Working Alone

The term ‘working alone’ applies to workers who spend a certain amount of their working day carrying out their duties without support from any co-workers or supervisors.

Common examples of jobs where working alone will frequently form a significant percentage of the employee’s working day include: courier drivers, retail (convenience store) employees, taxi drivers, truck and delivery drivers, home care and social services employees, pizza delivery drivers, cleaners, community workers, doctors, nurses, midwives, security guards, night-shift employees, and more.

Many of these jobs will naturally bring the workers into contact with members of the public in situations where the worker could potentially be at risk of abuse, threatening behaviour or physical assault, but there are also other sources of risk to those working alone too.

For example, drivers and anyone else who has to travel alone as part of their work, is at risk of injury from accidents that take place on the roads. Similarly, workers who have to work using any form of machinery, such as cleaning equipment, industrial or electrical tools, lifting equipment etc. are also at risk of injury from incidents involving these things. Some workers may also have to handle hazardous substances within the cause of their work too, and this can also present an additional risk.

Any form of accident or injury that takes place when an employee is working alone is potentially very serious as the delay in the alarm being raised and help being summoned can be the crucial factor in determining the ultimate outcome of the situation. What if the worker is unconscious or incapacitated and cannot talk?

Even though such incidents like these mentioned aren’t that common, when they do occur the consequences can be very serious and need instant action. Of course, the protection of their employees is now also a legal obligation for employers, who must ensure that they are meeting their duty of care.

If the worker is equipped with the SafeTCard lone worker safety device with its emergency ‘Man Down’ and GPS tracking ability, then help is always at hand when it is needed.