Lone working

There are many situations both within the University and elsewhere, where individuals routinely work alone.  Only in a very small number of high risk situations is such work expressly prohibited by law (e.g. confined space entry and work on some high voltage electrical equipment) but in all cases suitable arrangements do have to be in place to minimise the risk and to ensure that appropriate emergency aid can be obtained.

W here lone working is allowed, the Head of Unit must ensure that the foreseeable risks have been identified and that appropriate arrangements are in place to manage these.  This may include limiting the type of activity that can be undertaken when working alone, adopting additional safety precautions and ensuring that effective emergency arrangements are in place. 

The University has developed a Lone Working policy and also a suite of risk assessment forms to assist managers with such an assessment.  These documents can be accessed here  Lone Working Procedures

HSE advice on lone working can be found here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/workalone.htm