A lone worker at the roadside has no colleague to notice a hazard, no second pair of hands, and nobody to raise the alarm. Everything about the task has to account for that before it starts.

What lone working actually removes

It is not simply one fewer person. It removes the second opinion on whether a layout is adequate, the person who spots the vehicle that is not slowing, the ability to hold a signal while someone else works, and above all the guarantee that an incident will be discovered promptly. A worker who is struck or taken ill at a roadside with nobody present may not be found for a long time, and that possibility is the one the arrangements have to address.

Some tasks are not lone-workable

Anything requiring a signaller, anything on a high-speed road, anything needing a lane closure, and anything where the escape route is uncertain are all two-person tasks regardless of how quick they are. Deciding that in advance and writing it down is what prevents the on-the-spot judgement that a job is small enough to do alone, which is the judgement made immediately before most lone-working incidents.

The vehicle and the escape route

For roadside work the parked vehicle is the protection. It goes upstream of the worker, offset to shield them, with beacons displaying, and it stays there rather than being moved along for convenience. The worker needs an escape route that leads away from the carriageway — onto a verge, behind a barrier, up a bank — identified before starting, because the moment it is needed is not the moment to look for one. A position with no escape route is a position to move.

Check-in that fails safe

A check-in system only works if a missed call triggers something. Systems where the worker has to remember to call in put the burden on the person who may be unable to, and they fail silently. What is needed is an agreed interval, a named person who is expecting the call, and an escalation that happens automatically when it does not arrive — including someone who knows the location precisely enough to send help there.

The public are part of the risk

A lone roadside worker also deals with drivers who stop to complain, ask directions, or become aggressive about delays. That is a foreseeable part of the job rather than an unlucky event, and the arrangements should include what to do about it: not engaging, withdrawing to the vehicle, and a means of summoning help that does not depend on continuing the conversation.

For the same check-in problem at height, see lone working on a roof. For what the parked vehicle is doing, see mobile and short-duration works.

Related standards

The standards below set the classification, testing and performance requirements behind the equipment used for this work.

• EN ISO 20471 — High-Visibility Clothing
• EN 397 — Industrial Safety Helmets
• EN ISO 20345 — Safety Footwear

Frequently asked questions