What is a lone worker? The definition, examples and what it means for employers
By the SafetyEvo team · · 6 min read
A lone worker is someone who works by themselves without close or direct supervision, for all or part of their working time. That is the definition the Health and Safety Executive uses, and it is deliberately wide: it covers the engineer alone on a site, the carer in a client’s home, the security officer on patrol, the driver in a van, the cleaner in an empty office, the estate agent at a viewing, and the person working from their kitchen table. What they share is that if something went wrong, nobody who could help would see it happen.
The HSE definition, in full
HSE’s guidance on lone working says lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision, and gives examples in four settings: working alone at a fixed base, such as a shop, petrol station, warehouse or leisure centre out of hours; working away from a fixed base, such as construction, maintenance, repair, cleaning, agriculture, security, health and social care, and sales; working in a vehicle, including drivers and mobile engineers; and working at home. The test is supervision and the ability to get help, not whether other people are physically present.
Who counts as a lone worker: examples by industry
| Industry | Typical lone workers | The risk that usually dominates |
|---|---|---|
| Security | Officers on static guard or patrol, keyholders responding to alarms | Violence; sudden illness unnoticed at night |
| Cleaning and facilities | Cleaners out of hours, maintenance engineers in plant rooms | Slips and falls with nobody present; no signal in plant rooms |
| Care and health | Domiciliary carers, community nurses, social workers on home visits | Aggression from service users or others at the address; dogs; late visits |
| Housing | Housing officers, repairs operatives, void property inspectors | Aggression; empty properties; being cornered indoors |
| Field engineering | Gate, alarm, lift, utility and telecoms engineers | Electrical and height work alone; remote sites; driving |
| Construction | Small contractors, surveyors, site visits out of hours | Falls and injury unnoticed; plant; lone site security |
| Logistics | Delivery drivers, couriers, HGV drivers | Road risk; manual handling alone; aggression at the door |
| Property and sales | Estate and letting agents at viewings, sales reps | Meeting strangers at empty properties |
| Office and retail | Receptionists, shop staff, petrol station staff alone | Robbery and aggression; lone opening and closing |
| Home workers | Anyone working from home without supervision | Isolation, stress, display screen equipment |
Who is not a lone worker?
Someone who works alongside colleagues who could help them, even in a small team, is not a lone worker for that part of the day. A receptionist with a security officer at the next desk is not a lone worker; the same receptionist covering the building alone at lunchtime is. The status can change hour by hour, which is why assessments look at activities and times rather than job titles. Part-time staff, agency workers, contractors and volunteers are all lone workers when they work without supervision, and the employer’s duties extend to them.
The edge cases people argue about
- Two people on a large site who cannot see or hear each other are each lone workers for practical purposes.
- A worker in a public place is a lone worker if nobody present is a colleague who would help; the public are not a control.
- A driver is a lone worker between jobs as well as at them. HSE treats the journey as part of the work.
- A home worker is a lone worker, with a different risk profile.
- A self-employed person working alone for you is still owed a duty under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
What employers must do for lone workers
The law does not forbid lone working, but it requires the employer to assess the risks before anyone works alone and to control them so far as is reasonably practicable, under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. HSE’s guidance INDG73 turns that into a short list.
- Identify who works alone, when and where, including the people easy to miss.
- Assess the risks of each lone working activity, with the workers involved, and write it down if you employ five or more.
- Decide whether the task is suitable for lone working at all, and require two people where it is not.
- Put controls in place: training, information before visits, equipment, limits on hours.
- Make sure the worker can keep in touch and raise the alarm, and that someone will respond. This is the control that fails most often, and the one a safety app exists for.
- Supervise and monitor at a level that matches the risk, and review after incidents and at least yearly.
What this looks like with SafetyEvo
A worker starts a shift in the app, and from then until they end it their office can see where they are and whether their phone is still reporting. Before a higher risk task they set a check-in timer; if they miss it, the office is alerted. If they need help they hold SOS for two seconds and the alert goes to named people in order, by push, text and automated voice call, until someone acknowledges it. Nothing is tracked outside the shift. That covers the keep in touch and raise the alarm parts of HSE’s list; the assessment, the training and the decision about which tasks need two people remain the employer’s.
Frequently asked questions
What is the HSE definition of a lone worker?
HSE describes lone workers as those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. It includes people working alone at a fixed base, away from a base, in a vehicle, in the community and at home.
Is someone a lone worker if other people are nearby?
Yes, if those people are not colleagues who could help them. A shop assistant alone in a store full of customers, a carer in a client’s home, and a security officer on a busy site are all lone workers, because nobody present is there to supervise or assist them.
Are home workers lone workers?
Yes. HSE treats home workers as lone workers and expects employers to manage the risks that arise at home: display screen equipment, stress and isolation, and keeping in touch.
Is lone working illegal?
No. It is lawful, provided the employer has assessed the risks and controlled them. Some specific high risk work has rules that in practice require more than one person.
How many lone workers are there in the UK?
There is no official count. Estimates published by vendors and trade bodies vary widely and are not from a government source, so this guide does not quote one.
Does a lone worker need a device or an app?
Not by law. The law requires controls that are reasonably practicable for the risk, and for most lone workers a dependable way to keep in touch and raise the alarm is the control that matters most. An app on a phone they already carry is the simplest way to provide it.
How this guide was written
Written by the SafetyEvo team, who build lone worker safety software and use it in their own field business. Every legal point is checked against the primary source listed below, the guide carries the date it was published and the date it was last reviewed, and it is corrected when the law or the guidance changes. It is general guidance, not legal advice for your situation.
Sources
- HSE: Protect lone workers
- HSE: Lone working, what employers must do
- HSE INDG73: Protecting lone workers, how to manage the risks of working alone
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (legislation.gov.uk)
- HSE: Protecting home workers
- HSE: Lone working and violence
- HSE: Lone working, stress and other health factors
This article is general guidance, not legal advice. For your own situation, speak to a health and safety or legal adviser.