleaning at client offices" is more useful than "cleaning". Talk to the staff who do the work; they know where the risks are.
Step 2: identify the hazards
- Physical: falls, machinery, electricity, confined spaces.
- People: aggression from customers or members of the public.
- Environment: remote locations, poor signal, weather, darkness.
- Health: conditions that could leave someone unable to call for help.
- Travel: driving long distances or late at night.
Step 3: decide how likely and how serious
For each hazard, consider how likely it is and how bad the outcome could be if the person is alone and cannot get help quickly. Being alone often turns a minor incident into a serious one, because help arrives later.
Step 4: choose controls
Work through the options, starting with the most effective:
- Remove the need to work alone for the highest risk tasks.
- Change how or when the work is done, for example daylight hours only.
- Train staff and give them clear procedures.
- Keep in touch: agreed check-in times, and a way to raise the alarm that works without signal.
- Make sure someone responds: a named person, with a backup, and an escalation plan.
Step 5: record, share and review
Write down what you found and what you are doing about it, share it with staff, and review it regularly and after any incident. Records of alerts and responses help you see whether controls are working.
How SafetyEvo supports the controls
Check-in timers cover specific risky tasks, the SOS button works without signal and lands once when it reconnects, and the escalation ladder makes sure an alert reaches a named person. The incident timeline and audit log give you the records to review.
Sources
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. For your own situation, speak to a health and safety or legal adviser.