What is lone working, and why does it matter?
What lone working is
In a social housing context, the most common lone-working scenarios include:
- Opening and closing buildings alone
- Working from home
- Visiting vacant properties or tenants in their homes
Why it matters
Working without direct supervision creates a distinct set of risks that are easily overlooked day-to-day. Left unmanaged, they can result in serious harm to staff — physically and mentally.
Verbal or physical abuse from tenants or members of the public
Medical emergencies — slips, trips, falls from height, road incidents
Robbery or theft, particularly during site visits or out-of-hours work
Mental health effects from isolation — lack of support, team contact, and camaraderie
What managers and employees need to do
What managers need to do
Employers have a legal duty of care to protect lone workers. This begins with a risk assessment — either standalone or embedded within a role-based assessment — and extends to ongoing monitoring and review.
The first practical step is to know where your staff are at all times. Diary sharing is the simplest way to achieve this, allowing managers to assign the right level of oversight:
| Priority | Situation | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| P1 | Lone site visits | High |
| P2 | Lone home / office working | Medium |
| P3 | Group working, office based | Low |
When conducting or reviewing risk assessments, managers should involve workers directly and consider:
- How experienced the worker is in their role and in working alone
- Whether the worker has received relevant training
- Whether the worker may be more vulnerable — e.g. young, pregnant, disabled or a trainee
- Whether the environment presents specific risk: rural location, entering someone's home, working outside normal hours
- Whether the worker has adequate, reliable means of communication and can call for help
- If working at another employer's premises, consulting with that employer to identify additional risks
Risk assessments should be reviewed periodically and updated after significant changes — new staff, processes, or equipment. Remember that the duty of care extends to contractors, cleaning staff, and security personnel. Ask to see their lone-working policies and keep copies on file.
What employees need to do
- Use diary sharing so managers always know your planned location
- Engage with lone worker apps — low engagement undermines the whole system
- Report all incidents of verbal or physical abuse and anti-social behaviour promptly
- Complete home-working checklists covering smoke detectors, escape routes, electrical item condition, and trip hazards
- Participate in training — both on the technical use of lone worker tools and on their importance for personal safety and that of colleagues
- Follow your organisation's lone working policy as consistently as any other control measure (such as PPE)
Controls, reporting, and further reading
What controls can we use
Controls should be proportionate to risk level. Here are the recommended measures discussed in the session:
High risk (P1) — Site visits
- Lone worker apps
- Tenant risk registers — keep these current
- Co-working rotas where possible
- Conflict resolution training
- Ensure buildings are safe: lift alarms, refuge points, emergency exits, egress routes, regular fire alarm checks
Medium risk (P2) — Home working
- Morning and end-of-day online check-ins
- Regular Teams chats — leave open while working from home
- Frequent check-ins for permanently home-based staff
- Home-working checklists
- DSE risk assessments including furniture
Problems & reporting
Three common failure points to address in your organisation:
- Under-reporting of abuse — physical, verbal, and anti-social behaviour. A structured investigation policy must back up the reporting process.
- Low lone worker app engagement — treated as optional by many staff. This needs to carry the same weight as failing to wear PPE, with clear consequences outlined in policy.
- Training gaps — staff need training both in how to use lone worker tools and in understanding why they matter for their own safety and that of their colleagues.
Further guidance
The HSE publishes detailed guidance on lone working, covering legal duties and practical control measures. This is the primary reference for developing or reviewing your policy.