Lone working examples
This article gives examples of the types of lone workers to be found in industry to help you identify lone workers in your organisation.
The latest Office for National Statistics figures state there are currently over 32 million in employment as at February 2023 (employed and self-employed) and it is estimated at least 8 million of these are lone workers.
A lone worker is exposed to significant risk simply because they work alone. It is important you are able to identify lone workers in your organisation so you can manage their risks appropriately.
Read our article first to define what a lone worker is.
Lone workers are found in all industries and here are examples of lone workers so you can identify lone workers in your organisation:
Outdoor lone workers
-
Forestry and agriculture
Foresters, timber harvesters, farmers, fishery managers
-
Environmental
Ecologists, field based scientific researchers
-
Estates
Estate managers, gardeners, gamekeepers
-
Transport and logistics
Haulage drivers, postal staff and delivery drivers, bus and taxi drivers
-
Energy and waste
Utility workers, water, waste and recycling workers
-
Infrastructure and construction
Field based engineers, architects, building inspectors, any tradesperson working alone, site security guards
-
Recreation
Workers managing parks and nature reserves, historic sites to adventurous activities and outdoor sports
Commercial lone workers
-
Property
Estate agents, cleaners, security guards, pest control, trades and maintenance workers such as plumbers, electricians, decorators visiting domestic and commercial premises
-
Manufacturing
Sales representatives, factory and warehouse workers
-
Retail
Petrol station, kiosk or shop worker, volunteers
-
Science
Laboratory workers, veterinary practitioners
-
Homeworkers
In any industry
Lone working in the community
-
Local authority
Maintenance of the public built environment, parks, play areas and other outdoor facilities
-
Health
Medical workers including district nurses, GPs, midwives
-
Social care
Social workers, care workers, housing officers
-
Education
Teachers, lecturers, tutors
-
Charity
Volunteers
How Trackplot can help
Many lone workers across a diverse range of sectors depend on Trackplot daily. Trusted by professionals, the lone workers we protect include environmental engineers, utilities inspection teams, foresters, bridge inspectors, pest control specialists, gamekeepers, TV location managers, timber harvesters, hauliers and hydropower planners.
Operating outdoors in rural and remote areas, often in challenging terrain and with limited or no mobile phone reception, these lone workers undertake a variety of tasks from protected species counts, electricity pylon maintenance, forest planning to fence and path maintenance.