What Does a Lone Worker Look Like?
In the picture above, can you spot out the lone worker? No? That’s because the lone worker comes from every background and demographic, looking like you and I.
This is the first article of a three-part series: Setting Up a Lone Worker Safety Program. The profile of a lone worker has grown much broader recently and there are several unique characteristics that set them apart from a staff member who works around people or within a team. As diverse as this type of employee is, over the past 20 years of developing SafetyLine, we have classified lone workers into six categories. Can you guess what they are?
A lone worker is typically defined as a staff member who performs their job in isolation, apart from other workers, without any direct supervision and in circumstances where assistance is not readily available when needed. This even includes employees who work in pairs or groups as they’re at risk of an accident that could prevent one or all members of the party from getting help.
A profile of a lone worker
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the profile of the lone worker is much more complex and diverse, with more people working remotely and in isolation than ever before. According to Stats Canada a staggering 65 percent of Canadians were working remotely or at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While the profile of a lone worker has grown much broader recently, there are several unique characteristics that set them apart from a staff member who works around people or within a team.
6 categories of lone workers
As diverse as this type of employee is, over the past 20 years of developing SafetyLine we have classified lone workers into six categories.
1. Workers who do hazardous work away from the public, such as field service operatives. These workers may be doing checks in remote locations, working in confined spaces, or separated from other operatives by physical barriers. The hazards they face may be very high risk when including the fact that assistance may not be readily available.
2. Workers who travel alone but have no interaction with customers, such as truck drivers. These workers could be at risk of accidents, injury or sudden emergencies that could be dangerous if no response is given.
3. Those working from home are considered lone workers. Especially these days, an employer has slightly different responsibilities for the safety and health of employees regardless if they work from home. The employer should accept liability for accident or injury of a worker who is working from home.
4. Workers who travel away from the office and interact with their customers, such as home care workers and social service workers. Employees in these situations may be at a heightened risk of experiencing violence in the workplace when interacting with new clients, or be in a vulnerable position during transportation to and from the office.
5. Workers alone in at an isolated site, such as security guards. These workers are at risk of violent attack by people or animals because their site is isolated from public view or in a very remote location. They could also be subject to other accidents that would need emergency response.
6. Workers who handle cash, such as taxi drivers, and gas station attendants. These workers could also be at risk of violence in their workplace, including physical threats, robberies, or other dangerous behavior that would need an emergency response.
What are common lone worker hazards?
Violence: Lone workers are at great risk of violent incidents. Even working in public, these workers are considered lone and are exposed to a great number of potentially volatile situations.
Vehicular accidents: When travelling alone or working on a site within a vehicle, lone workers are more vulnerable as there is not help available should an accident take place.
Invisible hazards: Lone workers are exposed to a number of unseen risks such as heat and dehydration, cold and hypothermia, and toxic chemicals and fumes, potentially knocking them out and leaving them unable to call for help. Use a worker monitoring solution that will call for help even when the worker is unable to.
Slips, trips, and falls: These are the most common injuries and occur in almost every workplace. A solution is a fall-detection app that will send for help when an accident occurs.
Dangerous equipment and machinery: Another very common injury is the result of entanglement or impact from equipment and machinery. This can leave them immobilized and unconscious, requiring a lone worker safety app like SafetyLine to call for help.
The unique responsibilities of a lone worker
Another factor that sets lone workers apart are their unique responsibilities. These include:
Having to look after their own safety and health
Increased mindfulness and care when using dangerous equipment
Regular communication with a company such as SafetyLine’s check-in and location-tracking feature
Working under special safety and health procedures
Training in special lone-worker emergency protocols
Proactive care for mental health that is impacted by isolation
Canadian legislation for lone workers
In Canada, each province sets its own legislation for health and safety, which often includes provisions for lone workers. In principle, this helps each province address the needs of lone workers in a way that takes into consideration the unique economies and climates of each province, but quite often it means that some provinces lag behind others in having strong legislative requirements.
Canada - Federal
Under Canada Bill C-45 (which applies to the Code of Liabilities for Corporations), the Criminal Code has been amended such that organizations and even individuals may be criminally liable for failure to take reasonable measures to protect employee safety (effective March, 2004).
Canada Bill C-45
The regulations apply for staff working in Canada according to provincial legislation standards. As you will see below, varying lone worker regulations and legislation apply to Canada’s 1 Provinces and three territories:
US legislation for lone workers
The United States does not currently have official lone working legislation in place. However, under the United States Department of Labor, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was created in the 70s to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance. The Occupational Safety and Health Act 1970 is the primary federal legislation governing worker safety in the USA, for traditional office-based employees to self-employed, contractors and lone workers. Under the OSHA, a lone worker safety policy is a general duty and negligent employers can be cited under the General Duty statute.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1970, lone working is mentioned specifically for those working on a Shipyard (Occup. Safety and Health Standards for Shipyard Employment)
Set up a free lone worker safety program
Are you in need of developing an effective lone worker safety program on a tight budget. Here’s a free lone worker safety guide on how to do so which includes a step-by-step breakdown on how to develop your own lone worker program as well as a comprehensive program checklist that’s easy to follow and will keep you on track - at no expense to your organization.
Want to learn more about protecting your team?
Do you know who your lone workers are and how to protect them? If you’re still unsure or have questions, we can help.