Lone Worker Protection framework

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places a general duty on employers to ensure the health, safety, and welfare of their employees so far as is reasonably practicable. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to conduct suitable and sufficient risk assessments covering lone working situations specifically. Where lone working creates risks that can’t be eliminated, employers must put control measures in place. For social housing organisations in Scotland, this means assessing the risks faced by housing officers, maintenance staff, estate managers, and support workers who regularly visit properties alone, and providing appropriate protective measures. There’s no blanket prohibition on lone working, but the duty to manage risks is clear, and failure to do so can result in enforcement action by the Health and Safety Executive. 

The framework was procured as an open procedure under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, advertised via the UK Find a Tender Service. It’s available to Scottish housing associations, local authorities, ALMOs, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue, universities and further education establishments, registered charities, and subsidiaries of the above. Using this pre-tendered framework removes the need for a standalone procurement exercise and provides a compliant, defensible route to vetted suppliers. 

A lone working risk assessment should identify which roles involve working alone, what tasks those staff carry out without direct supervision, and what specific hazards they face. For housing staff in Scotland, this typically covers visits to properties in isolated or rural locations, tenancy management visits that may involve confrontational situations, void property inspections, and out-of-hours callouts. The assessment needs to consider the likelihood and severity of potential incidents, what control measures are already in place, and whether residual risks are adequately managed. The outcome should inform your choice of protective technology, the level of monitoring required, and any additional training or procedural controls needed. PfH Scotland can help you think through how to translate your risk assessment into a procurement specification. 

Dedicated lone worker devices offer longer battery life, simpler operation through a single panic button, and more durable construction suited to challenging environments including void properties and outdoor inspections. They don’t compete with other phone usage and tend to be easier to use quickly under stress. Smartphone applications use existing devices, reducing hardware cost and providing familiar interfaces, but depend on the phone’s battery state, may be slower to operate, and could be disrupted by other phone activity. Many organisations deploy both, using dedicated devices for the highest-risk roles and applications for lower-risk lone working. The framework covers both options, including pre-owned devices for cost-conscious deployments, and the free trial period allows staff to test both approaches before a call-off decision is made. 

All suppliers on this framework provide alarm receiving centres accredited to BS 8484:2016 (the British Standard for lone worker device services) or BS EN 50518:2019 (the European standard for alarm receiving centres). BS 8484 accreditation is specifically relevant because it enables police forces, including Police Scotland, to respond directly to lone worker alarm activations as priority calls. Without this accreditation, responses rely on a third party making a 999 call rather than a direct police dispatch, which can significantly extend response times. This is a particularly important consideration in rural and remote parts of Scotland where police response times may already be extended. 

Scotland’s geography creates real challenges for lone worker technology that rely on mobile network connectivity. Rural and remote areas, including parts of the Highlands, Islands, and Southern Upstate, have variable coverage across different networks. All suppliers on the framework provide multi-network SIM capability, meaning devices automatically connect to whichever network has the strongest signal in any given location rather than being tied to a single provider. This is a practical requirement for any housing organisation operating across mixed urban and rural stock in Scotland, and it’s worth testing coverage in your specific operational areas during the free device trial period before committing to a call-off. 

A lone worker protection policy should set out which roles are defined as lone working, what risk assessment process applies, what protective technology is required for different risk levels, how regular check-in procedures work, what staff should do if a situation escalates, and how incidents are reported and reviewed. In Scotland, the policy should also reference your obligations under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and should be reviewed whenever working practices change. Staff who work alone in areas with known tenancy management challenges, in void or empty properties, or outside standard working hours may require enhanced protection measures compared to those carrying out routine inspections in occupied properties during business hours. 

All six framework suppliers provide device trial options of at least 30 days with up to 10 devices and associated portal access. This allows organisations to test real devices in real working conditions before making a call-off decision. It’s worth using the trial period to test devices in the locations and situations where your staff actually work alone, including any areas with variable network coverage, and to involve staff in the evaluation rather than making the decision at a management level. PfH Scotland can help you structure a side-by-side comparison through a mini-competition if you want to test multiple suppliers simultaneously. 

Yes. All framework suppliers are able to work with incumbent devices where the organisation already owns them, which reduces total cost by avoiding unnecessary hardware replacement. If your existing devices are approaching end of life or your current contract is ending, the framework provides a straightforward route to replacement. If you’re looking to supplement existing provision for additional staff or higher-risk roles, the framework can be used on that basis too. PfH Scotland can help you think through how to structure a call-off that fits your existing setup. 

The 60% quality weighting means suppliers were evaluated primarily on their technical capability, alarm response standards, implementation approach, training provision, and the robustness of their monitoring operations, rather than purely on price. A minimum quality threshold of 30% applied across all evaluation criteria, meaning no supplier could be appointed on the strength of competitive pricing alone. This matters for lone worker protection because alarm response speed and reliability directly affects staff safety outcomes. The framework’s pre-assessment means members can use it with confidence that all six suppliers have met a meaningful quality bar, without needing to repeat those checks themselves for each call-off. 

PfH Scotland supports members from requirements definition through to contract award and ongoing management. For mini-competitions, the team can arrange and process the comparison exercise on your behalf, including side-by-side device evaluations. Template call-off documentation and specification assistance are available for both access routes. Throughout the contract term, PfH Scotland’s platforms provide reporting and performance monitoring capabilities, and the price increase protection policy managed by PfH Scotland protects members against unexpected cost rises. If you’re not yet a PfH Scotland member, membership is open to all Scottish housing associations and local authorities regardless of size.