Is It Legal For Employees To Work Alone At A Business Premises? What Employers Need To Know About Working Alone At Work

Working alone at work is increasingly common across Australian workplaces. From late-night retail shifts and small clinics to cleaners, drivers and community support roles, many businesses rely on solo work to keep operations running smoothly.

Yes - employees can legally work alone in Australia. But the law expects you to actively manage the unique risks that come with working without nearby colleagues or direct supervision.

In this guide, we break down what “working alone” means, the legal framework in Australia (including key state and territory differences), your core duties as an employer, practical steps to reduce risk, and how to handle surveillance, check-ins and privacy law when you support lone workers.

If you’re looking to keep your team safe and your business compliant, you’re in the right place.

What Does “Working Alone” Mean?

Working alone (sometimes called “lone working”) is any situation where a worker carries out tasks by themselves without close or direct supervision, and without immediate access to support if something goes wrong.

This might include:

• Opening or closing a shop alone, or working a quiet after-hours shift in retail or hospitality
• Performing onsite services at a client’s premises (e.g. cleaners, trades, home care and community workers)
• Covering an isolated area of a warehouse, practice or factory where no one else is nearby
• Travelling for work, field work or deliveries, including remote or rural locations

Lone work is not only about physical isolation. It’s about whether the worker can get help quickly in an emergency, given the time of day, location, communication coverage and nature of the tasks.

Is It Legal For Employees To Work Alone In Australia?

Yes - Australian law allows employees (and contractors) to work alone. There is no general ban on lone working.

However, you must control the health and safety risks that arise when someone is on their own. This obligation comes from work health and safety (WHS) or occupational health and safety (OHS) laws, which apply nationally but are administered by each state and territory.

Here’s how the legal framework works in practice:

• Model WHS laws (most jurisdictions): In NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, ACT, NT and WA, the “model WHS” system largely applies. Businesses (called PCBUs - Persons Conducting a Business or Undertaking) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers. Managing risks from remote or isolated work and ensuring effective communication are explicit requirements under the WHS Regulations.
• Victoria (OHS regime): Victoria has its own Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004. The duties are similar in substance: employers must provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and without risks to health, which includes managing the risks of working alone.

In short: you can roster someone to work alone, provided you’ve identified the risks, consulted workers, and put suitable controls and emergency arrangements in place. If you’d like a refresher on your overarching duty to provide a safe workplace, see our guide to duty of care for employers.

What Are Your WHS/OHS Duties When Staff Work Alone?

Whether you operate under the model WHS laws or Victoria’s OHS Act, the core duties are similar. You need to take reasonable steps to keep lone workers safe while they’re at work. Practically, that means you should:

• Identify hazards specific to lone work. Consider medical emergencies, slips and falls, aggression from customers or intruders, fatigue, mental health impacts from isolation, equipment-related risks, hazardous substances, driving risks and communication blackspots.
• Assess and control the risks. Decide what could go wrong and how likely it is, then implement proportionate controls (from check-in procedures to restricting high-risk tasks when a worker is alone).
• Ensure effective communication. Lone workers must be able to contact someone for help and receive assistance without delay. Think phone coverage, radios, duress devices or monitored systems.
• Consult with your workers. Consultation is a legal duty. Involve your workers and any health and safety representatives in identifying risks and choosing controls.
• Provide information, instruction, training and supervision. Make sure procedures are clear and workers are trained for the realities of working alone (including de-escalation, emergency actions and reporting).
• Plan for emergencies. Tailor emergency procedures for solo scenarios: who the worker calls, how to raise an alarm, who responds, response time expectations and first aid availability.
• Monitor, review and improve. Check that controls are working, review incidents and near misses, and update arrangements as your operations change.

Are Some Tasks Prohibited For Lone Workers?

Yes - some high-risk work has specific restrictions or requires additional safeguards that effectively rule out working alone. Examples include:

• Confined space work where a standby person is required
• Live electrical work (subject to strict prohibitions and licensing)
• Certain construction or demolition tasks classified as high risk, which require specific controls, permits or supervision

Always check the regulations and relevant codes of practice for your industry and tasks. If you’re unsure, get tailored advice before assigning a solo shift for high-risk activities.

Can An Employee Refuse To Work Alone?

Workers have the right to a safe workplace and may refuse unsafe work. If someone raises a concern about working alone, you should consult with them, review the risk assessment and controls, and consider reasonable changes (e.g. overlapping shifts, increased check-ins or task changes). Open communication goes a long way to resolving concerns early.

Practical Steps To Manage Lone Working Risks

The law tells you what outcomes you need to achieve. The steps below show how to achieve them in a practical, business-friendly way.

1) Map Your Lone Working Scenarios And Assess The Risks

List every role and task where someone may work alone - even occasionally.

For each scenario, consider:

• Location (on-site, off-site, rural, remote, after-hours)
• Communication coverage (mobile dead zones, radio range, Wi-Fi)
• Task risks (cash handling, customer-facing, hazardous substances, plant or machinery)
• Journey risks (driving, fatigue, working at night, parking and access)
• Worker factors (health conditions, experience, language, training needs)

Document your assessment and review it periodically or whenever operations change.

2) Put Controls In Place (Proportionate To The Risk)

Controls should be tailored to your business and the actual hazard profile. Common options include:

• Check-in systems: Scheduled calls or messages, automated app check-ins with escalation if a worker doesn’t confirm their safety, or a monitored control room for higher-risk roles.
• Duress and alerting: Personal alarms, duress buttons, radio lone-worker functions or wearable devices that detect falls or lack of movement.
• Access and security: Controlled entry, good lighting, secure car parking, and cash-handling limits or drop safes.
• Technology and visibility: CCTV or remote monitoring (ensure compliance with CCTV laws in Australia and relevant state workplace surveillance rules). For broader context on using cameras in workplaces, it’s worth noting general security camera laws.
• Task restrictions: Prohibit certain tasks when working alone (e.g. operating specific machinery, carrying large amounts of cash, entering confined spaces).
• Training and scripts: De-escalation, robbery procedures, first aid, incident reporting and when to call emergency services.
• Fatigue management: Breaks, shift length limits, and safe travel policies for late finishes.

3) Set Clear Procedures, Policies And Contracts

Write down “how we do things safely when someone works alone” in plain English. Consider including:

• Lone worker procedure: When a worker may be alone, check-in frequency, emergency steps, and task restrictions.
• Opening/closing and cash policies: Practical steps to reduce risk at vulnerable times.
• Incident and hazard reporting: Simple pathways to report issues so you can fix problems quickly.
• Employment documents: Make safety expectations clear in each Employment Contract and support them with a tailored Workplace Policy suite and staff handbook.

Good documentation helps drive consistent practice - and shows you’re meeting your WHS/OHS duties if something goes wrong.

4) Plan For Emergencies (Solo Scenarios)

Emergency planning for lone workers should answer simple but critical questions:

• How will they call for help (phone, radio, duress device) and who responds?
• What information must they provide (location, incident type, hazards present)?
• What is the expected response time and what should they do while waiting?
• Where is first aid and who is trained to provide it? If they’re alone, do they have self-help training (e.g. use of first aid kits, asthma plans, EpiPens)?

5) Monitor, Review And Learn

Health and safety is not “set and forget.” Review your arrangements regularly, test alarms and check-in systems, analyse near misses, and talk to your people about what’s working and what isn’t. Small improvements can make a big difference to real-world safety.

Do Surveillance, Check-Ins And Data Tracking Raise Privacy Issues?

Often, yes. Many businesses use cameras, check-in apps, GPS on vehicles or phone recordings to keep workers safe and respond quickly to incidents. You’ll need to balance safety with privacy and surveillance rules.

Privacy Act (Australian Privacy Principles)

The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) typically apply to “APP entities” - generally businesses with an annual turnover over $3 million, and certain smaller businesses that handle sensitive information or provide health services. If the APPs apply to you, you’ll need transparent notices about what personal information you collect and why, and a publicly available Privacy Policy that explains your handling of staff and customer data.

Even if you’re under the usual $3 million threshold, some small businesses are still covered (for example, if you provide health services or trade in personal information). In any case, being transparent with workers about how their information is collected and used is good practice.

Workplace Surveillance And Recording Laws

Separate to privacy law, some states and territories have specific workplace surveillance laws that regulate use of cameras, computer monitoring, location tracking and listening devices. For example, notice and signage requirements, limits on covert surveillance, and rules around audio recordings may apply. Practical implications include:

• Provide prior written notice and signage where required
• Avoid recording conversations without consent - check your obligations under business call recording laws and relevant surveillance devices laws
• Limit surveillance to what’s reasonably necessary for safety and security
• Securely store footage and logs, with restricted access

If you intend to rely on cameras as part of your lone-worker controls, make sure your approach aligns with CCTV laws in Australia and any applicable workplace surveillance rules in your state.

Be Clear And Proportionate

Tell workers what you monitor, when and why. Keep monitoring proportionate to the safety risks and review it periodically. Where you rely on policies to set expectations, ensure your Workplace Policy documents are consistent and up to date.

Insurance And Recordkeeping

Check your workers’ compensation and public liability policies to confirm they cover remote or after-hours work and use of monitoring technology. Keep concise records of risk assessments, training, incidents and reviews - they demonstrate compliance and help you improve safety over time.

Contractors And Labour Hire

If you engage contractors who work alone, ensure your contracts spell out safety obligations and cooperation with your procedures (e.g. check-ins, emergency steps and access rules). Your safety duty extends to contractors under WHS/OHS laws, not just employees. Use clear contractor terms and ensure they are inducted into your site-specific controls.

Real-World Examples Of Controls (By Risk Profile)

• Retail late shift with cash exposure: Two-step closing procedure, drop safe, panic button, visible camera signage, scheduled check-ins, no back-of-house high-risk tasks after 9pm, safe travel to car policy.
• Community support worker visiting homes: Pre-visit risk checks, client profile flags, buddy awareness, GPS-enabled check-in app, no attendance if red flags appear, escalation if check-in missed, de-escalation training.
• Warehouse picker working in an isolated aisle: Radio contact, man-down alarm on device, forklift exclusion when alone, routine patrols by supervisor, strict housekeeping to reduce trip hazards.

Where To Capture These Requirements

From a documentation standpoint, many businesses capture lone working requirements across a small set of core documents:

• Employment Contract: Sets out the role, hours, and baseline safety obligations and cooperation with policies (linking to the relevant Employment Contract template for your team).
• Workplace Policy suite: A set of policies (WHS, surveillance/monitoring, incident reporting, opening/closing, travel safety) within your Workplace Policy framework and staff handbook.
• Privacy Policy (if applicable): If the Privacy Act applies to you - or you choose to publish one for transparency - your Privacy Policy should clearly cover employee data captured by apps, GPS and CCTV.
• CCTV/Monitoring notices: Signage and staff notifications to meet workplace surveillance requirements.

Key Takeaways

• Employees can legally work alone in Australia, but you must identify and control the specific risks that arise when someone works without nearby support.
• Most jurisdictions apply the model WHS laws (PCBUs must manage remote/isolated work and ensure effective communication), while Victoria’s OHS regime imposes similar duties to provide a safe working environment.
• Prohibit or tightly control high‑risk tasks when a person is alone (e.g. confined spaces, live electrical work), and always check industry codes and regulations.
• Put practical controls in place: check‑ins, duress devices, security measures, training, task restrictions and tailored emergency procedures for solo scenarios.
• Be mindful of privacy and surveillance obligations when using CCTV, GPS or call recording - align your approach with CCTV and workplace surveillance rules, and publish a Privacy Policy if the APPs apply to your business.
• Capture expectations in an Employment Contract, a clear Workplace Policy suite and appropriate notices so practice matches policy day to day.
• Review your arrangements regularly, consult your team and adjust controls as your operations and risks evolve.

If you’d like a consultation about setting up safe lone working procedures, policies or documents for your workplace, reach out to us at 1800 730 617 or team@sprintlaw.com.au for a free, no‑obligations chat.