Introduction
AberSU seeks to protect those staff who work alone and undertakes to, as far as reasonably practicable, minimise the risks to the health and safety of its employees and those who may be affected by their activities.
Given the nature of Students’ Union work is unlikely to be a regular occurrence in the day to day work of the organisation that staff will be alone. There are many different situations where staff may find themselves in in terms of being the only person in an Office or vehicle but it would be unusual for them to be far from other staff in these circumstances.
AberSU acknowledges its duty to make sufficient provision for the management of health and safety in the workplace and to fully implement the requirements of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations by providing the facilities, procedures and resources for a suitable and sufficient management system.
This policy sets out the commitments and arrangements of AberSU for minimising the risk of physical and non-physical assaults against staff, risk of injury and improving overall personal safety and arrangements for lone working.
Definition - Physical and Non-physical Assault
Physical assaults – General Baseline Definition: “The intentional application of force to the persons of another, without legal justification, resulting in physical injury or personal discomfort.”
Physical assaults include being shoved, pushed, punched, kicked, head-butted, but this is not an exhaustive list.
Non-physical assault – General Baseline Definition: “The use of inappropriate words or behaviour causing distress and/or constituting harassment.”
It is very difficult to provide a comprehensive description of all types of incidents that are covered under this definition; however, the following examples would be consistent:
- Offensive language, verbal abuse and swearing which prevents staff from doing their job or makes them feel unsafe
- Negative, malicious or stereotypical comments
- Invasion of personal space
- Brandishing of objects or weapons
- Near misses i.e. unsuccessful physical assaults
- Threats or risk of serious injury to a member of staff, or visitors
- Bullying*, victimisation or intimidation
- Stalking
- Unreasonable behaviour and non-cooperation
- Any of the above linked to destruction of or damage to property
This is not an exhaustive list
*Staff on staff bullying does not fall within the context of this policy. Any such issues should be dealt with in accordance with the Bullying and Harassment Policy.
Definition – Lone Working
Lone working is intended to cover all work proposed to be undertaken alone where the risk to the individual lone worker may be increased either by work itself, or by the lack of on-hand support should something go wrong. However, it is important that these risks are not overexaggerated, as this can have a detrimental effect, by endangering an unnecessary perception of fear amongst staff that is disproportionate to reality.
Lone working can occur:
- During normal working hours in an Office location around the building within the building
- When working outside normal working hours
Under both these circumstances, RBH’s guidance on lone working will apply
Staff may find themselves undertaking lone working in a variety of settings, which include:
- Offices in different areas of the building
- Work alone in any given situation without direct access to other colleagues
- Employees own homes
- Travel alone using own vehicle, public transport and / or to and from any place of work
- Working alone at AberSU office ‘after hours’
Policy Statement
AberSU acknowledges that there may be an increased risk to health and safety of its employees, and others when working alone. Risk assessments should be undertaken to identify risk to lone worker and measures introduced to minimise risks wherever reasonably practicable.
Managers shall ensure lone working situations are identified, appropriate risk assessments undertaken, control measures introduced and employees are provided with the necessary information, instruction and training.
Roles and Responsibilities
The CEO has overall responsibility for managing all aspects of health and safety. This responsibility has been delegated to the Director of Resources. The Director of Resources will ensure mechanisms are in place:
- To ensure any risk to a person’s safety is adequately controlled, and reduced to the lowest level; which is reasonably practicable.
- To ensure, where necessary, that appropriate risk assessments and safe systems of work are in place
- To ensure that this policy is adhered to by staff and that resources are available to ensure effective implementation
Managers Responsibilities
Managers have a responsibility to:
- Promote and support the aims and objectives of this policy
- Maintain staffing levels and adequate cover when dealing with work related to violence and aggression. When there is the foreseeability of the likelihood of an incident occurring, to put into place immediate control measures to reduce the risk to the lowest level which is reasonably practicable.
Employee Responsibilities
All employees have a general duty to take reasonable care of their own safety and that of others who may be affected by their actions.
All employees must further ensure that they will:
- Cooperate with AberSU to enable it to meet its obligations in respect of the prevention of physical and non-physical assaults and the reduction of risks related to lone working.
- Be vigilant and ensure that any known or identified risks are immediately reported to their line manager as a minimum requirement.
- Be aware of out of hours arrangements and the details of contacting University security so that immediate contact can be made in the event of an emergency
- Report any accident or incident in accordance with the provisions of the incident reporting procedure
- Attend health and safety related training
Risk Assessment and Control
The policy for dealing with lone working is no different from other activities in that it involves risk assessment for the lone working activity.
The objective of the risk assessment is to ensure that satisfactory control measures are in place for such activities.
| Risk Level |
Activities |
Control Measures |
|
Low
Medium
|
People engaged in tasks they would normally undertake in their office in work hours where another staff member is not present or near.
Work with students or members of the public (advice, interviews, consultation, one to ones). Handling money. Lone worker suffered from illness that might increase risks of the job Office working out of hours
|
It is good practice to ensure that a second person is aware of the first person’s location and they have access to means of communication.
Inspections/risk assessments of the work area should be undertaken by the to ensure hazards have been identified, risk controlled and provisions for emergencies are in place e.g. escape routes open, firefighting equipment, first aid, etc.
Induction training and health and safety information. Staff are aware of the correct incident reporting procedures and are encouraged to report actual and near miss incidents.
All of the above measures plus consider the location of such meetings and ensure that rooms used for confidential interviews should be visible from the outside Public access to office or money handling areas restricted Appropriate communication should be maintained with the lone worker. The lone worker equipped by means of 2-way communication such as a phone or mobile phone or personal alarm. The lone worker should call University Security if they need support urgently.
|
Selection and Consideration of Control Measures
Clearly, the types of control measures for a lone working activity will vary depending on the type of work, location, experience of worker and local conditions. The questions that need to be asked are:
- Whether the risk of the work can be adequately controlled by one person, or are more people necessary
- Does the workplace present a special risk to the lone worker
- Is there a safe access and exit for that person
- Can one person handle all the equipment needed
- Is the equipment safe and regularly maintained
- Is the lighting and ventilation sufficient
- Can substances and materials involved in the work be handled safely by one person? Hazardous substances which are subject to Control of Substances Regulations (COSHH) must be considered carefully and risk assessments undertaken.
- Is the person medically fit to work alone or have special needs
- Do lone workers fully understand the risk involved in the work
- Are limits set as to what can and cannot be done whilst working alone, when to stop and seek advice
- What is the appropriate level of supervision for the task? The extent of supervision required should be identified by managers.
- Have arrangements been made for illness, accidents and emergencies
- Have employees received information, instruction and training
Summary Policy Statement
Working alone is not illegal but it can bring additional risks to a work activity. AberSU has developed policies and procedures to control risks and protect employees, and employees should follow them. Apart from employees being sure that they are capable of doing the job on their own, the three most important things to be certain of are that:
- The lone worker has full knowledge of the hazards and risks to which they are being exposed.
- A colleague knows the whereabouts of a lone worker and what they are doing.
- The lone worker knows what to do if something goes wrong.
The activities within this guidance are not exhaustive, consequent risks should be effectively identified and managed by management. The ‘lone worker’ is obligated to follow the outcomes of the risk assessment and consequent agreed procedures.