Lone & Remote Working – Recently Asked Questions!
Lone workers are those who work remotely and/or by themselves without close/direct supervision, such as delivery drivers, health/social workers, engineers, security staff, cleaners, and those who may work remotely or alone for example, those with a home office.
Q: Am I breaking the law if I am working alone?
No. It is not illegal but employers are strongly advised to conduct a risk assessment for lone worker activities. Further guidance to employers and workers is outlined in the freely available HSE publication, INDG73 Protecting lone workers. How to manage the risks of working alone
Q: Why do I need to do a risk assessment for lone workers?
Lone workers face the same hazards at work as anyone else, but there is a greater risk of these hazards causing harm as they may not have anyone to help or support them if things go wrong. As an employer, you should provide training, supervision, monitoring and support for lone workers.
Q. Do I need an assessment if I work from home?
Yes. If you have set up either a temporary or long-term office workstation at home the employer is responsible that a suitable assessment is done to ensure the workstation is set up correctly without risks to a worker’s health of safety, Regulation 2 of the Display Screen Equipment Regulations 1992. This applies to most working at home activities.
Q. I drive a lot for work, do I need any health and safety for driving?
Yes. You should have a safety induction with guidance and instructions as to carry out a safety inspection of your vehicle. You should also have instructions about the safe loading and unloading of your vehicle, e.g. the relevant maximum load, distribution of weight, methods used to secure the load. You will need more specific training in the safe use of tail-lift equipment, hydraulic lifting arms, sliding ramps and winches, etc.
If you own the vehicle, you will have responsibility to tax, insure and keep it maintained in a safe and roadworthy condition. If it is owned by your employer, they will have these responsibilities. You must report any defects found during an inspection prior to a journey. The employer should have arrangements to rectify any defect when it is reported. The driver must also take appropriate action should a fault or failure occurs whilst driving on the road.
The employer will need to routinely check you have a valid license for the class of vehicle you are driving. If you use your own vehicle for work purposes the employer must check you hold a valid driving license, insurance and a MOT certificate if the vehicle registration is over the prescribed period.
There is no such thing as a trivial or complicated question. If your question isn’t here, please get in touch and we would be glad to provide an answer suitable for you and your workplace.
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