{"id":6858,"date":"2014-03-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/safety-procedures-for-employees-working-alone\/"},"modified":"2017-06-09T20:26:09","modified_gmt":"2017-06-09T20:26:09","slug":"safety-procedures-for-employees-working-alone","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/insulation.org\/io\/articles\/safety-procedures-for-employees-working-alone\/","title":{"rendered":"Safety Procedures for Employees Working Alone"},"content":{"rendered":"

While
\nit is acceptable for employees to work alone (unless a federal, state, or local
\nagency prohibits it), proper steps must be taken up front to provide them and
\nothers with procedures to follow to ensure their health and safety. Businesses
\nshould check the guidelines from the Occupational Safety and Health
\nAdministration (OSHA) to ensure that their working-alone procedures follow all
\nfederal rules
\nand regulations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The
\nfirst step in developing a working-alone procedure is defining what the term
\nmeans. Different companies may refer to a single-worker situation as an
\nemployee working alone, a lone worker, or a single-worker job. Regardless of
\nthe terminology, the concept generally refers to a situation where 1 person is
\nperforming a task by himself, he cannot be seen or heard by other workers, and
\nassistance is not readily available. The term is not exclusively used to refer
\nto an entire job—it can also be used if a single employee is completing a
\nsection of a task and, in that time period, does not have contact with other
\nworkers. <\/span><\/p>\n

The
\nnotion of employees working alone is not a new concept and is fairly common
\nwithin construction and related industries. While there may be risk, working
\nalone can be a safe and acceptable situation if an established procedure is
\nfollowed. If there is no procedure, or if employees do not follow the
\nappropriate steps, a working-alone situation may become unsafe.<\/span><\/p>\n

While a business may not seem to have such situations, it
\nmay become apparent, after further inspection, that there are times when an
\nemployee is indeed working alone. It may be as simple as an employee completing
\na task in a basement or isolated area alone, or driving a truck without another
\nemployee present. If there is no procedure to check on these employees, these
\nexamples might qualify as working-alone situations. While working alone may not
\nbe hazardous, depending on the circumstances, it is important for businesses to
\ndevelop a working-alone procedure and conduct a risk\/hazard assessment for any
\njobs that fit into this category<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Certain
\ncompanies may choose to take the step of prohibiting solitary work in order to
\nmaintain the highest level of safety. However, this is not always a practical
\nsolution. Companies need not necessarily prohibit working alone, but instead
\nshould work to develop a procedure that is direct and clear to all employees
\nand that maintains the highest degree of safety when employees have to work
\nalone. Employers need to ensure employees who are working alone have an
\neffective way of communicating with others who can respond if there is an
\nemergency or the employee is injured.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the first steps in creating a working-alone
\nprocedure is to make a list of any jobs or tasks that are not appropriate for a
\nsingle employee. These tasks may include factors such as:<\/span><\/p>\n