Lone Working Policy

At Handcrafted, we recognise that some staff and volunteers may be required to work alone as part of their roles. We are committed to ensuring their safety and well-being by identifying potential risks and implementing appropriate measures to reduce them.

This policy outlines the procedures for managing lone working, including risk assessment, communication protocols, and support measures.

This policy will be reviewed as required and at least annually by the group or individual responsible for review and authorised by the Trustees as below:

Group or individual responsible for review	The Human Resources and Wellbeing Steering Group
Last review and approval	26/04/2024

What is lone working?

As an employee of Handcrafted, there may be times when you are required to work away from your base, without the direct supervision and support of your colleagues. You may be working outside of normal hours, doing a home visit at one of our properties or supervising a renovation.

Lone working can present a variety of risks from accidental injury to a risk of harm from violence. This policy outlines how we manage that risk at Handcrafted

Who is responsible?

As an employer, Handcrafted is required by law to protect the health and safety of lone workers. We must provide adequate training, support, and equipment to enable you to do your job safely. However, as a lone worker, you also have a responsibility to:

Take reasonable care to look after your own safety and health
Safeguard the safety and health of other people affected by your work
Follow Handcrafted safety and health procedures
Use equipment in accordance with any relevant safety instructions and training you have been given
Report all accidents, injuries, near-misses and other dangerous occurrences

The Risks

Before working alone, you should assess the risks and take steps to minimise them. This policy identifies the following risks associated with the kind of work we do at Handcrafted.

risk of threat, intimidation or violence from members of the public, trainees and residents
risk of wrongful allegations being made by members of the public, trainees and residents
risk of personal injury while moving loads and using tools

Managing Risk

General principles

If at any time you are working alone, make sure:

You have a working mobile phone with sufficient charge on the battery
Your phone is switched on
Your supervisor (or colleagues if they are unavailable) know where you are going and for how long you are likely to be working alone

Inform your supervisor if you have a medical condition or there are any circumstances that make you more vulnerable when working alone (e.g. if you are pregnant or taking medication that makes you drowsy).

Sign out from your base when if you leave, and sign back in when you return. Let your supervisor know when you have returned.

Report and record if you feel that a risk has changed (for example if you notice a trainee is drinking more heavily than usual or you are aware that they have made verbal threats).

Avoiding lone working

The best way to make sure you avoid the risks associated with lone working is not to do it.

If you feel uncomfortable about a potential lone-working situation, don't do it. This is a personal decision. Just because someone else would do, this does not mean you have to. If you are in doubt, speak to your supervisor or seek the support of colleagues. Use your judgement and take responsibility for feeling safe.

Particular care must be taken in certain situations:

If you are likely to be alone with a vulnerable adult or a minor of the opposite sex
If you are likely to be alone with an individual who has a history of assault or sexual offences
If in doubt, take someone with you.
Where possible, meet in a public setting rather than in private.

Certain individuals are designated in their client record under “Safeguarding” as M (potential risk to minors), NFL (no female lone working), and NFL&M (No female lone working and potential risk to minors). Make sure you know if this is the case by checking their record.

Home visits

You may be particularly vulnerable when visiting Handcrafted properties by yourself.

Don't enter a property if the resident is under the influence of drugs or alcohol or is threatening violence.
Use an agreed code word if you get into difficulties and need to alert colleagues by phone without alarming someone you are with.
Avoid entering a property alone without the resident present unless this is absolutely necessary.
Stick to a time limit for a visit and make this explicit to the person you are visiting (e.g. say "I have just an hour, and then I will need to leave.")
If you're visiting a Handcrafted property, make sure you have a key to the property.

There is no system suggested in this policy for getting people to check in or calling them after, say, half an hour because if you're going into a situation where you might need to be called in half an hour, you shouldn't be going alone.

Giving lifts

Don't give a lift by yourself to a person identified as higher risk.

If you are doing multiple pickups or dropoffs make sure you do them in an order that means you will not end up with a higher risk person travelling with you alone

Avoid taking a person in your car who is not known to Handcrafted (i.e. if we have no referrers risk assessment for them or have not had the opportunity to assess and record any risks.)

Supervising trainees

If you are supervising trainees by yourself (in the workshop, out on renovations or in other training settings), you must have a current certification in basic first aid.

Physical work

Handcrafted employees work with construction materials, tools and machinery, including off-site and alone. Some tasks may be too difficult or dangerous for you to do by yourself.

Make sure you use appropriate personal protective equipment for the task you are doing. If it is not available, inform your line manager and do not put yourself at risk of injury.
Follow correct manual handling procedures according to the training provided by Handcrafted.
Don't move loads or operate machinery without the proper training.
Lone workers must have access to a first aid kit at all times