Lone Worker Incident Report

An educational library of workplace documents — purpose, who completes them, when they are used, typical fields, common mistakes and how they connect. Linked to workplace safety, workplace training, occupations, industries and employment documents. Informational only — template examples, not legal advice or official documents; employers remain responsible and using a document does not guarantee compliance.

What a lone worker incident report is

A lone worker incident report captures events involving people who work on their own — where the absence of immediate help can turn a manageable problem into a serious one. It records the incident and how the lone working arrangements performed, including how help was raised.

This is an educational overview with a simplified example. It is not an official template, and it does not set out how lone working should be controlled — that comes from the relevant risk assessment and arrangements for that work.

Purpose

• Record incidents involving people working alone.
• Capture how the situation was raised and help summoned.
• Test whether lone working arrangements worked in practice.
• Trigger improvement of communication and support.

Who completes it

• The lone worker, with a supervisor or manager.
• Anyone involved in the response contributes their account.
• The employer decides the process and lone working controls.
• Personal and any health data are handled carefully.

When it is used

• As soon as practicable after an incident affecting a lone worker.
• When the lone working arrangements were tested or failed.
• When raising the alarm or getting help was difficult.
• For near misses that reveal a lone working gap.

Typical fields

• Date, time, location and the lone working task.
• What happened and how the worker was affected.
• How the alarm was raised and help summoned.
• How well the check-in or communication arrangements worked.
• Cause, follow-up and improvements to the arrangements.
• Example fields only — adapt to your process and the applicable law.

Common mistakes

• Focusing on the injury but not on how help was raised.
• Ignoring delays in summoning help.
• Overlooking the lone working communication arrangements.
• Not reviewing whether lone working was appropriate at all.

Document workflow

A lone worker incident report follows the accident report or near miss process and drives a review of the relevant lone working risk assessment. It can trigger an incident investigation and corrective actions focused on communication, check-ins and support.

See the related documents below for what is commonly used with and completed after a lone worker incident report.

Retention (high level)

These records may contain personal and health data and are kept securely for a period set by the applicable law and the employer’s data-protection duties. This page does not state a period — confirm with the applicable law and the official authority.

Completing and sharing as a PDF

Lone worker incident reports are commonly completed and stored securely as PDFs. Exporting to PDF supports the record; it does not make it official or guarantee compliance, and access should be controlled.

Employer checklist

• Examine how the alarm was raised and help summoned.
• Review whether lone working was appropriate for the task.
• Improve communication, check-ins and support arrangements.
• Protect the personal and health data involved.

Worker notes

• Report lone working incidents and near misses.
• Describe how you raised the alarm and any difficulty.
• Flag if the check-in or communication arrangements fell short.

Country considerations

Expectations around lone working vary by country, and the official authority differs. This page is general and high-level — not a statement of any country’s law and not legal advice.

Confirm requirements with the official authority for your country and a qualified professional.

Who is responsible

The employer is responsible for assessing and controlling lone working risk, recording and investigating incidents, protecting data and compliance. This page is an educational overview with a template example; it does not set lone working controls and does not transfer responsibility.