Where lone working is taking place, it’s essential for businesses to develop lone working policies to make sure appropriate processes and protections are in place to minimise risk, both for the lone workers themselves and the organization.

Your lone worker policies should centre the safety and wellbeing of the lone workers, while also providing proof of compliance with health and safety regulations, helping to rule out liability in the event of an incident. But what does that actually look like? 

In this guide, we discuss lone worker policies in detail – what they are, who needs one, and what they should include.

What is a lone working policy?

In essence, a lone worker policy is a formal document that outlines how your business identifies, manages, and mitigates the unique risks faced by employees who work without direct or close supervision.

Not sure how to identify your lone workers? See our dedicated guide: Practical strategies for identifying your lone workers

It ensures that both your team members and your supervisors know exactly how to stay connected, how to spot potential hazards, and what to do if an emergency happens. All employees should have easy access to your lone worker policy. To this end, they may need to be stored in multiple locations and in multiple formats.

Rather than static, a lone worker policy should be tested and reviewed regularly to ensure procedures are keeping up with the nature and severity of risks faced by lone workers.

That said, whether you have an effective and accessible lone worker policy is just one of the big questions business leaders should be asking themselves about lone worker safety. See the others in our guide: Lone Working: The Big Questions.

Who needs a lone worker policy?

Legally speaking, there is no specific requirement for businesses to create a dedicated lone worker policy document. However, all businesses are required under OSHA’s General Duty Clause to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that could cause serious harm or death. 

If an isolated worker is injured or faces workplace violence, and your business lacks a documented process to monitor or locate them, federal regulators can issue severe penalties for negligence.

With this in mind, any business that has employees performing tasks without direct, face-to-face supervision should develop a lone worker policy.

Many business owners assume this only applies to heavy industries like mining or construction, but the legal and practical definition of a lone worker is much broader. In the United States, if an employee cannot be seen or heard by a colleague and cannot easily call out for immediate help, they are technically working alone. 

This is true whether they are isolated for an entire shift or just for a few hours. You can learn more about the scope of lone working in our dedicated guide: Lone worker safety – What qualities as “lone working” and what are the risks?

Single vs multiple lone worker policies

If there are multiple roles responsible for managing lone worker safety at different levels within your business, you may choose to create separate, targeted policies. 

For example, if line managers are responsible for the daily safety of front-line lone workers, but a senior executive is responsible for the safety of those line managers when they travel, it is usually best to communicate these responsibilities through distinct documents. 

This keeps instructions highly relevant to each group, ensuring that supervisors aren’t bogged down by executive protocols, and higher-ups have clear guidance tailored specifically to their own unique risks.

I’m not sure if I need a lone worker policy for my business

Mapping out specific organizational risks can be a complex task. If you’re unsure how to structure your policies or if you need them in the first place, Cardinus can help.

Through our safety consultancy services, we can evaluate your organization’s current exposure and assist you in implementing appropriate safety management systems. Make your employee safety obligations clear with Safety Consultancy from Cardinus.

What should a lone worker policy include?

As lone worker risks can differ dramatically between businesses and roles, lone worker policies should be unique to your organization. However, as a basic foundation to build from, you should consider including the following:

1. The statement of intent

Start by clearly stating why the policy was created and what it aims to achieve. This demonstrates to regulatory bodies like OSHA that your leadership is proactively committed to employee welfare and compliance.

2. Risk assessment timelines

Your policy needs to outline exactly when formal risk assessments will be carried out and why. For instance, you might mandate a full assessment annually, or whenever a lone worker’s job description changes, a new piece of equipment is introduced, or a team member enters a new geographic territory.

3. Safety training mandates

A policy is only effective if your team knows how to use it. Specify when workers will receive relevant lone worker safety training, what that training entails, and how often they need refresher courses.

Of course, keeping a distributed or remote team up to date on safety training is easier said than done. To help businesses bridge this gap, Cardinus delivers a comprehensive, customizable Lone Working eLearning course. It is designed to help you easily reach your lone workers with practical, engaging training, wherever they happen to be. 

4. Post-incident support systems

Clearly define what support is available if an employee experiences an accident, injury, sudden illness, or assault while working alone. This is a critical section that should outline everything from workers’ compensation procedures and paid time off to internal support, counseling services, and legal assistance.

5. Routine communication methods

Detail the day-to-day communication methods that will keep your isolated workers connected to the home office. This should specify the rules for peer-to-peer “buddy systems,” mandatory phone call intervals, or automated smartphone application check-ins.

6. Approved safety technology and monitoring tools

Clearly list the specific technology and monitoring systems your business utilizes to aid lone worker safety. Whether your company provides personal GPS safety devices, vehicle tracking systems, or specialized wearable tech, your policy must outline how and when these tools must be activated by the employee.

7. Step-by-step emergency procedures

Finally, lay out an unambiguous emergency procedure. This section should detail exactly what the employer, the supervisor or line manager, and the lone workers themselves must do if a crisis occurs or if a scheduled check-in is missed. Leaving no room for guesswork during an emergency is what ultimately minimizes risk and limits organizational liability.

Putting your lone worker policy into action

Pre-implementation:

• Gather employee feedback: Before finalizing your policy, talk to the people on the front lines. A delivery driver or field technician often sees micro-risks that a manager in an office might miss. Getting their input also ensures better compliance when the policy rolls out.
  
• Plan where it can be accessed and by whom: Determine exactly where the document will live and ensure all employees have immediate access to it. This means storing it in multiple formats and locations, such as physical safety binders in fleet vehicles, digital uploads on your company intranet, and mobile-friendly versions accessible via smartphone.
  
• Assign clear policy ownership: Before the policy goes live, explicitly designate who is responsible for its enforcement and upkeep. Whether it’s an HR director, an operations manager, or a dedicated safety officer, someone must own the responsibility of tracking daily check-ins, monitoring compliance, and ensuring new hires are onboarded into the safety system. 

Post implementation:

• Run practice drills: Don’t wait for a real emergency to test your escalation path. Periodically test your missed check-in procedures to ensure supervisors know exactly when to call emergency services and that tracking technology works seamlessly.
  
• Review and adapt annually as standard – but more frequently if risk aspects shift: Your business isn’t static, and neither are your risks. New service areas, updated equipment, or evolving local regulations mean your policy needs regular updates. Treat it as a living document that undergoes a formal review at least once a year.

Lone Worker Training – from policies to practical preparedness

Building a compliant, effective lone worker framework is an important step, and rolling out the necessary training doesn’t have to be an administrative burden.

Cardinus’ online Lone Working eLearning course is designed to help you easily reach your workers, verify their understanding, and maintain the documentation you need for compliance, wherever your team is located.

We are currently offering a free trial of our eLearning products, including our Lone Working course. Request a free trial to start protecting your lone workers.