UK Lone Worker Safety by the Numbers

From housing officers and utility engineers to delivery drivers and healthcare professionals, lone workers make up a significant portion of the modern workforce. They’re mobile, often remote, and routinely exposed to unpredictable environments, with limited back-up if something goes wrong and yet, many organisations still rely on outdated check-in systems or assumptions of “common sense” to keep their people safe.

Recent figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and industry reports shine a light on the reality of lone worker risk—and why a more proactive, tech-enabled approach is urgently needed.

How Many Lone Workers Are There in the UK?

Estimates vary, but the British Safety Council suggests there are over 8 million lone workers in the UK—roughly a quarter of the national workforce.

This includes people working alone in homes, vehicles, isolated sites, or outside of regular hours. It’s not just field-based jobs either—retail, education, and even hospitality roles often involve periods of unsupervised, isolated working. As the nature of work becomes more flexible, this number is only expected to grow.

The Hidden Risks Behind the Statistics

In 2023, the HSE reported 561,000 cases of work-related injuries, but lone worker incidents are believed to be underreported. Without witnesses or on-site managers, many minor incidents go unlogged, and near-misses rarely make it into formal records.

More concerning still, over 50% of lone workers say they’ve felt unsafe at work, according to research by Suzy Lamplugh Trust, particularly in roles involving public interaction or unsocial hours.

Violence and aggression remain key issues. The Labour Force Survey found an estimated 688,000 incidents of violence at work in the UK during 2022/23. Lone workers are more vulnerable to these incidents simply because they lack immediate support or visibility.

Where the Gaps Lie: The Reality of Response

It’s one thing to equip a lone worker with a mobile phone or basic GPS tracker, but in a real emergency, time matters and relying on manual check-ins or missed calls isn’t enough.

The real risk lies not just in the incident itself, but in the delay between something going wrong and someone noticing. In some high-profile cases, lone workers who suffered medical emergencies or assaults were only discovered hours later.

These are not just tragic stories, they’re preventable failures of process, communication, and technology.

What Organisations Should Be Doing

UK employers have a legal duty of care to lone workers under the Health and Safety at Work Act. This means assessing risks, providing appropriate training, and ensuring suitable safety systems are in place but “suitable” in 2025 looks very different from a decade ago.

Modern lone worker safety tools go beyond static tracking. Platforms like Locate Global offer:

• Automated alerts for missed check-ins or SOS activations
• Real-time location visibility during incidents
• Custom escalation paths based on risk type or job role
• Integrated communication tools to reduce response time
  

These features don’t just support compliance—they provide practical assurance for workers and peace of mind for managers.

Shifting the Safety Culture

For many businesses, the shift to hybrid and flexible working has come faster than their safety protocols could keep up, but ignoring the realities of lone work is no longer an option.

The statistics are clear: lone workers face unique risks, and a reactive approach is no longer good enough. It’s time to move from passive monitoring to proactive protection—using technology, clear processes, and a culture that places equal value on remote workers as those on site. After all, being alone shouldn’t mean being unprotected.

Want to see how Locate Global can support your lone worker safety strategy? Request a free demo and see the difference real-time protection can make.