Lone working

Pinsent Masons LLP has seen increasing evidence of organisations placing greater emphasis on the issue of lone working and the risks it may pose to workers safety, personal security and mental well-being. Effective management of this issue which is required to comply with employers’ health and safety obligations can be challenging and throws up a number of issues.

It is not always straightforward in identifying what is lone working and the risks that might exist from a particular activity. The social and economic benefits of keeping people safe, happy and well are obvious. Occupational health is a priority area for the HSE and due to a recently revised approach now being taken by courts dealing with health and safety breaches the legal price to be paid for getting this wrong has never been higher with £ multi-million fines being imposed even in cases where no-one has been killed or injured.

This webinar will consider the legal health and safety requirements relevant to lone working in the context of what are “reasonably practicable” steps that employers should take and practical steps to manage it including the role that technology and training can play.

This session is led by Sean Elson who is a partner in Pinsent Masons national health and safety team and a founder member and the secretary of the Health and Safety Lawyers Association. He provides non contentious legal health and safety advice and supports clients across sectors during coroner inquests and enforcement action by the HSE or Local Authorities. He is also a director and trustee of the Construction Health and Safety Group, a charitable organisation that seeks to raise standards in the construction industry.

Sean is joined by an external expert, Nicole Vazquez a director at Worthwhile Training. Nicole’s particular expertise is supporting organisations and individuals in areas connected with personal safety and security and lone worker safety. She has worked across a number of sectors including retail, housing, transport and health and for many years was an independent consultant for the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. Nicole also hosts the annual Lone Worker Safety Expo Conference the only UK event dedicated to safety, security and wellbeing of lone workers.