Lone workers are the unsung heroes who operate quietly behind the scenes. Security guards are often lone workers protecting vacant sites at night, and utility technicians who manage power line issues in remote places and engage in many duties that facilitate essential services to run smoothly.  

Even though looking after themselves is not a small task. Their responsibilities include ensuring the safety, efficiency, and continuity of work in situations with no one else to support them.  

Lone workers operate effectively in many different areas, from healthcare and construction to logistics, maintenance, and repair. They demonstrate resilience and a sense of duty to take on the workloads that no one else wants to carry out.  

Imbalances in the workplace escalate due to over-optimizing duties. The importance of giving them recognition must be a fundamental workplace principle.

 In this blog, we’ll discover the definition of lone working along with the importance of lone workers in every industry.

What is a Lone Worker?

A lone worker is defined as someone who performs a job without direct supervision or co-workers present at the time of duty. Lone workers may be working in isolated areas, which may increase their risk in the event of an accident, a medical reason for emergency, or any other safety issue.  

Examples of lone workers include:

• Security guards patrolling remote areas 
• Utility workers checking pipelines or electrical lines 
• Delivery drivers and couriers 
• Field service technicians 
• Cleaners working after hours in empty buildings 

As part of their employee responsibility, employers are also ethically and legislatively obligated to ensure the workers’ safety from risk factors. They must ensure that risk and task assessments are conducted, regular check-ins are completed with protective equipment, and various tools, i.e. lone worker safety apps, wearable alert devices, etc. 

The Importance of Lone Workers

Here are five intriguing examples that highlight the importance of lone workers across various fields:

1. Security Without Disruption

A night watchman works late hours at a corporate warehouse for loss prevention. 

When there are no lone workers, many businesses and homes would remain unguarded after hours. 

Lone workers provide quiet protection for property and people by securing undiscovered potential losses from theft, fraud, and fire while ensuring compliance. Also, their presence acts as a vigilant safeguard to assets in case any potential criminal activity is to take place.  

2. Keeping the Power On

A field technician climbs a pole during a storm to restore power in a rural neighbourhood. 

Lone workers in the utilities sector play an important role in emergency response and maintenance work for essential utility services when teams cannot reach remote areas fast enough for service.

3. Ensuring Public Health

A community health nurse makes a solitary visit to elderly clients in remote villages. 

Lone worker healthcare services augment patient access to underserved communities where the absence of healthcare services or facilities is lacking. This is particularly true in times of crises like pandemics or floods.

4. On-Time Deliveries

A courier driver makes their deliveries on schedule of delivery of medical supplies even in tight traffic or storms. 

Lone drivers in every form of transportation, i.e., taxi, rideshare, or postal services, are enforcing supply chain movement while enjoying independence when compared to other professions. 

This independence comes with promising service, lower costs, ample flexibility in daily operations, maintaining purpose, and perspectives on voluntary employment. 

5. Maintenance That Prevents Chaos

The lone worker, a building cleaner, cleans and disinfects high-touch surface areas in an office tower after office hours. 

Lone cleaners and maintenance, and transport workers create hygienic, safe, and operational workplaces for schools, offices, and hospitals while often working in the middle of the night and being unseen by others during their work.

Protecting Lone Workers

Here are some practical and essential tips on how to protect those working alone, ensuring their safety and peace of mind while on the job:

• Use Lone Worker Safety Apps and Devices

In the advanced world, one of the best strategies to support lone workers’ safety is to provide them with mobile safety applications and wearable monitoring devices. The mobile applications and devices can regularly monitor lone workers and allow them to check in, send emergency signals, and activate panic or silent alarms, achieved by using the app and/or mobile devices (depending on the capabilities).  

Moreover, with the use of GPS tracking, a supervisor can see where the lone worker is located in real time and react accordingly in an emergency. 

If an officer assigned to a site observes a broken lock or observes suspicious behaviour, they can log the broken lock or suspicious behaviour into the app and upload images of the suspicious activity in real-time without leaving the scene of the suspicious activity.

One such lone worker app is Smart Workforce, which increases efficiency by automating welfare checks, improving the lone worker’s safety, and acting as a possible immediate support. 

• Conduct Thorough Risk Assessments 

Prior to assigning tasks to lone workers, employers should conduct thorough risk assessments based on the type of job being performed and the location.  

For example, a utility technician working in underground tunnels will have different risks than a home-care nurse going to unfamiliar neighbourhoods. Risk assessments should identify hazards and threats, such as poor lighting, hazardous materials, high-crime areas, and lack of cell phone coverage, to name a few.  

These insights help businesses develop preventative measures, such as changing shift times or providing safety equipment. Further, businesses can reduce or change the work assignment to reduce the worker being exposed to danger.

• Establish Regular Communication Protocols

Consistent and reliable communication with lone workers is an important safety procedure. Businesses aren’t going to be able to keep employees from being unlucky in every situation, but they can at least structure communication protocols.

These include scheduled workplace checks, workplace confirmation at the end of the shift, and automatic alerts if a worker does not check in.

For example, a field service engineer working in a rural area may be expected to check in hourly, through a dedicated app or text, to confirm they are completing their work. If the check-in does not occur, the supervisor will receive an alert that can start an emergency response process.

• Train Workers on Emergency Procedures

Even the best technologies won’t make a difference if employees have not received adequate training on how to react in emergencies. Lone workers should participate in comprehensive crisis management lone worker training. They should know how to deal with injury, verbal abuse, theft, or natural disasters.

Besides, training also includes an orientation to how safety apps and devices function, how to use a panic button, and contingency plans when there is a communication failure. Moreover, employees should role-play different scenarios to feel confident and prepared.

• Formulate a Lone Worker Policy 

To formalize emergency and safety response procedures, employers would be advised to create a lone worker policy that clearly outlines specific responsibilities, escalation, and expectations for all individuals concerned. 

The proposal must contain the definitions of solitary work, how the potential dangers will be assessed, the nature of the technology to be employed, and the emergency response plan.

Through this policy, the company will have an accepted procedure for lone worker protection, and any uncertainty in the procedure will be minimized as uniformity can be achieved in all departments.

Furthermore, it must also be communicated to new entrants in the recruiting process. It is also crucial that the policy is periodically reviewed and updated to keep up with changing job functions, technology, and regulations. 

Final Thoughts

Lone workers can work alone, but their work is far from alone—it’s the behind-the-scenes foundation upon which many industries stand, from security and healthcare to energy and transportation, and many more.  

Valuing their work is more than a pat on the back; it’s an enlightened investment in their safety, well-being, and professional empowerment.  

Hence, with the right support systems, policies, and equipment, companies can keep these key workers safe, heard, and fully empowered to do their best work—even when they’re working alone. Protecting those who help protect our operations isn’t the right thing to do—it’s the only thing.