The Importance of Risk Assessments for Lone Workers in Construction

Construction workers are no stranger to health and safety procedures, but extra precautions need to be taken when working alone. Lone worker risk assessments should be carried out and updated regularly to reflect changes in the workplace.

This is especially important if the work environment changes due to COVID-19 restrictions or other circumstances that affect lone worker safety.

What is a Risk Assessment?

When a business is dealing with the issue of lone worker safety, they need to set up policies and procedures to ensure that workers are safe when they are working alone. This process involves identifying hazards, assessing the risks involved in those hazards, determining how serious they could be, implementing control measures, developing emergency procedures, and training employees and providing communication to help them understand the risks.

This risk assessment process should be completed by a team of individuals, and it’s a good idea to involve lone workers in the assessment process so they can provide valuable insight into how dangerous conditions affect them when they are working alone. This information will be helpful in deciding whether or not a lone worker should be accompanied, especially if they are new to a task, have received minimal training, or are encountering unfamiliar circumstances.

It isn’t possible to anticipate every risk on a construction site, so lone worker assessment should be conducted regularly. It is also a good idea to perform a risk assessment whenever a change occurs that could impact the safety of lone workers, such as the introduction of new processes or equipment. Additionally, since the work environment has changed drastically due to COVID-19, a risk assessment should be performed as soon as possible to identify any new hazards and determine how they can be mitigated.

Identifying the Hazards

Lone workers can face an increased risk for work-related injuries and illnesses. It's vital for them to have the same level of protection as employees working in teams, and this is where a risk assessment can help.

The first step in a risk assessment is to identify the hazards present. This can be done by analyzing the work that's being performed and looking closely at the tasks to determine what risks could be presented. Identifying the hazards will make it easier to create policies that reduce the risk and protect lone workers.

It's possible that some of the information needed to evaluate the work may already exist, such as safety data sheets for chemicals and equipment manufacturer instructions. Accident and ill-health records from the workplace should also be reviewed to look for patterns.

Once the hazardous situations have been identified, it's time to rank them according to their severity and likelihood of occurrence. This will give a clear idea of which risks need to be taken care of first.

For example, a high-ranking hazard that could potentially put a lone worker in danger is falling from heights. This is a risk that could be easily prevented by having the lone worker wear suitable clothing and using a harness. A lower-ranking hazard that could still cause harm is exposure to cold weather, which can result in frostbite.

Controlling the Hazards

A construction worker who is knocked unconscious by a falling roof tile or seriously injured from being thrown off a ladder in the course of their work is going to need treatment very quickly. While the use of hard hats and hi-vis clothing has helped to bring down the rates of serious injury, accidents can still happen – especially when working alone.

So, while construction companies may have extensive policies and procedures in place, if a worker feels that their safety is not being adequately protected they should speak up. They have a duty to do so, not only because of the potential consequences for them (which could include prosecution from their employer or a loss of income), but also due to the heavy fines, possible imprisonment and underlying uninsured costs that will likely be faced by a company if they are found guilty of breaching health and safety regulations.

Lone worker alarm As well as establishing lone worker procedures, employers should monitor them. If there is a risk that the procedure is being ignored, this should be flagged up to management who can review the policy and make sure that lone workers are being fully supported. They can also be encouraged to provide feedback about their experience of the policy – which will also help to identify any areas where further clarification or training might be required.

Training

While improvements in safety equipment and procedures have lowered rates of accidental injury, construction workers are still more likely to get hurt than those in other industries. This is especially true for lone workers. Whether they work alone for all of their time (plumbers, electricians and joiners making house visits, for example) or only for part of the day (construction workers operating heavy machinery or on a building site without supervision), these employees are at increased risk of serious injury or death because they don’t have the same level of backup as colleagues who operate as a team.

Fortunately, the risks associated with working alone can be managed through a series of practical and effective control measures. When completing a risk assessment, employers should consider all of the hazards that could impact an employee’s health and wellbeing, such as working with machinery or chemicals, and determine whether the work they are being asked to do is reasonable. This includes assessing the length of time they are expected to be on their own and identifying a contact person that will receive an emergency alert if a worker does not check-in as scheduled. It also includes developing an emergency plan, establishing communication protocols and training in these plans to ensure they are being followed correctly.