Someone says they are uncomfortable about an upcoming lone-working task. That is a useful warning to explore, not a problem to brush aside. A lone worker app can support contact arrangements, but it cannot decide whether the work is suitable. Start with a conversation, then agree what happens next.
At a glance
- Listen for the specific gap in the working arrangements.
- Agree an interim plan before the task starts.
- Tell the worker what will change, who owns it and when.
Start by understanding the concern
HSE’s guidance for lone workers in Great Britain points people towards their employer, manager, supervisor or health and safety representative when they have concerns. Its consultation guidance also makes clear that employees must be consulted about health and safety. Listening should influence decisions, not simply confirm that a message was received.
Ask the worker to describe the task, the part that worries them and anything that has changed. Avoid opening with reassurance that nothing has happened before. A concern can reveal a gap before there is an incident.
Practical example: an evening advice appointment
Consider an adviser at a small community advice service. A face-to-face appointment is moved to the evening, after reception staff normally leave. During a daytime discussion, the adviser explains that they would be alone with a visitor and do not know who would control the shared entrance or provide nearby help.
The manager should separate those practical questions from assumptions about the visitor. The issue is the changed staffing and access arrangement, not an unsupported judgement about a person.
Before confirming the appointment, the manager could check the building arrangements and review whether lone attendance is suitable. Depending on that review, options might include using a staffed time, arranging suitable colleague cover or changing the appointment format where appropriate.
If lone attendance is judged suitable after controls are agreed, LoneApp could support the contact plan through activity timings, check-ins and assigned responders. The service would still need people able to respond and a clear emergency procedure. More frequent check-ins alone would not answer the concern about access or nearby assistance.
The manager should explain the decision to the adviser and check that the revised arrangements are understood. The lesson is to resolve the actual gap rather than treating an app as permission to proceed.
Turn the conversation into an action
Keep a short record through your organisation’s reporting process. Useful details are:
- The task and specific concern, without unnecessary personal information.
- What will happen until the concern has been assessed.
- Who will check the arrangements and by when.
- The agreed change and how the worker will hear the outcome.
Keep routine concerns and urgent help clear
Tell workers how to raise a concern before a shift and whom to contact if the usual manager is unavailable. HSE recommends setting limits on lone work and helping workers recognise when to seek advice. Your briefing should explain when to pause and ask for a decision.
An immediate danger needs the emergency arrangements, not an ordinary reporting queue. LoneApp’s support guidance says to call 999 if you are in immediate danger. LoneApp does not replace risk assessment, safe working or employer response arrangements, and does not include a staffed alarm receiving centre.
Make the route easy to use
Next step: ask your lone workers whether they know who to contact about a concern and how they would find out what happened to it. Fix any unclear step before the next lone-working task.