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A lone worker is anyone who works by themselves without close or direct supervision. That includes a maintenance engineer on a night call-out, a site manager locking up, a surveyor visiting empty buildings and a delivery driver on the road. Working alone is not illegal, but the risks must be assessed and controlled, and some work should never be done alone.
What the law says
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. Employers must protect the health, safety and welfare of employees, including those who work alone.
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. Employers must assess the risks, including those specific to working alone, and put controls in place.
- Specific rules for high-risk work. Some work needs more than one person by law or in practice, such as entering confined spaces, where someone must be stationed outside, and some work on or near live electrical conductors.
When should someone not work alone?
- Entering a confined space
- Working near exposed live electrical conductors
- Work where a fall, entrapment or injury would leave someone unable to call for help, and help could not reach them quickly
- Work involving a significant risk of violence or aggression
- Where the person has a medical condition that makes working alone unsafe
- Inexperienced or young workers who need supervision
What a lone working policy should include
- Who the policy applies to and the types of lone working in your business
- How lone working risks are assessed, and when working alone is not allowed
- Training and competence requirements, including first aid where relevant
- How contact is kept: check-in times, buddy systems, phone or app check-ins, lone worker alarms
- What happens if someone does not check in, with named people and clear timescales
- Emergency procedures, including how to raise the alarm and reach the worker
- How the arrangements are reviewed, including after incidents
Supervision and contact
The right level of supervision depends on the risk. Low-risk work may only need a phone call at the start and end of the day. Higher-risk work may need regular check-ins, a lone worker device with a fall alarm and GPS, or a second person on site. Whatever the system, test it: an alarm nobody responds to is worse than no alarm.
Driving for work
Driving is one of the most dangerous things many people do at work. Employers must manage work-related road risk in the same way as any other risk, whether the vehicle is a company van, a hire car or the employee’s own car. HSE’s guidance INDG382, Driving at work, sets out three areas to manage.
| Area | What to check |
|---|---|
| The driver | Licence checks, competence, training, health and eyesight, and fatigue |
| The vehicle | Suitable for the job, maintained, insured for business use, loads secured |
| The journey | Routes, realistic schedules, breaks, weather, avoiding driving after long shifts |
Do not expect people to take calls while driving, even hands-free, and plan journeys so that drivers are not tempted to rush or drive tired after a long day on site.
Training that helps
Our lone working eLearning and driver safety eLearning cover the risks and controls for workers and managers. Lone workers often need to look after themselves if they are hurt, which our lone working first aid course is designed for.
Where this fits in SMSTS and SSSTS
Mobile workforce, driver safety and lone working are tested on SMSTS. Our free SMSTS mock test and SSSTS mock test let you check your knowledge before the course or a refresher, and you can email yourself the results sheet at the end.
When you are ready, the five day SMSTS course is for site managers and the two day SSSTS course is for supervisors. If your certificate is due, the SMSTS refresher and SSSTS refresher keep it current.
Frequently asked questions
Is lone working illegal?
No. It is legal, but employers must assess and control the risks, and some high-risk work should not be done alone.
What should a lone working policy include?
Who it covers, how risks are assessed, when lone working is not allowed, how contact is kept, what happens if someone does not check in, and emergency procedures.
Can someone enter a confined space alone?
No. A safe system for confined space entry includes someone stationed outside and rescue arrangements in place before entry.
Are employers responsible for staff driving their own cars for work?
Yes. Employers must manage the risks of all work-related driving, including in employees’ own vehicles.
Read the source
HSE leaflet INDG73, Protecting lone workers; HSE leaflet INDG382, Driving at work; the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2; the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, regulation 3; the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997; and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, regulation 14. Facts checked on 6 October 2026.
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