Research involving Off-Site and/or Lone Working

This guidance is intended to draw out research specific factors that should be considered while undertaking research involving offsite and/or lone working.

It should be read in conjunction with:

Students should discuss proposed off-site and/or lone working with their supervisory team. Supervisors should aid students to complete risk assessments and access any health and safety guidance that is only accessible on staff webpages.

Off-site Working

Off-site working is defined as any teaching, research or work activity carried out by University of Wolverhampton staff, students or visiting researchers on behalf of the University in places or premises which are not rented or owned by, and over which the university does not exert direct management control.

If part of the research will be conducted away from university premises, such as during data collection, a risk assessment should be completed: GN16 – Risk Assessment - How to guidance

The risk assessment should be submitted alongside the application for ethical review and approval.

Fieldwork - The University has issued specific guidance related to fieldwork and the completion of a fieldwork risk assessment:

Home or community visits may involve interviewing research participants in their own home, or a community setting, to gather information or provide clinical or medical assessment which cannot be conducted on university premises.

The significant risks associated with home visits are:

  • being subjected to physical assault or verbal abuse (by the participant or family member).
  • damage or theft of personal property.
  • exposure to domestic pets i.e. cats or dogs that may be aggressive or expose the researcher to allergens.
  • lone and /or isolated working (the assessment of risk must consider whether lone working is appropriate or whether a colleague should be present).

Hosted research involves visits or placements to other universities or academic institutions, in the UK or abroad, to carry out research using their facilities in collaboration with or with the co-operation of the host organisation.

The risks will relate to the hazards of the work location e.g. a laboratory and any additional hazards associated with the research activity e.g. chemicals. In some cases the research may simply involve the examination of written material where the most significant risks will be associated with ergonomics e.g. static postures leading to discomfort and pain. The host organisation may have risk assessments in place for all or part of the research work and these should be requested and reviewed before the work commences i.e. to ensure they cover all aspects of the work.

Lone Working

There are additional considerations relating to 'lone working' if a member of the research team (including staff, students, visitors and contractors ) will be working alone at any time during the research.

For research, examples of lone working may include:

  • Undertaking fieldwork in remote locations
  • Conducting interviews in participants’ homes or on the streets
  • Office/lab working in areas of the University that are rarely frequented.
  • Office/lab working outside of standard office hours.

There may be some situations where researchers are undertaking lone working but there is minimal risk involved – including:

  • Working from home
  • Working as a lone researcher in a community centre or location where many people are present.

Risks

The types of hazards that may pose increased risk to lone workers include but are not limited to:

  • Violence
  • Manual handling
  • Hazardous substances
  • Equipment and machinery
  • Locality e.g. river
  • Confined spaces
  • Transport
  • Weather
  • Sudden illness

There is a greater risk of these hazards causing harm as they may not have anyone to help or support them if things go wrong. A lone worker may be:

  • unable to summon help as a result of injury, ill-health or an emergency.
  • unable to carry out a task safely while alone.

Areas to consider when completing a risk assessment

As per the University’s Health and Safety guidance (GN13- Guidance for Managing Personal Safety Risks at Work) risk assessments should be conducted to ensure suitable and sufficient evaluation of the health and safety risks posed and by implementing any remedial action required to remove or reduce the identified risks.

For lone working a risk assessment should identify and mitigate the hazards of being alone in addition to the hazards of the research itself. This assessment may indicate that lone working is inappropriate.

Some of the factors to consider when conducting a lone working risk assessment are:

  • Location and whether there will be sufficient mobile phone reception to make a phone call?
  • Do you require a personal alarm – what are the procedures for the use of this alarm?
  • How will you ensure the mobile phone/personal alarm is fully charged?
  • If working in a country where you are not a native speaker what arrangements will you make in advance to ensure you could communicate clearly in event of an emergency.
  • The times of home visits and whether these could be arranged during daylight hours.
  • Fully communicate the purpose of the visit to participants, especially where there might be sensitive emotive subjects being discussed.
  • If conducting fieldwork what are the conditions? Is it safe to carry out the work e.g., tide levels, weather etc.?
  • If working in an area with no postal address (e.g., seashore, moorland, farmland, etc.) can you determine and record the OS grid reference prior to travelling to allow emergency services to locate you if necessary? Or use a service such as what3words.
  • How will you be travelling to and from your research location?
  • If using a personal car, is it in good working order? What procedures are in place in case of a breakdown, accident, or theft? Familiarise yourself with the location of well‐lit car parks and do not leave valuables in your car. Ensure you are familiar with University policies relating to Work-related Driving and Use of mobile phones in vehicles on University business.
  • If using public transport be sure to familiarise yourself with timetabling and route information.
  • If transporting hazardous materials what extra precautions should be taken and what warning notices should be displayed?
  • Fire safety - If a fire alarm sounds always assume it's for real. Evacuate the building immediately and go directly to the assembly point. Make sure you’re familiar with these, so you know what to do in an emergency. Don't use the lifts.
  • Are you more vulnerable than others are and put at more risk by working alone (e.g. young, pregnant, disabled or a trainee)?
  • How you will get emergency assistance?
  • What are the risks associated with your research participants?

Additional guidance