Lone Working Policy

InSignLanguage Ltd · Document code ISL-LEG-F-B · Supports clause 4A of the Terms and Conditions of Service (ISL-LEG-B01) · Governing law: England & Wales

Version 1.0 · Effective 26 August 2026 · Reviewed annually.

Read with: ISL-LEG-B07 Face-to-Face Interpreting Booking Policy · ISL-LEG-C01 Interpreter Supplier Terms

F-B1. Purpose and scope

This policy sets out how InSignLanguage protects Interpreters who work alone, and what we require of Clients so that they can. It applies to every assignment we allocate, and it supports clause 4A of our Terms and Conditions of Service (ISL-LEG-B01) and the Interpreter Supplier Terms (ISL-LEG-C01).

It reflects the duty placed on employers, and on agencies engaging freelance workers, by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and the duty to assess risk under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

F-B2. What lone working means here

An Interpreter is lone working where they carry out an assignment without a co-worker or an InSignLanguage colleague present. That includes:

• assignments in the community, away from a staffed venue

• assignments in a private residence

• assignments outside 09:00 to 17:00, Monday to Friday

• travel to and from any of the above

Lone working is common and is not by itself unsafe. What makes it unsafe is doing it without information, without a check-in, and without a route to help.

F-B3. Private residences

We do not allocate an Interpreter to work alone with an individual in a private residence.

Where an assignment takes place in a private home, the Client confirms at the point of booking that a third party will be present throughout - the professional being met, a family member, a carer or a colleague.

If that person is not present when the Interpreter arrives, the Interpreter will not enter and will not begin work. The assignment is treated as cancelled by the Client and charged in full under ISL-LEG-F-I. The Interpreter is paid in full, and their payment is not contingent on any payment by the Client to us.

This is not a matter of preference. It protects the Interpreter and the Service-User equally - from risk to physical safety, and from any allegation of misconduct.

F-B4. What we require from Clients

At the point of booking the Client tells us whether the assignment is at a private residence; whether anything at the location could affect the Interpreter's safety; who will be present; access, parking and entry requirements; and anything that has happened at the location previously.

These questions are asked on the booking form. A booking may be held or declined where they are not answered.

F-B5. What we give the Interpreter

Before every lone-working assignment the Interpreter receives the exact location including floor or room, the name and contact details of the person they are meeting, the expected duration, access and parking arrangements, and anything disclosed under F-B4.

An Interpreter who has not been given this information is not in breach for declining the assignment or withdrawing from it.

F-B6. The check-in, and what it does

This section describes what actually happens, not what we intend to build.

For face-to-face assignments, we send the Interpreter a check-in shortly before the start. It asks two things: whether everything is in order at the venue, and whether they have everything they need.

A negative answer escalates. It alerts the bookings team and posts to our internal Bookings channel, naming which answer failed, so that somebody picks it up while the Interpreter is still there. We hold the Interpreter's contact details and use them to make contact.

Two things the check-in does not do. It does not ask the Interpreter to confirm safe departure, and a check-in that is simply never answered does not by itself raise an alert. Neither is automated today.

So if you want a departure check, arrange it. An Interpreter who wants one - for a late finish, an unfamiliar area, or anything that felt wrong at booking - asks the coordinator when the assignment is confirmed, and we agree how and when they will make contact. It is arranged between people; it does not happen on its own.

F-B7. The Interpreter's right to withdraw

An Interpreter may leave an assignment at any point if they believe they are at risk. They do not have to justify the decision at the time, they will not be asked to negotiate, and it does not affect what they are offered next or their standing with us.

F-B8. Outside normal hours

Assignments outside normal working hours are agreed in advance with a named coordinator. The check-in at F-B6 applies, and a departure check should be agreed at the same time.

F-B9. Review

Reviewed annually, or sooner following an incident. Incidents are recorded and reviewed whatever the outcome.

Cross-references: ISL-LEG-B01 clause 4A · ISL-LEG-B07 Face-to-Face Interpreting Booking Policy · ISL-LEG-C01 Interpreter Supplier Terms · ISL-LEG-F-D Service Level Agreement · ISL-LEG-F-I Cancellation and No-Show Schedule

InSignLanguage Ltd · 26 Domum Road, Portsmouth PO2 0QZ · Company number 10943637 · VAT registration number GB 298 6629 31 · ICO registration ZC163713