RPA Lone Working Policy

Policy Statement

Revolution Performing Arts takes the health and safety of its employees and volunteers seriously.

We have a legal duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of our employees and volunteers while they are at work or carrying out volunteering activities.

We recognise that staff or volunteers may sometimes be working or volunteering alone, either in our office space or externally.

Aim and Scope

This policy is designed to alert employees and volunteers to the risks presented by lone working, identify the responsibilities each person has in this situation and describe procedures that will minimise those risks.

It provides employees and volunteers with a framework for managing potentially risky situations.

Context

RPA has a legal duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees and volunteers while they are at work or engaged in volunteering activities.

Employees or volunteers may sometimes be alone or working one-to-one with a student, either on our premises or while operating externally on our behalf.

We are responsible for assessing the risks to lone workers and taking steps to avoid or control those risks where necessary.

Employees and volunteers are responsible for taking reasonable care of themselves and others during lone-working situations.

Lone working is not inherently unsafe. Taking appropriate precautions can reduce the risks associated with working alone or working one-to-one with a young person.

This policy applies to employees and volunteers who frequently or occasionally work or volunteer alone or one-to-one with a student. It applies to both high-risk and low-risk activities.

Definition

The Health and Safety Executive defines lone workers as people who work by themselves without close or direct supervision.

Examples include:

• People working separately from others in a building.
• People who work outside normal working hours.
• People who work away from their fixed base without colleagues.
• People who work at home, other than in low-risk, office-type work.

Potential Hazards of Working Alone

People who work or volunteer alone face the same risks as others undertaking similar tasks. However, they may also encounter the following additional risks:

• Accidents or sudden illnesses occurring when there is nobody available to call for help or provide first aid.
• Fire.
• Violence or the threat of violence.
• A lack of a safe way into or out of a building, including the risk of being accidentally locked inside.
• Nobody being available to witness what happened in the event of an accusation.

Measures to Reduce the Risks of Lone Working

To reduce the risks to people working alone, we will carry out a risk assessment covering the following issues where appropriate:

• The environment: location, security and access.
• The context: the nature of the task and any special circumstances.
• The individuals concerned: indicators of potential or actual risk.
• History: any previous incidents in similar situations.
• Security cameras: whether appropriate recording or monitoring facilities are available.

All available information should be considered and risk assessments should be updated as necessary.

Where there is any reasonable doubt about the safety of a lone worker in a particular situation, consideration should be given to sending a second worker or making other arrangements to complete the task.

If an employee or volunteer is operating alone and feels unsafe, they must remove themselves from the situation immediately and report the incident to their line manager or supervisor.

If an employee or volunteer is operating alone and an incident occurs, it must be reported to their line manager as soon as possible.

An incident is any situation in which the health and safety of an employee or volunteer is compromised. This may include an accident, fire, violence or the threat of violence. This list is not exhaustive.

Working One-to-One with a Child

Before the session, make sure that the child’s parent or carer knows that the child will be working one-to-one with a leader.

Fiona Da Silva-Adams must also be informed that a leader will be working alone with a child or children, as she is the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Consent must be obtained from the child’s parent or carer before a child works one-to-one with a leader.

Consent must also be obtained to film the session for safeguarding purposes.

A copy of our safeguarding policy is always available on our website.

Recordings of sessions will be retained for four months in case a disclosure arises. Recordings will be stored securely in our private online files and will only be accessible to core members of staff where required.

Legislation, Policies and Training

All leaders are DBS checked and receive paediatric first-aid and safeguarding training. They have also read all three of our staff handbooks and our safeguarding policy.

1. Keeping Children Safe During Clubs, Tuition and Activities – Summary Leaflet
2. Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023
3. Guidance for Safer Working Practice
4. RPA Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy and Procedures

Supervision

Lone workers are not under constant supervision. We will ensure that they understand the risks associated with their work and the relevant safety precautions.

• Employees and volunteers will receive training covering lone working, where appropriate, during their induction.
• Employees or volunteers who are new to a role involving lone working may need to be accompanied initially.
• Regular contact by telephone may be appropriate.
• Employees and volunteers carrying out duties alone must always have a mobile phone available so they can contact the office in an emergency.

Accidents and Emergencies

Employees and volunteers operating alone should be made aware of the correct process for responding to emergencies.

Employees or volunteers who are alone in the office must inform Fiona Da Silva-Adams and are responsible for adhering to security and fire regulations.

Conclusion

Establishing safe working arrangements for lone workers is no different from organising the safety of other staff or volunteers, but the risk assessment must take account of any additional risk factors.

RPA will ensure that measures are in place to reduce risks, that expectations have been communicated to employees and volunteers operating alone and that appropriate training has been provided.

All staff and volunteers, including lone workers, are responsible for following safe systems of work and should take simple steps to reduce the risks associated with carrying out their normal duties.