Working alone is common in warehouses, workshops and yards, from the early opener to the evening cleaner and the engineer on a call-out. It is not illegal, but it changes the risks, because there is nobody on hand to raise the alarm or help. This guide explains what UK employers need to do, what a lone working policy should cover and how the risks in a typical warehouse or workshop can be reduced.
Is lone working legal?
Yes. There is no general legal prohibition on working alone. The legal duties come from the same sources as for any other work. Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, employers must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their employees. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, they must carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, which has to cover the risks of people working alone. HSE publishes short guidance on the subject, Working alone: Health and safety guidance on the risks of lone working (INDG73).
Who counts as a lone worker?
A lone worker is someone who works without close or direct supervision. In a warehouse or workshop that includes:
- People working on their own in a fixed workplace, such as a small unit or a site out of hours.
- People working separately from others on a large site, for example in a remote part of a yard or racking aisle.
- Mobile workers such as drivers and maintenance engineers who visit other sites alone.
What the risk assessment should look at
The assessment should ask what could go wrong and whether the person could get help if it did. HSE guidance suggests considering questions such as:
- Does the workplace present a special risk to someone working alone?
- Is there a safe way in and out, and can machinery or equipment be operated safely by one person?
- Can the work be done safely by a single person, including any lifting of items that are too heavy or awkward?
- Is there a risk of violence, or of a medical condition making the person unsuitable for lone working?
- How would the person get help in an emergency, and how would the employer know there was a problem?
Work that should not be done alone
Some tasks need more than one person, and the risk assessment will say which. HSE gives confined space entry and work near exposed live conductors as examples where at least one other person is normally needed. Our guides to the Confined Spaces Regulations 1997 and the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 explain those duties. Work at height is another area to review carefully; see our Work at Height Regulations guide.
What a lone working policy should include
A written policy turns the risk assessment into clear arrangements. It normally covers:
- Who and where. Which roles and locations involve working alone, and at what times.
- Tasks that are not permitted alone. A short, specific list so nobody has to guess.
- Communication. Check-in times, the person responsible for receiving them and what happens if one is missed.
- Emergency procedure. How the lone worker raises the alarm, who responds and how first aid is provided. Keep any accident book accessible, and be clear on RIDDOR reporting.
- Training and competence. What each lone worker has been trained to do and what to do when something falls outside that.
- Review. When the assessment and policy are reviewed, and after any incident or near miss.
Practical controls in a warehouse or workshop
Most of the hazards a lone worker faces are the ordinary ones, with fewer chances to recover from a mistake. Reducing them is the cheapest form of lone working protection.
- Manual handling. Do not leave lone workers lifting loads that need two people. Use equipment designed for the job, such as a pallet truck, and keep routes clear.
- Housekeeping and storage. Tidy, labelled storage reduces slips, trips and falling items. Tools and consumables are better kept in workshop storage than on the floor, and chemicals belong in suitable hazardous storage.
- Traffic and pedestrian separation. Where vehicles and pedestrians share space, safety barriers help define walkways. See our warehouse health and safety guide.
- Personal belongings. Secure staff storage, such as lockers, keeps bags and valuables out of work areas and means staff are not carrying them around the site.
- Work surfaces. A stable, correctly sized workbench lets a single person carry out tasks without improvising.
None of these products replaces a risk assessment or a way of calling for help. They remove everyday hazards so that the remaining risk is easier to manage.
Lone working FAQs
Is lone working legal in the UK?
Yes. There is no general legal ban on working alone. Employers must still assess the risks and put controls in place, as with any other work.
Is there a specific lone working law?
No single regulation covers it. The duties come from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require risk assessment for all work, including work done alone.
Does a lone working policy have to be written down?
The law requires the risk assessment and the arrangements that follow from it. Employers with five or more employees must record significant findings of the assessment. A written lone working policy is the usual way to set out those arrangements clearly.
Who is a lone worker?
Someone who works without close or direct supervision. That includes people working alone in a fixed workplace, such as a warehouse out of hours, and mobile workers who travel to sites alone.
Are some jobs too risky to do alone?
Yes. HSE guidance gives examples where more than one person is normally needed, including confined space entry and work near exposed live electrical conductors. The risk assessment decides each case.
How can an employer keep in touch with a lone worker?
Common arrangements include regular check-in calls, a buddy system, automatic alarms or devices that raise an alert, and a clear procedure for what happens if a check-in is missed.
Do lone workers need training?
Yes. Training is particularly important where there is little or no supervision, so people can deal with normal work and with emergencies and know when to stop and seek advice.
Can lone workers be asked to do manual handling alone?
Only if the risk assessment says it is safe. Heavy or awkward loads that need two people should be planned that way, or handled with equipment such as a pallet truck.