Lone Workers

Washington – A final rule updating OSHA standards for power line workers has cleared one of the final regulatory hurdles and could be published as soon as March.

Washington – Dog bites, falls and vehicle collisions were the leading causes of injuries among U.S. Postal Service employees in 2012, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Sept. 26.

If a lone employee encounters an emergency or is injured on the job, that person may have difficulty finding help.

Monitoring and managing the safe behavior of a workforce can be a difficult task, even in an enclosed environment. Although the term “lone worker” also covers those performing individual jobs on a worksite – such as a job task in an area of the plant that cannot be easily viewed by co-workers, or even a receptionist in a large office building – the needs of remote workers who cannot be supervised through conventional means present perhaps the greatest challenge.

Working alone presents employees with a number of challenges. Yet lone work is not inherently unsafe, according to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety in Hamilton, Ontario.