Lone Worker

If you must work alone, for your own safety tell someone where you are going, sign-on at the facility, work during the day, and always keep your mobile phone with you.

Safety risks to lone workers

Wherever possible, you should avoid undertaking any work alone at a Council facility. Undertaking work alone poses potentially serious risks to your safety.

You should always try to have at least one other person to be on-site when you are carrying out any duties at your facility. This will ensure that if you are injured, or any other incident occurs, another person will be available to provide assistance, or to contact emergency services if they are required.

Precautions to take if working alone

Council recognises though that sometimes this is not always feasible for volunteers, as the work you do is in your own time, and that may not suit others at your facility. If you must carry out any work alone at your facility, always ensure you do the following prior to arrival:

Inform someone else

Inform, in the first instance, your Volunteer Safety Officer of the activities you plan to undertake and the timeframe you believe you will be at the facility. If your VSO is not available at the time, inform another member of your committee.

Sign on

Complete your facility's sign-on register

Avoid working at night

Avoid undertaking any work at night time where possible. Being alone at a facility after dark poses obvious risks to your safety

Remain contactable

Always take your mobile phone with you and keep it on your person or within close reach.

Remember: Communication with your fellow committee members is the key to remaining safe when undertaking any work at a Council facility.

Page Last Updated: 16 May 2014