Working Alone

The Law Pertains to more workers than

those working alone in stores at night!

Who are lone workers and what jobs do they do?

They include people who work outside normal hours, such as janitors, security guards,

special production, plant maintenance or repair staff, delivery truck drivers, and others.

They include mobile workers working away from a fixed base in construction, pesticide applicators, office & factory

cleaners, and service workers such as social workers, home healthcare workers, real estate agents and others.

Who are lone workers and what jobs do they do?

Regulations

The Government regulations and standards note:

– Written procedures required

– Adequate intervals for checks

– Check at end of shift

– Safety Committee involved

– Training

– Annual review

Regulations

• Purpose

– To protect workers assigned to work alone

– Only when assistance not available

Responsibilities

• The employer

– Ensure procedures and resources in place

– Ensure training is provided

Responsibilities

• Managers and Supervisors

– List positions assigned to work alone

– Assess risk

– Assist in developing procedures

– Ensure procedure is working

Responsibilities

• Workers

– Know and understand the check-in procedure

– Know when to use the procedure

Definitions

• Working alone or in isolation

• Contact Person

• Check-in

Definitions

• Alone…Isolation - What’s the difference?

–Alone – no other workers

–Isolation – no other people

Definitions

• Assistance that is readily available

– Presence of others

– Awareness

– Willingness

– Timeliness

Definitions

• Final word on “alone or isolation”

– Worker cannot be seen or heard in a timely manner

Operational Analysis and Control (OAC)Model

Analyse the Operation

Manage the Operation

Effectiveness Review

What can cause harm?What are you doing about it?Is it enough?

What has to be done?What resources do you need?When does the operation need reviewed?

Has the operation progressed as planned?Detail the changes needed?List the improvement actions?

Safe Working Procedure - Lone Working

Set your work objectives to include;

“...tasks/ activities are to be completed on time and in a manner thatdoes not cause harm to the employees, customers, other non-employees, or the company/ organisation.”

Three key questions to start with are…

• What can cause harm?

• What are you doing about it?

• Is it enough?

Remember the process is simple but it is NOT to be considered simplistic.

Safe Working Procedure - Lone Working

Know where the harm is;

Identify the key hazards associated with lone working and the outcomes of any safety failures.

Source of Hazards(non-exhaustive list)

• Road accidents

Acts of violence

• Illness

Outcomes of exposure(non-exhaustive list)

• Physical injury

Safe Working Procedure - Lone Working

Controlling the Hazard - Options

In priority order;

1. Eliminate where possible,

2. Use control measures,

3. Protect all those exposed to the hazard

Safe Working Procedure - Lone Working

Safe Working Procedure - Lone Working

Checklist - Consider the following before permitting staff to work alone;

• Can a lone worker do the work safely?

• Does lone working present any special risks, (particularly to women

and young workers)?

• Is the person fit and competent to work alone?

• Is there a communication method, suitable for normal

circumstances?

• Is there a suitable communication method for emergency

situations?

• What are the foreseeable emergencies (e.g. road accidents, illness,

acts of violence)?

Notes:

a) Consent to work alone is to be properly authorised.b) Staff must inform their supervisor(s) of any circumstance

that could affect their OSH when working alone.

Safe Working Procedure - Lone Working

Business Activity Managers

Safety Managers

Managing Director

Employees

Duty Holders

Ensuring compliance.

Providing professional safety advice.

Complying with the requirements.

Responsible for…

Co-operating with the requirements.

Safe working arrangements for lone workers

• When risk assessment shows that it is not possible for the work to be done safely by a lone worker, arrangements for providing help or back-up should be put in place.

• Where a lone worker is working at another employer’s workplace, that employer should inform the lone worker’s employer of any risks and the control measures that should be taken. This helps the lone worker’s employer to assess the risks.

• Establishing safe working for lone workers is no different from organizing the safety of other employees.

• Employers need to know the law and standards which apply to lone worker’s activities and then assess whether the requirements can be met by people working alone.

There are some high-risk activities where safety regulations require that at

least one other person be present.

Examples include:

confined space work where an attendant needs to be present, as well as

someone dedicated to the rescue role,

electrical work at or near exposed live conductors where at least two

people are required.

Some work cannot be done alone

Employers should determine - Is it safe to be working alone in this job?

Does the workplace present a special

risk to the lone worker?

Is there a safe way in and a way out for

one person?

Can any temporary access equipment,

such as portable ladders or trestles, be

safely handled by one person?

Can all the machinery and goods involved

in the workplace be safely handled by one

person?

Are there any chemicals or hazardous

substances being used that may pose a

risk to the worker?

Does the work involve lifting objects too

large for one person?

Is more than one person needed to

operate essential controls for the safe

running of equipment or workplace

transport?

Is it safe to work alone?

Is the person medically fit and suitable to work alone?

Check that lone workers have no medical conditions which make them unsuitable for working alone.

Seek medical advice if necessary.

Consider both routine work and foreseeable emergencies which may impose additional physical and mental burdens on the individual.

How will the person be supervised?• Although lone workers cannot be subject to constant

supervision, it is still an employer’s duty to ensure their health and safety at work.

• Supervision can help to ensure that employees understand the risks associated with their work and that the necessary safety precautions are carried out.

• Supervisors can also provide guidance in situations of uncertainty.

• Supervision of health and safety can often be carried out when checking the progress and quality of the work; it may take the form of periodic site visits combined with discussions in which health and safety issues are raised

Procedures to help keep lone workers safe

Supervisors periodically visiting and observing people working alone.

Regular contact between the lone worker and supervision using either a

telephone or radio.

Automatic warning devices which operate if specific signals are not received periodically from the lone worker, such as systems for security staff.

Other devices designed to raise the alarm in the event of an emergency and which are operated manually or automatically by the absence of activity.

Checks that a lone worker has returned to their base or home on completion of a task.

Workers who work alone or in isolation for short or intermittent periods of time without being directed to do so are not

considered to have been "assigned" to work alone. For example, a worker in most office and similar work settings, where

other workers are normally present during their work hours, is not considered to be assigned to work alone or in isolation if,

for example, the worker decides to come in early, work late, or come in on a day off. While a worker in such a setting may

choose to work alone and this is permitted by the employer, the worker is not considered to have been assigned to work

alone. In this situation the employer still has an obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of their employee(s), e.g. risk

assessments, etc. must be conducted.

Note: You should know whether or not you are using an outside agency such as a call answering service as the contact

person for your program.

The contact person or agency has a number of duties:

Document the check-in

They must be prepared to take action if the worker does not check-in at the designated time.

If they cannot contact the worker, they are the person who will initiate the emergency response.

Definitions

• Short / Intermittent Periods of Time

• Office Workers

• Contact Person or Agency

Procedure

• Check-in procedure

– Normal business hours

– After hours, holidays, week-ends

Procedure

• Checking in

– Information to provide

– How often

– Final check-in

Procedure

• Review procedures

– List of known assigned jobs

– Written procedures

– Wallet cards and other info

Procedure

• Risk Assessments

– All jobs and tasks have been examined

– Risk Assessments have been completed

Procedure

• Maintenance of program

– [Name or position who maintains program]

• List of jobs / tasks requiring check-in

– [Provide list of jobs / tasks]

Procedure

• Check-in telephone number:

– xxx-xxx-xxxx

• Provide information

Devices to keep in contact with lone workers

Regular contact between the lone worker and supervision

using cell phone, computer, satellite, webcams, RFID

technology or PDAs. (Do a Google search for “lone worker

protective devices”.)

Automatic warning devices which operate if specific signals are not received periodically from the lone worker, such as systems for security staff;

Other devices designed to raise the alarm in the event of an emergency and which are operated manually or automatically by the absence of activity.

RFIDPDA

Procedure

• Emergency Response

– xx

– xx

– xx

– xx

– xx

Procedure

• Contact Person

– Establish and check communications

– Ensure contact numbers are available

– Maintain the communication log

– Handover to oncoming contact person

Summary

• Know the jobs that require check-in

• Confirm communications system

• Check-in as directed or agreed

• Inform contact person when done

Summary

• Government Regulation

• Definitions

• Responsibilities

• Jobs / tasks requiring check-in

• Emergency response