Lone worker monitoring

Lone worker monitoring is the practice of monitoring the safety of employees who may be exposed to risk due to work conditions in which they are located out of sight and sound from a person who may be able to offer aid in the event of an emergency.

Legislation

In some areas including the United Kingdom^[1] and certain Provinces in Canada,^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] legislation has driven the adoption of lone worker policies as well as methods of monitoring the safety of these employees. In the United States, no explicit legislation exists regarding an employer's obligation to monitor the safety of its lone or isolated employees except in the shipbuilding industry.^[6]

Methods of Monitoring Lone Worker Safety

Numerous methods have been developed and are currently in use by companies world-wide. These methods include:

Phone-based check-in systems. Employees are required to call in to a designated receiver after a predetermined time. Check-ins are often performed hourly or bi-hourly.
Buddy systems. Employees may be paired up to perform certain tasks. Theoretically, should an emergency occur and one of the employees be rendered incapacitated, the other would remain available to call for help and provide aid.
Safety monitoring smartphone applications. With the widespread adoption of smart phones, the deployment of a dedicated application allowing employees to quickly request aid has become more feasible. These applications may provide a panic button or allow for prompt check-in without requiring a phone call to be made.
Safety monitoring devices. Dedicated monitoring devices have become a new best practice in employee safety monitoring. Typically, products of this type offer multiple methods of alerting including both automated and manual methods, as well as real-time location awareness and alerting.