Asbestos FAQs
Asbestos removalists - how can I find a suitable one?
Asbestos - where is it and how to deal with it
Asbestos - where can I dispose of asbestos waste?
Renters and Asbestos
Dust masks - how effective are they?
Consultants
Electrical Safety
Double adaptors and powerboards - can they be used in workplaces?
Electrical cords and extension leads
Electrical Equipment - What are the laws/guidelines?
Welding - what are the issues?
Workplace and amenities
Heat: When is it too hot
Toilet facilities - what should workplaces have?
Change rooms and other facilities
Lighting - I think my workplace is too dark
Dining facilities - what must employers provide?
Offices - what OHS legislation applies?
Offices - computers and eyesight
Office space
Workstations and seating
First Aid Kits
First Aid - what are the requirements
Fire Escapes - what are the rules?
Steps and Stairs
Offices: Temperature and humidity - what are the 'rules'?
Breaks for computer/VDU users?
Perfumes and scents: chemicals too!
Drinking water
Office Hazards: Computers and VDUs - what are the guidelines?
Stepladders
Working from Heights - what are the regulations?
FAQs for OHS Reps
OHS reps and deputies
OHS Rep's term of office
Renegotiating DWGs - who should be involved?
DWGs - How big is too big?
Multiple reps or deputies - which is better?
Should reps be paid to be reps?
OHS Reps' Right to Training FAQS
Issuing a PIN - how long must I wait?
A PIN: How to use it
My PIN is cancelled - what can I do?
Inspectors and PINs
Must my employer pass on the inspector's paperwork?
Health and Safety Committees - what is their role?
Discrimination and harassment
Privacy legislation
Fifteen things every unionist should know about OHS
Volunteers in the workplace
A death at the workplace
Discrimination for OHS reasons
Facilities and Time Off
I've been given a duty statement..
Can a worker be dismissed for OHS reasons?
Presenteeism - what is it?
Workers and medical appointments
Consultants
What if inspectors don't visit my workplace?
FAQs for Workers
Right to refuse unsafe work
Rest/meal breaks - what am I entitled to?
Working alone – is it legal, is it safe?
Workers' Compensation: What are your rights?
Are there standards for reflective gear?
Red Cards
Young workers and OHS
Hard Hats - do they last for ever?
What your doctor needs to know
Presenteeism - what is it?
Ladders - What are the Rules and Regulations?
OHS Induction Training
Personal Protective Equipment - PPE
Workers and medical appointments
Workstations and seating
Dust masks - how effective are they?
Working from Heights - what are the regulations?
Weight limits - what are the legal limits for lifting?
Volunteers in the workplace
Renegotiating DWGs - who should be involved?
DWGs - How big is too big?
Health and Safety Committees - what is their role?
Can a worker be dismissed for OHS reasons?
Discrimination and harassment
Consultants
Other
Consultants
Volunteers in the workplace
Weight limits - what are the legal limits for lifting?
Working from Heights - what are the regulations?
Stepladders
Ladders - What are the Rules and Regulations?
Office Hazards: Computers and VDUs - what are the guidelines?
Personal Protective Equipment - PPE
Licences
Forklift Safety
Exposure Standards - what are they?
OHS Reps
  • About
  • Ask Renata
  • Hazards
  • OHS Training
  • Law & Rights
    Law & Rights Law Rights
  • HSR Support
    HSR Support Tool Kit Union Contact List Contact OHS Unit HSR Conference 2020 - Risks to Psychological Health EBA Clause Library Your industry
  • Campaigns
  • SafetyNet
    SafetyNet Journal Articles Current Issue SafetyNet Archive
  • FAQ (current)
    FAQ Asbestos FAQs Electrical Safety Workplace and amenities FAQs for OHS Reps FAQs for Workers Other
  • Join Us
Asbestos FAQs
Asbestos removalists - how can I find a suitable one?
Asbestos - where is it and how to deal with it
Asbestos - where can I dispose of asbestos waste?
Renters and Asbestos
Dust masks - how effective are they?
Consultants
Electrical Safety
Double adaptors and powerboards - can they be used in workplaces?
Electrical cords and extension leads
Electrical Equipment - What are the laws/guidelines?
Welding - what are the issues?
Workplace and amenities
Heat: When is it too hot
Toilet facilities - what should workplaces have?
Change rooms and other facilities
Lighting - I think my workplace is too dark
Dining facilities - what must employers provide?
Offices - what OHS legislation applies?
Offices - computers and eyesight
Office space
Workstations and seating
First Aid Kits
First Aid - what are the requirements
Fire Escapes - what are the rules?
Steps and Stairs
Offices: Temperature and humidity - what are the 'rules'?
Breaks for computer/VDU users?
Perfumes and scents: chemicals too!
Drinking water
Office Hazards: Computers and VDUs - what are the guidelines?
Stepladders
Working from Heights - what are the regulations?
FAQs for OHS Reps
OHS reps and deputies
OHS Rep's term of office
Renegotiating DWGs - who should be involved?
DWGs - How big is too big?
Multiple reps or deputies - which is better?
Should reps be paid to be reps?
OHS Reps' Right to Training FAQS
Issuing a PIN - how long must I wait?
A PIN: How to use it
My PIN is cancelled - what can I do?
Inspectors and PINs
Must my employer pass on the inspector's paperwork?
Health and Safety Committees - what is their role?
Discrimination and harassment
Privacy legislation
Fifteen things every unionist should know about OHS
Volunteers in the workplace
A death at the workplace
Discrimination for OHS reasons
Facilities and Time Off
I've been given a duty statement..
Can a worker be dismissed for OHS reasons?
Presenteeism - what is it?
Workers and medical appointments
Consultants
What if inspectors don't visit my workplace?
FAQs for Workers
Right to refuse unsafe work
Rest/meal breaks - what am I entitled to?
Working alone – is it legal, is it safe?
Workers' Compensation: What are your rights?
Are there standards for reflective gear?
Red Cards
Young workers and OHS
Hard Hats - do they last for ever?
What your doctor needs to know
Presenteeism - what is it?
Ladders - What are the Rules and Regulations?
OHS Induction Training
Personal Protective Equipment - PPE
Workers and medical appointments
Workstations and seating
Dust masks - how effective are they?
Working from Heights - what are the regulations?
Weight limits - what are the legal limits for lifting?
Volunteers in the workplace
Renegotiating DWGs - who should be involved?
DWGs - How big is too big?
Health and Safety Committees - what is their role?
Can a worker be dismissed for OHS reasons?
Discrimination and harassment
Consultants
Other
Consultants
Volunteers in the workplace
Weight limits - what are the legal limits for lifting?
Working from Heights - what are the regulations?
Stepladders
Ladders - What are the Rules and Regulations?
Office Hazards: Computers and VDUs - what are the guidelines?
Personal Protective Equipment - PPE
Licences
Forklift Safety
Exposure Standards - what are they?
  1. Home
  2. FAQ
  3. FAQs for Workers
  4. Working alone – is it legal, is it safe?

Working alone – is it legal, is it safe?

People who work alone could be at increased risk through using moving machinery or handling chemicals without help, or being placed under stress through social isolation. But in legal terms, there is no simple answer which applies in all circumstances.

Can people legally work alone?

There is no specific legal prohibition on working alone, but the general legal duties of employers under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (2004) still apply.

"An employer shall provide and maintain so far as is reasonably practicable for employees a working environment that is safe and without risks to health." [Section 21(1)]

Establishing safe working conditions for lone workers is no different from organising the safety of other employees. Employers should identify the hazards of the work, assess the risks involved, and implement changes to the workplace and safe working arrangements to ensure the risks are either eliminated or adequately controlled. When it is not possible to devise arrangements for the work to be done safely by one person, alternative arrangements providing help or back-up have to be devised.

Lone workers should not be exposed to significantly more risks than employees who work with other people. Precautions should take account of normal working conditions and foreseeable emergency situations, eg, fire, equipment failure, illness and accidents.

Employers have a legal duty to provide facilities for first aid, training and information on plant, hazardous substances, etc, and must monitor and keep of records of accidents and the health of employees. In addition, any requirements under the law applying to other exposed workers also apply to the lone worker - eg confined spaces, electricity, etc.

Employers also have the duty to consult with health and safety representatives.

Of interest: British Columbia, Canada, has a section in its regulations which covers "Working alone or in isolation"  (in Part 4: General Conditions). The regulations include a definition, and then clauses on Hazard identification, elimination and control; Procedures for checking well-being of the worker; Training; Late night retail safety procedures and requirements; Mandatory prepayment for fuel; and a requirement for annual reviews of procedures. 

Who is at risk?

Three broad groups of workers whose activities involve a large percentage of their working time operating in situations without the benefit of interaction with other workers or without supervision are those:

  1. working alone on site
  2. working away from base
  3. homeworkers (including "outworkers")
Worker Hazard
Taxi Drivers Abusive customers, road rage, violence, robbery, road accidents
Social workers, institution staff, community workers Abusive/violent patients/clients/relatives, manual handling (lifting) injuries
Electrical/Maintenance workers Electric shocks, trips, cuts, falls, accidents, confined spaces
Emergency services, security workers Abuse, violence, robbery, traffic hazards, accidents, biological hazards, falls, burns, toxic exposures
Farm/forestry/horticultural workers Animal attacks, weather, machinery accidents, chemicals, falling trees
Home help, care assistants, cleaners Falls, injury, lifting, injuries from garbage handling, infections, needle sticks, chemicals, violence, robbery
Lab workers Chemical over-exposure, biological agents, physical hazards, fires
Meter readers, delivery, postal workers Animal attacks, abusive customers, violence, robbery, accidents
Nursing staff Manual handling injuries, abusive/violent patients, drug handling, robbery, violence
Parking attendants Robbery, violence, abuse, vehicle fumes
Shop/service sector workers Robbery, violence, abuse, manual handling injuries
Public workers Confined spaces, toxic gases, biohazards, slips and falls
Transport workers Abuse, road rage, violence, robbery, road accidents, falling asleep at the wheel, breakdowns/running out of fuel/getting bogged in isolated areas (tragically, several drivers have died as a result)

It is should also be noted that many of the problems of lone working could also apply to pairs of workers who work in isolated areas.

Make it safe - Action for health and safety reps

  • Talk with your members, particularly those who have to work alone for at least some of the time. Discuss with them their ideas and issues.
  • Ensure risk assessments identify lone working on and off site and potential hazards.
  • Investigate if jobs can be re-organised to provide a safer system of work.
  • Raise the following issues with your employer for special attention regarding solitary work (either current or planned):
    • Can the risks of the job be adequately controlled by one person or are more people necessary?
    • Does the workplace present a special risk to the lone worker?
    • Is there a risk of violence?
    • Are women especially at risk if they work alone?
    • Are young workers especially at risk if they work alone?
    • Is there safe access and exit for one person? Can one person safely handle any temporary access equipment, such as portable ladders or trestles?
    • Can all the plant, substances and goods involved in the work be safely handled by one person? The work may involve lifting objects too large for one person, and more than one person may be necessary to operate essential controls for the safe running of equipment.
    • Is the person medically fit and suitable to work alone? Employers need to consider both routine work and foreseeable emergencies, which may impose additional physical and mental burdens on the individual.
    • What training is required to ensure competency in safety matters?
    • What supervision will there be?
    • What checks will be made to ensure people are safe?
    • What happens if a person becomes ill, has an accident, or there is an emergency?
  • Ensure that the employer provides staff, particularly new members, with information on high risk geographical areas or jobs.
  • Ensure that there is a system in place which records staff whereabouts.
  • Ensure that there is a system in place whereby safe completion of jobs is reported.
  • Consider proposing the following additional measures:
    • Buddy system: A second person is assigned to work with the first, because the job cannot be done safely alone. This may particularly be the case with home or community visits
    • Communications: Telephones, mobile telephones, two way radios or walkie-talkies can be a lifeline in some cases.
    • Electronic and visual monitors: If introduced through proper negotiation these can offer some protection. Personal alarm security systems can also help.
    • Alarms: Many counter, service and care workers also have access to panic buttons. A range of other emergency, personal distress and violent attack alarms are available.
  • Review procedures regularly to make sure they are working.
  • Ensure that all accidents, near misses, and incidents of violence are recorded and studied at regular intervals to prevent further occurrences.

See Also

  • The National CFMEU construction branch has issued an alert for its members in the wake of what it says is an increased tendency in the industry for workers to be working alone.  CFMEU Alert [pdf]
  • WorkSafe Victoria: Working Alone webpage and guidance, including a 2011 information sheet Working Alone  [pdf] which provides about identifying and controlling risks associated with working alone, concentrating on occupational violence.   
  • From Comcare: Remote or Isolated Work.
  • from the Western Australia: 
    • A Guidance Note: Working Alone. The guide gives advice on how to maintain appropriate standards of occupational safety and health in relation to people who work alone in a range of workplaces including workplaces in remote areas
    • Frequently Asked Questions and a Checklist on Working Alone, and also a Checklist for Commercial Vehicle Drivers
    • Information on Travelling in Remote Locations ;
  •  Working Alone Safely - Guidelines for employers and employees  This document has been produced by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada), and may be useful for reps.  From the UK's HSE: Working Alone in Safety - Controlling the risks of solitary work [pdf] 

Last amended August 2018

SafetyNet

Please complete the form below to subscribe to the SafetyNET Journal email newsletter.


Ask Renata

Please send in your occupational health and safety questions to Renata. We will respond within a few days.
Ask a question

OHS Training at Victorian Trades Hall Council

The Victorian Trades Hall Council's OHS Training Unit is one of the most experienced training providers in Victoria. We provide training in multiple locations around Melbourne's suburbs as well as across regional Victoria.
OHS training

YES! I’LL FIGHT FOR
HEALTH AND SAFETY!


Copyright 2015 Victorian Trades Hall Council|Authorised by Luke Hilakari, Secretary,
Victorian Trades Hall Council 54 Victoria Street South Carlton 3053.

Contact | Sitemap | Privacy Statement

Created by Code Nation using NationBuilder