Lone Working in Pubs and Restaurants: Why Your Venue Needs a Lone Working Policy

Penny

Oct 7

8 min read

TL;DR

Lone working is not limited to an empty pub with one person behind the bar. It can include a chef cleaning down after service, a manager closing the venue, a cleaner working in the back areas, or someone in the cellar while the rest of the team is elsewhere.

Your venue needs to identify those situations, assess the risks and put sensible controls in place. That means clear check-in arrangements, training, safe closing procedures and a firm list of tasks that must never be completed alone.

A written policy helps, but only if staff understand it and managers actually follow it.

What counts as lone working in hospitality?

A lone worker is someone who works by themselves without close or direct supervision.

That does not necessarily mean they are the only person in the building. A restaurant may have a kitchen porter in the back of house while the manager is upstairs. A pub may have one person in the cellar while colleagues are serving customers. A cleaner may be working after everyone else has gone home.

All of these can create lone working risks.

Common examples include:

Opening the venue before the rest of the team arrives
Closing the pub or restaurant after service
Cashing up and taking money to the safe
Cleaning the kitchen outside service hours
Working in a cellar or storage area
Receiving a delivery at the back door
Managing an aggressive or intoxicated customer without nearby support
Travelling to or from the venue during late-night or early-morning shifts

The first mistake is assuming lone working only happens when the doors are locked and the lights are off. It can happen any time a worker is isolated from immediate help.

Why every venue needs a clear policy

There is no separate legal requirement for a standalone lone working risk assessment. However, the risks of working alone must be included in your general health and safety risk assessment.

This is a general explanation of UK health and safety principles, not legal advice. The relevant duties come from the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. You should take specialist advice if you are unsure how the rules apply to your venue.

Employers must assess and control risks for anyone working alone, including:

Employees
Contractors
Volunteers
Self-employed people working for the business

The responsibility remains with the employer wherever the person is working, including on someone else’s premises. You cannot simply tell a lone worker to “be careful” and treat the matter as sorted. Employer responsibility for health and safety cannot be transferred to the worker.

A short, practical policy should explain:

Which roles and tasks may involve lone working
Which tasks must not be done alone
How staff check in and out
What happens if a check-in is missed
Who staff contact in an emergency
What training is required
How incidents are recorded and reviewed

If the policy is twenty pages long and written in language nobody uses, it will sit in a folder while somebody is trying to carry a keg down the stairs alone. Keep it useful.

How to assess lone working risks in a pub or restaurant

Your general risk assessment should consider the person, the task and the environment.

The worker

Think about:

How experienced the person is
Whether they are new, a trainee or working outside their usual role
Whether they are young, pregnant or disabled
Whether their health allows them to work alone safely
Whether they have received the right training

Experience helps, but it is not a magic shield. A highly experienced supervisor can still be put at risk by poor lighting, an isolated car park, a difficult customer or a cellar gas problem.

The work environment

Consider:

Entry and exit routes
Lighting inside and outside the venue
The car park and staff areas
Whether the site is isolated or rural
Whether the worker can contact someone reliably
Whether first aid equipment is accessible
Whether emergency help can reach the worker quickly

Also consider foreseeable emergencies, such as fire, illness, equipment failure and accidents.

The task

Ask whether the work involves:

Handling cash or valuables
Enforcing rules or refusing service
Alcohol or drug-affected customers
Hot surfaces or sharp equipment
Heavy deliveries
Gas or chemical products
A confined or difficult-to-access space

Certain high-risk tasks should involve at least two people. In a hospitality setting, cellar work, gas work and confined space work should never be done alone. Other examples of high-risk work include work near exposed live electrical conductors and fumigation.

The practical risks during a typical hospitality day

Opening up alone

Opening may look simple. Unlock the door, switch on the lights and start the coffee machine. But staff should know what to do if something does not look right.

A sensible procedure should cover:

Who is expected to be on site
How alarm codes are kept safe
Whether the person should check the outside before unlocking
What to do if a door, window or gate appears damaged
Who to contact if something seems wrong
When not to enter the building alone

If there is any doubt that someone may already be inside, the worker should not enter an empty venue alone. The policy should make that clear. Staff should not feel pressured to investigate suspicious signs because they are worried about delaying opening.

Closing alone

Closing is the classic lone working risk in hospitality. It often combines a late finish, tiredness, cash handling, cleaning, locking up and walking to transport.

Your closing process should cover:

Who is on site and who is expected to leave
When the worker checks in
How cash is secured
Whether two people are needed for cash handling or locking up
How staff leave the building safely
How they reach their car, taxi or public transport
Who confirms they have arrived safely

Good controls may include keeping cash held on site to a minimum, avoiding a fixed banking routine and considering two-person closing shifts where the risk assessment identifies a need.

CCTV can act as a deterrent. It is not a substitute for people, training or a response procedure. The same applies to an alarm app. Technology is helpful, but only if it is charged, tested and linked to someone who knows what to do.

Cellar and back-of-house work

Cellars create several risks at once. They may involve gas, confined spaces, wet floors, stairs, heavy deliveries and awkward lifting.

Cellar work, gas work and confined space work should never be done alone.

Kitchen prep and clean down outside service hours also need attention. Hot surfaces, sharp equipment, cleaning products and slippery floors do not become safe just because the dining room is closed.

Decide which equipment can be used by one person and which tasks require another worker nearby. Make sure workers know when to stop and ask for help.

Deliveries and cash handling

A lone worker at the back door may be isolated from the rest of the venue while dealing with a delivery. Heavy items may also be difficult to move safely without assistance.

Cash creates another obvious risk. Large amounts of money, predictable banking routines and one person walking to a vehicle can make a worker more vulnerable.

Controls may include:

Keeping cash levels low
Avoiding a fixed banking pattern
Using two people for banking where needed
Keeping delivery areas well lit
Maintaining a list of who is on site
Making sure staff know when they can refuse or delay a delivery

Late-night and early-morning shifts

Late shifts can increase the risk of violence and aggression because fewer colleagues may be nearby. Relevant situations include refusing service, dealing with customers under the influence of alcohol or drugs and handling money or valuables.

Training should cover:

Personal safety
Conflict resolution and de-escalation
Recognising when a situation is becoming unsafe
When to walk away or leave
Emergency and first aid procedures
How to use personal alarms or lone worker apps

Sometimes the safest decision is to stop serving and lock up early rather than push through a situation with inadequate staffing. That is a management decision, not a failure by the person left on shift.

An illustrative example of a check-in procedure

Illustrative scenario: A supervisor is closing a quiet pub on a Tuesday. They call a named manager at the agreed time to confirm that the venue is secure and they are preparing to leave.

At the next agreed check-in, the supervisor cannot be reached.

The escalation procedure begins. The named manager tries to contact the supervisor, checks whether they have left safely and follows the agreed emergency steps if contact cannot be restored.

The important point is not the technology used. It is that everyone knows:

When check-ins happen
Who receives them
How long to wait
What action follows a missed check-in

A missed check-in without an escalation procedure is just a missed message.

Small venue checklist

Use this as a starting point:

Write a simple policy that staff can actually read
Include lone working in the general risk assessment
Set check-in times and name the person responsible for escalation
Decide which tasks must never be done alone
Keep cash low and vary banking routines
Check lighting around entrances, car parks and staff areas
Brief staff on leaving safely and getting home
Train staff in de-escalation and personal safety
Make sure first aid and emergency contacts are accessible
Test alarms and emergency procedures regularly
Record incidents and review the assessment after changes or incidents

Review the assessment when opening hours change, the venue is refitted, a new cellar routine is introduced, new equipment is installed or an incident occurs.

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming lone working only happens in an empty building
Having no check-in system
Having a check-in system with no escalation process
Writing a policy but never briefing staff on it
Letting one person do cellar, gas or confined space work
Keeping a fixed banking routine
Holding large amounts of cash on site
Ignoring lighting around back entrances and car parks
Assuming experience means someone can handle every situation
Failing to review the assessment after a refit, change of hours or incident
Keeping no records of training, check-ins or incidents

FAQ

Is lone working illegal in a pub or restaurant?

No, lone working is not automatically illegal. The risks must be assessed and controlled before someone works alone. Some higher-risk tasks may require at least two people.

Do I need a separate lone working risk assessment?

There is no separate legal requirement for a standalone assessment. However, lone working risks must be covered within your general health and safety risk assessment.

What should happen if a worker misses a check-in?

Your policy should set out a clear escalation procedure. This may include attempts to contact the worker, checking whether they have left safely and taking further action if contact cannot be restored.

Does a lone worker need to carry a personal alarm?

Not always. The right control depends on the risks identified. A personal alarm, phone or lone worker app may be appropriate, but equipment must be tested and supported by a clear response process.

Takeaway

Lone working in hospitality is common, but “common” does not mean “safe by default”.

Look at the real working day: opening, closing, cellars, kitchen clean downs, deliveries, cash handling and the walk to the car. Involve the people who do those jobs because they know where the awkward bits are.

Then put simple controls in place, train people properly and review them when the venue changes.

If you need practical support reviewing your hospitality people processes and workplace arrangements, get in touch with Phare HR Consulting.