4 Ways SafetyLine Complies with Manitoba Lone Worker Regulations and Legislation
Table of Contents
Regulatory safety measures in Manitoba
Safety risk identification and mitigation
Effective lone worker communication system
Automated safety check-ins
Provide safety training and education
Regular hazard assessments
Manitoba lone worker legislation and regulations
Manitoba is one of the seven provinces in Canada that regulate working alone. Given that having at least two employees on a job site was not always practical or useful in protecting workers, these regulations were established to ensure the safety of those workers who were required to perform their jobs alone. These jurisdictions require employers to follow certain protocols which are designed to keep their lone workers safe. In this article, we will identify the safety measures that employers must take and discuss how SafetyLine can help your company to legally comply.
Regulatory safety measures in Manitoba
The Manitoba Labour and Immigration Workplace Safety and Health Code of Practice for Workers Working Alone or in Isolation states that:
“Employers must ensure they have considered and addressed the hazards and risks in jobs where workers work alone or in isolation, and that appropriate safe work procedures have been developed and implemented.”
Some of the main recommendations of the code are to perform hazard assessments as well as provide safety training, which we talk about below.
Additionally, Manitoba’s Workplace Safety and Health Act is an all-inclusive document that contains the code of practice for all workers who work alone or in isolation. It outlines the legal requirements for Manitoba companies who employ lone workers. We will highlight four key regulations.
Safety risk identification and mitigation
If an employee is required to work alone, an employer must identify the safety hazards that could arise from the conditions and circumstances of that field of work. Furthermore, an employer must, to the best of their abilities, either eliminate or mitigate the risks identified.
Risks can be reduced using proactive safety software. SafetyLine is an automated cloud-based lone worker monitoring system that serves companies by providing remote and lone workers with a safety monitoring solution which complies with the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety lone worker regulations. SafetyLine can help your company mitigate risks by giving employees the tools they need to be safe, 100% of the time. Complete monitoring and lone worker protection via real-time data allows SafetyLine to ensure the wellbeing of your lone workers. Employers can reduce risks to the best of their abilities by implementing this kind of safety solution.
Effective lone worker communication system
Safe work procedures are required to include an effective, company-wide communication system that consists of radio, telephone, or cellular communication. It is essential that a lone worker be able to contact someone in an emergency.
SafetyLine’s services will work on all your pre-existing devices, including smartphones, computers, tablets, satellite devices, and even telephones. This allows employees to choose the device of their preference that meets their job needs. Even better, SafetyLine isn’t tied to one device; workers can switch between devices seamlessly. Lastly, SafetyLine collects live data. Time of day, time of the incident, workers who are at high risk, hazardous locations, worker’s activities, condition of the worker, safety hazard trends, and GPS location of employees are all readily available to monitors. This real-time data helps monitors to respond effectively in an emergency.
Automated safety check-ins
Besides regular calls, communication also includes regular contact or check-ins that are proportionate to the level of risk. Employees who work in more hazardous industries, such as forestry or oil and gas, should have more frequently scheduled check-in times, regular cell phone or radio contact, an alarm system that can easily alert other employees, and a protocol in place that triggers an investigation for an employee who misses a check-in.
SafetyLine uses a fail-proof check-in system that doesn’t rely on an employee’s ability to call for help, in order to call for help. Proactive check-in times allow workers to notify monitors that they are okay, at pre-set time intervals. If an employee misses a check-in, SafetyLine will signal an alarm, even if the worker is unconscious or unable to call for help. Employees are also able to change their required time intervals and customize them depending on the danger of the activity. Our check-in system satisfies communication regulations because it allows for open, two-way communication between employees and monitors. In a situation where a call for help is not possible, Safetyline’s check-in system will protect your people.
Provide safety training and education
As an employer, you cannot assume that your employees will know what to do in an emergency. Safety procedures will only be effective if employees are knowledgeable and aware of them. Training, awareness, and proper education of safety hazards will ensure that your company’s safety procedures are well-executed and understood.
Teaching your employees how to use automated lone worker software is very straightforward. You can find a thorough compilation of tools that will get you started on our help center.
We also offer an online training course that covers your responsibilities as a worker, how to use SPOT devices, and many other fundamental components of being a lone worker using SafetyLine. Enrollment is easy and the training course can be completed according to your schedule. SafetyLine makes implementing a safety solution as straightforward as possible so that your organization can continue with business as usual.
Regular hazard assessments
As we point out in the lone worker safety code earlier, employers must conduct regular hazard and safety risk assessments of any jobs that involve lone workers or those in isolation, constantly updating the assessments to help you better anticipate any accidents. When conducting these assessments, make sure all team members impacted are involved with the documentation.
Read more: Manitoba lone worker legislation and regulations
Manitoba Standing Offer with SafetyLine Lone Worker
Manitoba's Standing Offer is a strategic program designed for departments of the Government of Manitoba, providing access to a list of pre-approved suppliers for various goods and services. This initiative is intended to save time and resources while ensuring that departments obtain competitive prices and high-quality products or services. Managed by the Province of Manitoba's Department of Central Services, the program simplifies the procurement process by pre-qualifying and pre-approving suppliers, allowing organizations to make purchases without the need for a formal procurement process.
Among the vetted and approved solutions, the Province of Manitoba has endorsed SafetyLine as a reliable lone worker safety solution. This endorsement underscores the province's commitment to employee safety and streamlined operations through trusted and efficient procurement practices.