Lone Worker Risk Assessment Checklist

What is a Lone Worker Risk Assessment?

A Lone Worker Risk Assessment helps you identify and mitigate potential high-risk scenarios before someone begins working alone. Lone workers face unique challenges because they do not have immediate support if they become injured, fatigued, distracted, or encounter a threatening situation. Proactively assessing these risks is essential to preventing incidents.

Typically delivered as a checklist or survey, the assessment evaluates the worker’s well-being, the environment they are entering, and any people they may interact with—for example, a home visit involving a potentially aggressive individual. This process provides clarity on whether appropriate risk mitigation strategies and controls are in place.

When to Use the Lone Worker Risk Assessment

We recommend completing a risk assessment before any lone work begins. This ensures you understand the risks involved and can confirm that the correct systems and safety processes are in place.
If the scenario presents too high a risk, the work should not be performed alone.

How to Use the Lone Worker Risk Assessment

Workers can complete the form online through an interactive PDF and email the results to their supervisor, or they can print and fill it out by hand. Using the risk matrix at the end of the document, supervisors calculate a risk score based on all responses.

• Low risk: Work can proceed without further review.
• Medium–high risk: A supervisor should review the results and consider additional precautions such as:
  • Should the worker use a GPS device for out-of-coverage communication?
  • Is a duress system available for rapid emergency response?
  • Is someone actively monitoring their well-being during the task?

FAQs

Is lone working suitable for everyone?

Not all workers are suited for lone working. Some individuals may have medical conditions, unique vulnerabilities, or personal circumstances that make working alone unsafe. It’s important to assess each employee’s capability, health, training, and experience before assigning lone work.

How often should a lone worker risk assessment be reviewed?

Review frequency varies depending on the nature of the work and the associated risks. Generally, assessments should be reviewed at least annually or whenever there are significant changes in tasks, environments, or regulations.

Are lone worker risk assessments a legal requirement?

In many regions, yes. Most jurisdictions require employers to assess and manage the risks associated with lone working. While specific regulations vary, organizations are typically obligated to protect worker health, safety, and well-being.

Centralized Visibility of Your Entire Workforce

Why Use SafetyIQ?

SafetyIQ’s Lone Worker Module transforms traditional manual processes into a streamlined, automated system that protects lone workers—no matter how isolated or high-risk their environment may be.

How We Do This

Workers create a Lone Worker Activity with scheduled check-ins. The activity includes an optional automated risk assessment that calculates a risk score:

• Low-risk results: Automatically approved
• High-risk results: Sent to a supervisor for review

Once approved, workers begin their task and receive automated SMS and email reminders to check in at predetermined intervals. If a check-in is missed, the escalation process activates immediately, notifying managers to respond.

Benefits of an Automated Approval Process

Real-Time Emergency Response

If a worker misses a check-in or signals an emergency, alerts are triggered instantly, enabling rapid response.

Integration with Satellite and GPS Technology

Real-time location tracking gives managers precise visibility of a lone worker’s location for faster and more accurate emergency assistance.

Data Collection and Reporting

Digital workflows capture check-in logs, incidents, response times, and location data. This information supports trend analysis, compliance reporting, and ongoing safety improvements.

Compliance and Documentation

SafetyIQ provides a complete digital trail, helping organizations demonstrate compliance with lone worker safety regulations during audits, investigations, or legal reviews.

Real Results Experienced by Our Customers

On average, customers experience 85.17% productivity improvements.

Case Study: Sandvik

• Complete visibility across global operations
• Over $1,000/month saved after switching to SafetyIQ
• 42 hours per month saved by eliminating manual processes

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