Many constituents have contacted me about concerns around lone working. All workers deserve to feel safe at work and should be treated with dignity and respect by their employers.
The Government maintains that all employers must comply with their legal obligations towards those they engage. Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, employers must manage risks before people can work alone. Potential risks they must consider include violence in the workplace, employee stress and mental wellbeing, a person’s medical suitability to work alone, and the workplace itself – for example, if it is located in a rural or isolated area. Employers must conduct thorough risk assessments for lone workers and apply suitable safeguards to mitigate the identified risks.
I appreciate that safety is a major concern when working alone, particularly as shoplifting has increased to an unacceptable level in recent years, with more offenders using violence and abuse against shopworkers. Everybody has a right to feel safe on the job which is why I welcome that, in the Crime and Policing Bill, the Government introduced a new offence of assaulting a retail worker to protect the hardworking and dedicated staff who work in stores. The Government is also removing the legislation which makes shop theft of and below £200 a summary-only offence, sending a clear message that any level of shop theft is illegal and will be taken seriously. The Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention will continue to host the Retail Crime Forum to ensure regular engagement with law enforcement and the retail sector to discuss what more can be done to tackle retail crime.
More widely, through the Employment Rights Bill, the Government is working to deliver a big upgrade to workers’ rights and make work pay for all workers. As part of this legislation, the Government is committed to creating the Fair Work Agency, which will take a balanced approach to upholding workers’ rights, providing better support on how to comply with the law while taking tough action against rogue employers who exploit their workers. It will bring existing functions like minimum wage enforcement into one place and will also enforce rights such as holiday pay and statutory sick pay.
Thank you once again for contacting me.
Best wishes
Rt Hon Hilary Benn
MP for Leeds South
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland