A plain-English guide to UK lone worker law and duty of care for security firms — your obligations under HSE guidance and how to manage lone-worker risk.
Category: Compliance · Published: 2026-06-14
Security guards frequently work alone, at night, in higher-risk settings. UK law places a clear duty of care on employers to manage that risk. This guide explains the essentials.
Yes — lone working is legal, but employers have a duty under health-and-safety law to assess and control the risks to anyone working alone. There is no blanket ban, but there is a clear obligation to manage the hazard.
Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and related regulations, employers must, so far as is reasonably practicable, ensure the safety of lone workers. The HSE provides guidance specifically on protecting lone workers.
For security firms this means assessing the risks of each lone post and putting reasonable controls in place.
A sensible lone-worker regime usually includes:
Beyond compliance, a credible lone-worker safety process protects your people and is increasingly something clients ask about during procurement. Document your approach and make sure officers know how it works.
Yes, provided the employer has assessed the risks and put reasonable controls in place to keep the lone worker safe.
To assess lone-working risks and, so far as is reasonably practicable, control them — including how a lone worker can summon help.
Typically a risk assessment, a way to raise an alarm, regular welfare check-ins, an escalation procedure, and emergency training.
No. This is general information; consult the HSE guidance and, where needed, a qualified adviser for your specific circumstances.
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