HSE lone-working guidance 2026 for trades

HSE will refresh its lone-working guidelines in mid-2026, focusing on home services and trades that send a single tech to site. If you’re running a lean crew, you’ll need documented risk assessments, check-in protocols, and escalation paths. Toolfy can handle most of this without extra software.

1. Key requirements

• Written risk assessment for each job type
• Check-in schedule (start, mid, finish) for high-risk visits
• Emergency contact + escalation instructions accessible to the worker
• Incident log with follow-up actions

2. Build it into Toolfy

1. Risk templates: create checklists per job type (gas work, rewires, night callouts). Include hazards, PPE, and “stop work” criteria.
2. Check-in reminders: schedule SMS reminders from Toolfy at defined times (“Reply DONE when safe”). Replies log on the job timeline.
3. Emergency info: pin a “Safety” doc to each job with client address, emergency services info, and nearest hospital (auto-filled via template variables).

3. Incident logging

• Add a “Safety event” tag for jobs where something went wrong; attach photos and narrate the event in job comments.
• Export a monthly incident report and store it under Documents /Safety/Logs.
• Use Toolfy tasks to assign corrective actions (e.g., “Replace ladder”, “Update PPE”) with due dates.

4. Training & onboarding

• Append the lone-working protocol to your onboarding checklist; require new hires to sign off digitally.
• Run quarterly drills (mock check-in failure) and log results.
• Keep signed acknowledgements in employee folders alongside contracts.

5. Timeline

| Date | Action | | --- | --- | | Q1 2026 | Draft risk assessments for top 5 job types. | | Q2 2026 | Launch automated check-ins + emergency docs. | | Q3 2026 | Run mock incident drill; fix gaps. | | Go-live | Publish policy, notify staff, and start monthly incident exports. |

Need the checklist or SMS reminder template? Email support@toolfy.io and we’ll share the pack.