Lone working in the workshop

What the rules say

Lone working is not prohibited. The provisions require the employer to assess the risks of lone working and arrange it so that someone working alone can get help if something happens.

Some work should not be done alone. Where there is a clear risk of an accident requiring immediate help, the work must be carried out by at least two people, or under supervision such that help arrives quickly.

The assessment is the employer's and must be written. An experienced fitter feeling it is fine is not the same as a risk assessment.

What is dangerous in a workshop specifically

Working under a raised vehicle is the clearest case. A vehicle on stands or a lift that gives way causes injury where minutes decide, and whoever is underneath can neither raise an alarm nor be seen.

Hot work alone is the second. A fire starting in an empty building is discovered late, and someone welding alone has nobody to interrupt them.

Heavy lifting and confined spaces. Trapping yourself between chassis and body sounds unlikely until it happens.

Electrical work and work with compressed air or pressurised hydraulics belong here too — energies that can release suddenly.

Practical solutions that work

The rule "never alone under a vehicle" is the single most effective measure, and costs nothing. It needs to be written down and to apply to the foreman as well.

Scheduled check-ins. Whoever works alone reports when they start and when they finish, to a named person. If the check-in does not come, you call. It sounds simple because it is.

An alarm that works where the work happens. A phone in the overall pocket is often enough, but not if it is on the bench ten metres away while you are under a vehicle.

Limit which tasks may be done alone rather than banning lone working outright. A list of what is permitted after closing is easier to follow than a blanket ban everyone works around anyway.

How to make the assessment

Start from the tasks, not the people. The question is which work requires immediate help if something goes wrong — not who is experienced enough to manage.

Include the time of day. The same task can be reasonable at three in the afternoon with colleagues around and unsuitable at nine in the evening.

Account for how long help takes to arrive. A workshop on an industrial estate with no neighbours has longer response times than one in town, and that must weigh in.

Write the conclusion down and make it known. An assessment sitting in a binder has changed nobody's behaviour.

Common questions

Is lone working prohibited?

No. It must be risk assessed and arranged so help can be reached. Some work with a clear accident risk should not be done alone.

Is carrying a phone enough?

Often, but not always. The question is whether an injured person can actually use it. Trapped under a vehicle, where the phone is makes no difference.

Does it apply to the manager too?

Yes. The rules apply to the work, not the job title, and a rule the foreman works around quickly stops applying to everyone else.

How do we document it?

As part of the risk assessment, with the tasks concerned and the conclusion for each. It does not need to be long — it needs to be written and known.