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Lone Worker - A Definition

The Health & Safety Executive is often asked the question, 'is it legal to work alone, and is it safe?' The HSE concludes that 'there is no single answer; it will depend on the findings of a risk assessment but often the answer will be yes'.

The HSE suggests the following defination "Lone workers are those who work by themselves without close or direct supervision. They are found in a wide variety of situations."

This definition does not mean that an individual has to work an entire shift to qualify as a Lone Worker. It can apply to short periods in a shift, say 10 to 15 minutes.

GalliNet Limited Lone-Worker Definition (PDF 40k)