The most important characteristic of working alone is that the work is carried out in the absence of colleagues, clients or people in direct proximity. It makes no difference whether the work is being carried out in normal office hours or outside. This therefore, means situations where no direct contact with others is possible. In such circumstances, it is not possible to provide assistance to a lone worker if an accident takes place or a fire breaks out and therefore represents an additional risk to a lone worker, because he/she might find him/herself in an emergency situation as a result of fire or accident/injury. In emergency situations, a lone worker must be in a position to raise an alarm in order to get assistance or to take action within an acceptable period of time. A lone worker must also know how to act, for example, if an evacuation alarm sounds.

Younger employees under the age of eighteen are not permitted to work without supervision at all. Likewise, for extremely hazardous work, working alone is not permitted. This is understood to include:

• Working in confined spaces;
• Working under hyperbaric conditions (diving);
• Working on with high-voltage installations;
• For workplace-related work (welding, cutting, sawing, etc.);
• Working with large quantities of reactive, corrosive, extremely flammable, explosive or acutely toxic substances, strong acids and alkalis;Working with naked flames in combination with hazardous materials;
• Other hazardous work, such as working on an aerial platform;

In the procedures for these kinds of work, normally a work permit, it must be stipulated that a second person is present. The most important role of this second person is to organise assistance should anything go amiss during the work.

• Personal health matters.

Likewise, someone’s personal health may play a role in assessing whether working alone is responsible. The company medical officer can advise against working alone if there are underlying health issues such as diabetes, epilepsy, problems with balance, and sight or hearing impairments.

It is clear that working alone can bring about additional risks. In situations where working alone is permitted, measures must be put in place by both the employee and the employer. Employers are responsible for a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. If employees are working alone, the following must be arranged:

1. Assess whether working alone can be avoided: are there alternatives?;
2. Working alone can only take place after consultation with and on the instructions of the supervisor or the person who is in charge on loaction: this might also be the reception or the gatekeeper at the time. The presence of the lone worker and the location where he/she is working must be known;
3. The risks of the work must be established and control measures to manage must be effectively taken;
4. Determine whether working alone is sensible and if so:
   1. Draw up and agree instructions for working alone: in what way does signing in and out take place? In what way and by what means etc. does regular contact take place?
   2. The lone worker should be aware of the risks and the measures (to be) taken.

Working alone cannot always be avoided. In such situations, effective measures must be taken. A few examples of possible measures in order to work in a responsible fashion:

• Ensure that someone knows that an employee is working alone somewhere;
• Have the lone worker report at regular intervals (depending on the risk), for example, every hour;
• To this end, give the lone worker the telephone number intended for this purpose …….;
• Ensure that a follow-up/action takes place if the agreed measure is not put in place;
• Ensure that there is an ‘in case of emergency’ (abbr: ICE) number programmed in the lone worker’s mobile phone;
• Have regular inspections (for example, every two hours) carried out by a supervisor;
• Provide the lone worker with a device whereby a button can be pressed or held down, or which has to be pressed at intervals (dead man’s handle). If this is not/no longer possible, ensure that the technical system can pass on the alarm automatically to a manned station;
• Ensure that the lone worker is in direct remote contact with a second person (or via a constant voice connection);
• Ensure that the lone worker carries an electronic safety device, which, for example, can send out an alarm if he she is in a horizontal position or that he/he carries an electronic safety device, which responds in situations where there is a lack of motion over a certain period, or a combination of the two aforementioned possibilities;
• Ensure camera surveillance;
• Ensure that the lone worker signs off after carrying out the work or when they move to another work location;
• Ensure that the lone worker is aware of how to act in the event of an emergency, knows the emergency telephone numbers, the location of fire extinguishers, the emergency response or where First Aid kits can be found (company emergency plan).
• The LMRA (Last Minute Risk Analysis) must be carried out and may provide a reason for a technician to implement one or more of the aforementioned measures (or have these implemented).