Working Alone or In Isolation Safety Policy

PURPOSE

ABC Company has adopted this Policy to protect the safety of workers who work alone or in isolation as required by the [province name] Occupational Health and Safety Act (“Act”), the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (“Regulations”), the ABC Company Occupational Health and Safety Program (“OHS Program”), and other applicable requirements and standards.

Definitions

For purposes of this Policy:

“Approved” means approved by an agency acceptable to the director for use under the conditions prescribed by the agency, or approved conditionally or otherwise by a certificate of the director;
“Competent” means possessing knowledge, experience, and training to perform a specific duty safely and effectively;
“Director” means the director of [list agency that enforces and administers the OHS laws in your jurisdiction];
“PPE” means personal protective equipment;
“Reasonably practicable” means possible given current knowledge, technology and invention;
“Work alone” means to work at a work site as the only worker of ABC Company at that work site, in circumstances where assistance is not readily available to the worker in the event of injury, illness, or emergency.

POLICY STATEMENT

ABC Company recognizes that working alone or in isolation without co-workers to look out for them may expose workers to additional risks and leave them without help in case of injury or illness. Where reasonably practicable, ABC Company will avoid requiring workers to do their jobs alone or in isolation. Where this is not reasonably practicable and workers are required to work alone or in isolation, ABC Company will take steps to either eliminate or reduce the risks posed to them in accordance with this Policy.

SCOPE

4.1. Workers Protected by This Policy

The intent of this Policy is to protect the health and safety of all workers engaged to work at ABC Company work sites who work alone or in isolation regardless of who pays or employs those workers, including:

Full- or part-time workers employed by ABC Company;
Workers who receive approval to carry out their employment duties at home (“telecommuters”)
Temporary employees placed by an outside agency to work at the site;
Contract labourers engaged to perform work at the site;
Volunteers who work at the site for free; and
Workers employed by prime contractors, contractors, and subcontractors to perform work at the site under a contract with ABC Company.

4.2. When Working Alone or in Isolation Is Prohibited

The following operations must not be performed by a worker working alone or in isolation:

Confined space entry;
Installation or operation of equipment with a nominal voltage of 300 volts or more;
Application or use of chemicals or substances classified as “hazardous products” under the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System regulations and which the Safety Data Sheet for the hazardous product describes as being quick-acting acutely toxic material;
Operations requiring use of supplied air respiratory equipment or self-contained breathing apparatus;
Use of a vehicle, crane or similar equipment near a live power line;
Operations involving mobile equipment that require the presence of a traffic control person;
Welding operations that require the presence of a fire watcher;
Other tasks indicated in the safe work procedure as requiring a safety attendant or other person to be present such as work in an atmosphere that is immediately dangerous to life and health (as defined in the ABC Company Respiratory Protection Policy); and
Any other tasks that ABC Company deems to be too dangerous to allow a worker to perform while working alone or in isolation.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES

5.1. ABC Company

Owners, corporate officers and directors, senior managers and other representatives of ABC Company considered “employers” under the Act are responsible for the overall development, implementation, and review of this Policy, including ensuring that:

The required hazard identification for working alone and in isolation is carried out, in consultation with the workplace Joint Health and Safety Committee (“Safety Committee”) or Health and Safety Representative (“Safety Representative”) or, if there is no Safety Committee or Safety Representative, directly with workers at the workplace;
The appropriate safety and security measures, including but not limited to safe work procedures for working alone and in isolation are selected, developed, and implemented effectively;
All communication, emergency equipment, and PPE required to implement this Policy is provided;
All affected personnel receive the training and instruction they need to carry out their roles and responsibilities under this Policy and applicable safe work procedures;
If necessary, any additional required safety measures for workers in late night retail premises under Section 10, are taken and effectively implemented;
This Policy is appropriately reviewed.

5.2. Safety Coordinator

The ABC Company safety coordinator, facility manager, or other designated individual in charge of safety at the workplace will be responsible and held accountable for the day-to-day implementation and enforcement of this Policy, including ensuring that:

The required hazard identification for working alone and in isolation is carried out, in consultation with the Safety Committee or Safety Representative or, if there is no Safety Committee or Safety Representative, directly with workers at the workplace;
The appropriate safety and security measures, including but not limited to safe work procedures for working alone and in isolation are selected, developed, and implemented effectively;
All communication, emergency equipment, and PPE required to implement this Policy is provided;
All affected personnel receive the training and instruction they need to carry out their roles and responsibilities under this Policy and applicable safe work procedures;
If necessary, any additional required safety measures for workers in late night retail premises under Section 10, are taken and effectively implemented;
This Policy is applied to prime contractors, contractors, and subcontractors in accordance with Section 11; and
This Policy is appropriately reviewed.

5.3. Supervisors

Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that the workers they oversee who are required to work alone or in isolation receive the training and instruction they need to carry out their role under this Policy and applicable safe work procedures. Supervisors may also be called on to conduct or participate in the safety measures provided for under this Policy, including:

Hazard identification and assessment;
Conducting and documenting job hazard analyses determining if particular positions or operations involve hazards of working alone or in isolation;
Development of safe work procedures for working alone or in isolation;
Determination of appropriate safety and security controls;
Designation or acting as contact person for workers working alone or in isolation;
Enforcing this Policy and applicable safe work procedures including, where necessary, via discipline.

5.4. Workers

Workers are responsible for knowing and carrying out their obligations under this Policy, including:

Providing input into the development of safe work procedures that affect them;
Ensuring they receive adequate training and instruction on the hazards of working alone or in isolation and the safe work procedures in place to protect them;
Following the applicable safe work procedures when working alone or in isolation or serving as a contact person to another worker working alone or in isolation;
Properly using any communication or emergency equipment required for the operation involving working alone or in isolation;
Immediately notifying their supervisor or manager of any defects in communication or emergency equipment; and
Telecommuters must also allow ABC Company access to their homes for the purposes of carrying out safety inspections and hazard assessments, either in-person or remotely, before the telecommuting arrangement begins, on a regular basis every year thereafter and more frequently as necessary in response to incidents, injuries or indications of new hazards not identified or addressed in the previous inspection or assessment.

5.5. Safety Committee/Safety Representative

The Safety Committee or Safety Representative for the workplace is responsible for consulting with ABC Company on the performance of the hazard identification required by this Policy and may also be called on to:

Consult with ABC Company on the development and review of safe work procedures for working alone or in isolation and/or the selection of other safety measures;
Inspection of communication equipment and safe work procedures during its monthly workplace inspection; and
Issuing recommendations with regard to this Policy and the safety of workers working alone or in isolation.

HAZARD IDENTIFICATION

ABC Company will ensure that before assigning a worker(s) to work alone or in isolation, a competent supervisor or manager, in consultation with the Safety Committee, the Safety Representative, or where there is no Safety Committee or Safety Representative for the workplace, directly with the workers at the workplace, identifies the hazards posed to those worker(s).

HAZARD CONTROL

Where the above hazard assessment identifies a hazard to the worker(s) working alone or in isolation, ABC Company will take all practicable steps to eliminate or reduce the identified risks before the worker(s) starts a work assignment involving exposure to that hazard, including but not limited to establishing an effective communication system consisting of:

Radio communication; or
Phone or cellular phone communication; or
Any other means that provides effective communication in view of the risks involved.

Additional steps that ABC Company will consider to protect identified risks to workers working alone and in isolation include:

Regular contact by designated personnel with the worker working alone or in isolation;
Limiting or prohibiting the kind of activities the worker can perform while working alone or in isolation;
Establishment of minimum training, experience, or competency levels that workers must meet to be permitted to work alone or in isolation;
Providing PPE to workers working alone or in isolation;
Establishing safe work procedures for working alone or in isolation (as set forth in Section 8 below); and/or
Providing emergency supplies for workers working alone or in isolation for use in travelling under conditions of extreme cold or inclement weather conditions.

If practicable, ABC Company will consult with the Safety Committee or Safety Representative, or where there is no Safety Committee or Safety Representative, directly with workers at the workplace, in determining which of the above additional steps to take to control identified risks to workers working alone or in isolation.

SAFE WORK PROCEDURES

Where necessary to control identified risks to workers, ABC Company will develop and implement a written procedure for checking the well-being of a worker assigned to work alone or in isolation that may include:

Specification of required time intervals between checks;
Procedures to follow in case the worker cannot be contacted, including provisions for emergency rescue;
Designation of a contact person who is responsible for establishing contact with the worker at predetermined intervals and recording the results in a log;
The requirement that a check be performed at the end of the work shift.

If practicable, such safe work procedures will be developed in consultation with the Safety Committee or Safety Representative, or where there is no Safety Committee or Safety Representative, directly with workers at the workplace.

TRAINING & INSTRUCTION

Workers assigned to work alone or in isolation and individuals assigned to serve as contact persons in accordance with a safe work procedure established under Section 8. above will receive training and instruction in the safe work procedure and system of checking the worker’s well-being before being required or permitted to carry out their assignments. New and young workers will receive training in this Policy as part of their safety orientation training.

LATE NIGHT RETAIL OPERATIONS [USE ONLY IF APPLICABLE]

10.1. Definitions

For purposes of this Section 10:

“Late night retail premises” means a place of employment that is open to the public between 11 PM and 6 AM for the purposes of making retail sales to consumers;

10.2. Additional Hazard Assessment for Working Alone in Late Night Retail

In addition to the hazard identification required by Section 6. of this Policy above and the measures ABC Company is required to take to prevent workplace violence under itsWorkplace Violence Policy Program, ABC Company will take the following measures if it employs workers at a late night retail premises:

Performing a special workplace hazard assessment in accordance with an approved industry standard;
Reviewing and, if necessary, revising the above hazard assessment at least once every three years or in response to a change in circumstances that may affect workers’ health and safety.

10.3. Additional Security Controls for Working Alone in Late Night Retail

In addition to the hazard controls required by Sections 7, 8, and 9 of this Policy above and the measures ABC Company is required to take to prevent workplace violence under its Workplace Violence Program, ABC Company will implement the following security controls for workers working in late night retail premises:

Development of written safe cash handling procedures to minimize the amount of money that is readily accessible to the worker in the establishment;
Use of video cameras that capture key areas in the workplace, including the cash desk and any outdoor gas pumps;
Establishment of measures to ensure good visibility into and out of the premises; and
Placement of signs to indicate:
- The worker’s limited accessibility to cash and valuables; and
- The use of video cameras on the premises;
In addition to the above requirements, where ABC Company has one worker working alone at a late-night retail premises between 11 PM and 6 AM, it will:
- Implement a check-in system and written check-in procedure for that worker; and
- Provide a personal emergency transmitter for the worker to wear that signals for emergency response when the transmitter is activated.

PRIME CONTRACTORS, CONTRACTORS & SUBCONTRACTORS

ABC Company will ensure that any prime contractors, contractors, and subcontractors hired to perform work at its work sites that requires workers to work alone or in isolation are:

Notified of the hazards posed to workers working alone or in isolation;
Notified of the terms of this Policy, ABC Company safe work procedures, and other safety or security measures affecting workers performing those operations;
Required to ensure that their own workers comply with the terms of this Policy and applicable ABC Company safe work procedure for working alone or in isolation.

Prime contractors, contractors, or subcontractors hired to control work at ABC Company work sites that requires workers to work alone or in isolation, will provide such workers protection at least as great as the protections afforded by this Policy either by:

Directly applying the terms of this Policy and applicable ABC Company safe work procedures to the operations requiring workers to work alone or in isolation and assuming the obligations assigned to ABC Company as employer under the Policy and safe work procedures; or
Implementing alternative policies and procedures for working alone or in isolation, including but not limited to workers in late-night retail premises set out in Section 10 above that comply with the Regulations, are coordinated with this Policy and ABC Company safe work procedures, are suitable for the workplace, and are at least as protective as the Policy and safe work procedures.

REVIEW

ABC Company will review this Policy as well as the hazard identifications, assessments, safe work procedures, and other measures implemented under the Policy at least once every three years or in response to a change in circumstances that may affect workers’ health and safety.