Summary
Sometimes the work requires it; you are on your own for a while. Working alone is unavoidable in some situations. But it is precisely then that safety is extra important. WUR wants to avoid working alone as much as possible.
null
Awareness is the key to working alone safely
Working alone safely starts with awareness. The policy on working alone is not intended to create extra administration, but to help employees and managers to consciously think about the risks of working alone.
Employee and manager, assisted if necessary by the prevention officer or QHSE officer, discuss together what risks there may be and make agreements on how to deal with them safely. The policy offers a practical tool for this. In this way, together we ensure that working alone can take place as safely as possible.
Regularly consider questions such as:
- Do you know how to reach the emergency response team if necessary?
- Do you know the escape routes and the assembly point of your building?
- Are you aware of the risks associated with your work when you work alone?
- Are there clear agreements about how colleagues support each other or keep in touch with each other when someone works alone?
By discussing these questions with each other, we increase awareness and together we contribute to a safe working environment.
Are you in doubt?
Are you not sure whether your work falls under working alone or do you have questions about the risks and the agreements made? Then discuss this with your manager. Together you determine which measures are needed to be able to work safely.
Do you have questions about the policy or would you like advice on working safely alone? Then contact the QHSE employee of your organizational unit.
Read more about the lone work policy in the information below;
Principles of the policy
WUR wants to avoid working alone as much as possible. The starting point is that work preferably takes place during regular working hours and in the presence of colleagues. In this way, together we contribute to a safe working environment.
In addition, it is important to take into account the available support. During regular working hours, emergency response officers are present in the buildings. Outside of these regular working hours, support is provided by a central security team, which can increase response time. That is why different guidelines apply to working during and outside office hours.
Reason and decision-making process
The closing times of buildings and the protocol for requesting works after hours are uniformed. This led to the desire for an unambiguous policy in the field of working alone throughout WUR.
This policy was drawn up by the Safety & Environment department (Facility Services) in consultation with all QHSE employees. It is coordinated with management, C-HR, central employee participation and various departments within Facility Services. Finally, the policy has been evaluated by ASG and the emergency response organization. The new policy will take effect at the start of the new academic year in 2026.
The policy of working alone applies to all employees, students and external parties who carry out work at WUR locations and grounds on the campus in Wageningen. The policy applies during and outside regular opening hours. Fieldwork, working from home and research locations outside the campus fall outside the scope of this policy, although parts of it can of course be used.
Working alone during office hours
Various principles have been drawn up for this purpose, which are further explained in the policy. In short and not exhaustively: the lone worker must be familiar with alarm procedures, available emergency facilities and escape routes, must have sufficient experience and/or training for the work in question and the employee must have determined in advance together with the manager what the risk level is and whether additional measures are necessary.
Office work outside opening hours is not allowed. If it is necessary to carry out office work outside opening hours of buildings, this can be done in the Forum building.
Working alone outside office hours
If the risk analysis carried out in advance shows that the risks are not acceptable, working alone is not permitted. Where it is responsible, the manager gives permission. Important: there is always registration and deregistration at a central registration system or registration list at the reception or entrance by the lone worker.
Engage in a dialogue with each other
More important than the document with the frameworks and guidelines themselves is the dialogue we have with each other. Working safely alone requires awareness, clear agreements and attention to practice.
Therefore, discuss within your team what safe working means and what agreements go with it. This can be done, for example, during team meetings or in conversations between manager and employee. Existing aids, such as X-Guard on the smartphone, can also help to provide practical support for safe working alone.
Discuss the emergency response agreements with each other again. Although nothing has changed in the emergency response organisation within WUR, it remains important that employees know how to call for help, where escape routes are and where, for example, the green emergency response cards can be found.
The role of managers
Managers have an important role in translating policy into practice. They talk to their employees and make a risk assessment together with the employee in question. They then assess whether work can be carried out alone in a safe way, give permission where necessary and ensure proper registration.
Managers can always ask for support from prevention officers or QHSE officers.
Working alone safely is something we do together. With clear agreements, good preparation and attention to each other, we ensure that everyone – employee, student or external – can work safely and with confidence, even when temporarily alone.