Two social workers were assaulted during a routine home visit — and the local authority paid a heavy price for failing to protect them. This case study from the Health and Safety Executive highlights the critical importance of lone worker safety policies in the social care sector.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 3 July 2015, two social workers employed by London Borough of Brent visited the home of a vulnerable child to carry out a child safety plan assessment. While note-taking, both social workers were struck over the head with a metal object by the mother, resulting in one of them being knocked temporarily unconscious. While both received serious wounds to the head, the social worker knocked unconscious was later diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
📊 Key stat: Violent and aggressive incidents are the third biggest cause of injuries reported to the HSE from the health and social care sector. Lone working without proper risk assessment exposes staff to preventable harm.
The Health and Safety Executive investigation revealed a cascade of failures. The local authority did not follow its own corporate lone working policy, nor its violence and aggression guidance. No risk assessment was completed and staff were not trained accordingly.
Critically, London Borough of Brent also failed to add an aggression marker to make the social workers aware of the hazards posed by the mother — who was known to have a history of violence. The staff walked into a high-risk situation with no warning.
“The local authority in this case failed to adhere to and implement its own systems and procedure for the management of lone working and violence and aggression against social workers. This risk could have been reduced in a number of ways including carrying out the visit in a controlled environment, such as the local social workers’ office.”
HSE Inspector Neil Fry
London Borough of Brent pleaded guilty of breaching the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2(1). The court fined the local authority £100,000 and ordered them to pay costs of £10,918.88.
💡 Key takeaway: Having a lone working policy on paper is not enough. Organisations must implement their policies, train staff, complete risk assessments, and share intelligence about known hazards — or face serious consequences when things go wrong.
Our lone worker training equips frontline staff with the skills to assess risk, plan safer visits, and respond effectively to aggression. Learn more about the course here:
Dynamis Lone Worker Personal Safety Course →
Source: HSE Press Office, 29 November 2017 — original press release.
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