Lone working is a reality for many employees across diverse sectors such as industry, security, transportation or agriculture. Lone working situations expose workers to specific risks that require tailored safety measures and devices.
Faced with these challenges, companies are obliged to guarantee the protection of their isolated workers by putting in place safety measures, training and warning systems to reduce the risks specific to these situations.
This article explores:
-The definition and contexts of lone work
-The types of risks faced by lone workers
-Selection criteria for choosing a lone worker alarm device
What is a lone worker ?
In France, the “Cour de Cassation” provides the following definition of a lone worker (November 25, 2008): an employee working in a location where he or she is alone must be considered a lone worker if not within sight or hearing of others. The concept is similar in other European countries.
A lone worker is an employee carrying out its activities in situations where it cannot alert someone nearby in case of need. Long-lasting isolation is not required for someone to be classified as a lone worker; even a temporary task can be considered as lone work.
Since such scenarios are frequent, employers must anticipate these situations to reduce risks and ensure rapid assistance for distressed workers when an incident arises.
Lone Working Situations
Various work configurations can result in lone working situations. Although it is not possible to list every potential scenario, here are some common examples:
-Night shifts or irregular hours (security personnel, maintenance operations, etc.)
-Handling tasks in warehouses
-Work in underground or confined spaces (sewers, tanks, tunnels, technical rooms)
-Inspections on industrial sites (factories, power plants, water treatment plants)
-Surveillance in warehouses or sensitive sites
-Work at heights (rooftops, wind turbines, pylons)
-Forestry or agricultural work
-Industrial cleaning in hazardous environments (petrochemicals)
-Driving vehicles (trucks, buses, trains) without accompaniment
These situations often present specific safety challenges. Lone worker Protection systems and video surveillance systems may be necessary to ensure worker safety. Employers should evaluate working conditions to identify potential cases of lone work within their business.
Isolation doesn’t need to be prolonged or routine for an staff member to be considered a lone worker. A situation where an employee is temporarily alone for a task can still be considered lone work.
Risks Faced by lone workers
Lone workers face various risks. Some risks are directly tied to their tasks (e.g., working at heights, handling hazardous chemicals), while the isolation itself prevents workers from signaling distress. Here, we categorize the risks into two main types:
-Accident risks, related to the work environment
-Health risks, unrelated to the worker’s activities
Accident Risks
Physical risks are directly linked to the tasks performed by the employee or their working environment. Examples include:
-Falls: These accidents are common among workers performing tasks at heights or on uneven ground. Without nearby help and quick intervention, the consequences of a fall can get significantly worse.
-Injuries caused by handling tools or machinery.
Workers may also face environmental hazards, such as extreme temperatures or exposure to toxic gases, despite wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).
Health Risks
A sudden health issue, such as a fainting, heart attack, or stroke, can be fatal without prompt assistance. Delayed intervention in prolonged isolation increases the risk of severe complications. For instance:
-For a stroke, a delay of 15 minutes can result in a loss of one month of life expectancy.
-For a heart attack, a 30-minute delay increases the one-year mortality risk by 7.5%.
Protecting lone workers: choosing the right lone worker safety device
Employers are legally required to ensure the safety and health of their employees. Protecting lone workers is part of this obligation. This requires employers to implement measures and devices specific to the risks their employees face.
Moreover, employers carry the burden of proof that the measures and devices they have implemented allow for quick assistance to lone workers. Therefore, selecting an appropriate alarm device for lone workers is crucial to optimally protect lone workers and guarantee regulatory compliance.
Lone worker alarm devices like SYSNAV PLD offer various features to meet site-specific safety needs. Below are key criteria for selecting such devices.
Incident Detection
Depending on the type of device, some incidents can be detected with varying degrees of precision, such as:
–Loss of verticality (fall detection)
–Long-lasting immobility
These criteria should be adapted to the worker’s activity. For instance, detecting prolonged immobility might not necessarily indicate an incident for workers who often remain seated or stationary. Therefore, it’s essential to consider site-specific activities to ensure the device reliably detects incidents.
Alerting Security Teams
Lone worker devices notify security teams, whether internal or external, to mobilize assistance for workers in distress. There are two types of alerts:
-Automatic alerts, triggered when specific conditions are met (e.g., prolonged immobility or a fall).
-Manual alerts, activated directly by the worker in a distress situation.
Localization for Faster Response
Once an incident is detected, rapid intervention is critical. Delays in emergency response can significantly impact the outcome for the victim.
Integrating localization systems into lone worker safety devices guarantees quicker assistance. For instance, SYSNAV PLD allows precise indoor/outdoor and floor-specific localization.
Incident Prevention
SYSNAV lone worker safety devices can also prevent incidents, by identifying risky situations such as:
-Working at heights
-Entering hazardous zones requiring specific PPE (personal protection equipment)
These danger detection features in SYSNAV PLD can be customized to meet your site’s specific needs.
Conclusion
Lone work requires companies to implement specific measures to protect their employees. By adopting a comprehensive prevention strategy, companies can safeguard their workers, mitigate the consequences of accidents, and fulfill their workplace safety responsibilities.
Selecting an appropriate alarm device for lone workers is key to meet site-specific safety challenges, to protect worker health and safety and to be in compliance with the Law.
For more information on SYSNAV’s lone worker solution, visit our page: Lone Worker Alarm Device
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