Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

5.10.3 Workers with a disability
Organizations have been encouraged for many years 
to employ workers with disabilities and to ensure that 

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Risk assessment
75
their premises provide suitable access for such people. 
From a health and safety point of view, it is important 
that workers with a disability are covered by special risk 
assessments so that appropriate controls are in place 
to protect them. For example, employees with a hear-
ing problem will need to be warned when the fi re alarm 
sounds or a fork lift truck approaches. Special vibrating 
signals or fl ashing lights may be used. Similarly workers 
in wheelchairs will require a clear, wheelchair friendly, 
route to a fi re exit and onwards to the assembly point. 
Safe systems of work and welfare facilities need to be 
suitable for any workers with disabilities.
The fi nal stage of the goods and services provisions 
in Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act came 
into force on 1 October 2004. The new duties apply to 
service providers where physical features make access 
to their services impossible or unreasonable for people 
with a disability. The Act requires equal opportunities for 
employment and access to workplaces to be extended 
to all people with disabilities.
5.10.4 Lone 
workers
People who work alone, like those in small workshops, 
remote areas of a large site, social workers, sales person-
nel or mobile maintenance staff, should not be at more 
risk than other employees. It is important to consider 
whether the risks of the job can be properly controlled by 
one person. Other considerations in the risk assessment 
include:
➤
whether the particular workplace presents a special 
risk to someone working alone
➤
is there safe egress and exit from the workplace?
➤
can all the equipment and substances be safely 
handled by one person?
➤
is violence from others a risk?
➤
would women and young persons be specially at 
risk?
➤
is the worker medically fi t and suitable for working 
alone?
➤
are special training and supervision required?
For details of further precautions for lone workers, see 
paragraph 6.6 of Chapter 6.