A lone worker policy is a written set of rules and procedures explaining how an organization assesses and controls risks for people who work alone, including check-ins and the response when contact is lost.
A lone worker policy is a written set of rules and procedures that explains how an organization identifies, assesses and controls the risks faced by employees who work alone or out of sight and earshot of colleagues. It sets out who is considered a lone worker, which tasks may or may not be done alone, how workers stay in contact, and what happens if someone cannot be reached or needs help.
People work alone in many settings: field technicians, home care staff, real estate agents, security guards, utility crews, delivery drivers, night-shift retail staff and remote site workers. Working alone is not automatically unsafe, but it changes the risk. If a lone worker is injured, becomes ill or faces violence, there may be no one nearby to help or call for assistance, so a minor problem can become serious.
A policy turns good intentions into consistent practice. It gives managers and workers a shared reference point, shows regulators that the employer has thought through the risks, and makes sure that check-in and escalation steps happen the same way every time.
Federal OSHA does not have a general standard on working alone. Employers still have a duty under the General Duty Clause to protect workers from recognized serious hazards, and several specific standards prohibit lone work in certain conditions, such as the attendant requirement for permit-required confined spaces in 29 CFR 1910.146. Some states go further for particular industries. For example, Oregon OSHA's forest activities rules (OAR 437-007-0210) require a checking system for single-employee assignments, with set intervals between checks, a named person responsible for contact, procedures if the worker cannot be reached, and a review at least annually.
Several provinces have specific working alone rules. In British Columbia, the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (sections 4.20.1 to 4.23) requires employers to identify hazards for workers who work alone or in isolation, minimize the risks, and set up a written procedure for checking on worker well-being, including checks at set intervals and at the end of the shift, with an annual review. Alberta's OHS Code Part 28 requires a hazard assessment, effective communication between the lone worker and a designated person, and contact at intervals appropriate to the nature of the hazard.
In Great Britain, the HSE guidance leaflet Protecting lone workers: How to manage the risks of working alone (INDG73) explains how general duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations apply to lone working. It notes that working alone is often safe once risks are assessed and controlled, that lone workers must be included in the employer's risk assessment, and that some high-risk work, such as certain confined space entries and work near exposed live electrical conductors, may require at least one other person. It also covers violence, stress and mental health, and the importance of keeping in touch.
Lone worker monitoring tools, such as timed check-ins and alerts, can help put the policy into practice, but they support rather than replace a sound risk assessment and response plan.
A regional water utility has operators who visit remote pump stations alone, often at night. After a near miss in which an operator slipped on a wet ladder and was unable to reach his phone for 40 minutes, the utility revises its lone worker policy. The new version classifies station visits by risk, bans solo entry into below-grade vaults, requires a check-in on arrival and departure plus timed check-ins during longer visits, and defines a three-step escalation if a check-in is missed.
The supervisor trains all operators and the night dispatcher on the procedure and runs a drill where an operator intentionally misses a check-in. The drill shows that the dispatcher did not have up-to-date site access codes, so the utility adds them to the dispatch file. The policy is scheduled for review in 12 months or sooner if work changes.
It depends on where you operate. Some jurisdictions, such as British Columbia and Alberta, have specific working alone rules that effectively require written procedures. Elsewhere, general duties to assess and control risks still apply, and a written policy is the most practical way to show you have met them.
There is no single interval that suits every job. Frequency should reflect the hazards of the task, the location and the worker's situation. Higher-risk work calls for more frequent contact.
It should, if they work without direct supervision. The risks may be lower than for field work, but issues such as isolation, stress and medical emergencies still need to be considered.
The response to a missed check-in or alert. A check-in system only protects workers if someone acts quickly and knows exactly what to do when contact is lost.
Part of SafetyIQ's EHS glossary: plain-English definitions of workplace health and safety terms.
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