Lone Worker Safety

OSHA’s General Duty Clause requires employers to provide a workplace that is free from any recognized hazards that can lead to death or serious physical harm. Many employees work alone, without direct supervision or the company of co-workers, which exposes them to some unique hazards. To ensure compliance, employers must address these hazards and the associated risks. Employers are required to develop a Lone Worker Policy if they have one or more workers who work alone for all or part of their work day. To create a Lone Worker Policy, employers must perform a risk assessment to identify hazards, implement controls for the identified hazards to eliminate or minimize risks, create an official lone worker safety policy, provide skills and safety training specific to lone workers, and provide a means for regular monitoring of and communication with lone workers. All of these items must be documented in a formal written Lone Worker Policy, which should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis, and whenever there are additions or changes.