Introduction to Health and Safety at Work

Principles of control
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6.5.8 Monitoring safe systems
Safe systems of work should be monitored to ensure 
that they are effective in practice. This will involve:
➤
reviewing and revising the systems themselves, to 
ensure they stay up-to-date
➤
inspection to identify how fully they are being 
implemented.
In practice, these two things go together, since it is likely 
that a system that is out of date will not be fully imple-
mented by the people who are intended to operate it.
All organizations are responsible for ensuring that 
their safe systems of work are reviewed and revised as 
appropriate. Monitoring of implementation is part of all 
line managers’ normal operating responsibilities, and 
should also take place during health and safety audits.
6.6 
Lone workers
People who work by themselves without close or direct 
supervision are found in many work situations. In some 
cases they are the sole occupant of small workshops or 
warehouses; they may work in remote sections of a large 
site; they may work out of normal hours, like cleaners or 
security personnel; they may be working away from their 
main base as installers, or maintenance people; they 
could be people giving a service, like social workers, 
home helps, drivers and estate agents.
There is no general legal reason why people should 
not work alone but there may be special risks which 
require two or more people to be present, for example, 
during entry into a confi ned space in order to effect 
a rescue. It is important to ensure that a lone worker is not 
put at any higher risk than other workers. This is achieved 
by carrying out a specifi c risk assessment and introdu-
cing special protection arrangements for their safety. 
People particularly at risk, like young people or women, 
should also be considered. People’s overall health and 
suitability to work alone should be taken into account.
Procedures may include:
➤
periodic visits from the supervisor to observe what 
is happening
➤
regular voice contact between the lone worker and 
the supervisor
➤
automatic warning devices to alert others if a spe-
cifi c signal is not received from the lone worker
➤
other devices to raise the alarm, which are activated 
by the absence of some specifi c action
➤
checks that the lone worker has returned safely 
home or to their base
➤
special arrangements for fi rst aid to deal with minor 
injuries, this may include mobile fi rst aid kits
➤
arrangements for emergencies should be estab-
lished and employees trained.