Lone workers can be at greater risk of harm as they may not have anyone to help or support them if things go wrong. Employers have a legal duty to protect those working alone. The responsibilities include: carrying out thorough risk assessments specific to lone working situations providing adequate training on managing hazards and emergency procedures establishing effective supervision, monitoring and communication systems regularly reviewing safety measures to ensure they remain effective
HSE's website offers practical advice for employers on effectively managing risks, as well as a video on lone working that sets out the key advice.
Visit our lone working webpages for detailed guidance, case studies, and practical tools to protect those working alone: Lone working: Protect those working alone Fines of over £100,000 were issued after a worker suffered life-changing injuries in a near 6-metre fall. The worker was installing roof sheets on a barn extension when he stepped onto a fragile roof light which immediately broke under his weight. He suffered multiple injuries including 10 fractured ribs, hearing loss and fractures to his spine, eye socket, cheek, wrist and shoulder. HSE's investigation found that: the company had failed to implement basic working at height control measures to prevent falls from height in this area the netting in place on site did not cover full work areas and was installed by people without the sufficient skills there was a failure to plan, manage and monitor the construction phase
Read more in our press release: Fine for company and director after worker falls through roof light.
HSE has guidance on our website: Construction - Work at height. Visit our news centre for more on recent enforcement cases. Make sure your event protects workers and the public by using HSE's event safety webpages. Whether you're organising a small gathering or large-scale event, HSE guidance provides practical advice to help you meet your health and safety obligations. Our guidance helps you plan, manage and monitor events effectively with 3 key sections: Getting started with event planning â ensure your planning is proportionate to your event's scale and risk level Managing an event â understand your legal duties as an event organiser Planning for incidents and emergencies â develop effective response plans appropriate to potential risks
HSE monitors and enforces legal requirements on the safety of most products used in the workplace, including any risks to health. HSE has a duty to notify the Secretary of State about: unsafe or non-compliant products the measures taken and communicated by an economic operator
Products notified to the HSE Product Safety and Market Surveillance Unit that present a serious or high risk to the health and safety of the user, and recalled products, are published on GOV.UK's product safety alerts, reports and recalls webpage.â¯Â  Recent examples of products notified are: 3M Scott ELSA, Sprint, Emergency Life Support Apparatus 3M Scott ELSA, 2000, Emergency Life Support Apparatus Vernier Go Direct Charge Station
Find out more on our role as a market surveillance authority.
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