Lone Worker Safety Policy Guide For Canada

Our Guide To Lone Worker Safety Policy And Legislation In Canada

Being a lone worker in Canada can present significant risks, making it essential for employers to follow policies and guidelines outlined in the Canada Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code, along with any applicable provincial regulations. Ensuring compliance with federal law is crucial for maintaining a safe working environment for lone workers.

On this page, we outline important guidelines and best practices for employing lone workers in Canada. Please note that this page is for reference purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. We encourage all readers to conduct their own research into OHS policies at the federal and provincial levels.

How Canada Defines A Lone Worker

Canada’s Labour Code and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations do not explicitly define a "lone worker" or prohibit employees from working alone. However, employers are responsible for ensuring worker safety. Some specific regulations prohibit lone work in high-risk scenarios, such as confined spaces, hazardous electrical work, and situations with drowning risks.

Employing A Lone Worker In Canada

Employers in Canada are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of lone workers by identifying risks and implementing protective measures. While working alone is not explicitly prohibited under the Canada Labour Code, certain high-risk activities, such as confined space entry and hazardous electrical work, require additional safety precautions. To ensure lone worker safety, employers must conduct thorough hazard assessments, implement preventative measures, and provide adequate training and emergency response protocols.

Best practices for protecting lone workers include:

• Conducting Hazard Assessments: Evaluate job-specific risks, including hazard exposure, duration, and emergency response times.
• Implementing Preventative Measures:Eliminate or reduce risks through safety tools (e.g., personal alarms), administrative controls (e.g., check-in procedures), and protective equipment.
• Addressing Workplace Harassment & Violence Risks:Identify and mitigate risks related to harassment and violence, especially for lone workers.
• Ensuring Training & Consultation:Engage workplace health and safety committees or representatives in safety planning and provide workers with proper training on hazard prevention and response.
• Assessing Unacceptable Risk: Consider the severity of potential hazards, the remoteness of the worksite, and emergency response delays when determining whether working alone is safe.

Ultimately, it remains the employer’s responsibility to assess all relevant factors and ensure that lone workers are adequately protected through proactive safety measures and continuous monitoring.

How The Safe Lone Worker App Can Protect Canada Lone Workers And Employers

A crucial aspect of protecting lone workers in Canada is ensuring they have access to fast and reliable communication in case of an emergency.

The Safe Lone Worker App allows you to efficiently monitor employees while they work independently, whether on-site or traveling alone. It pairs with our Man Down Worker Alert devices—compact emergency call buttons designed to instantly connect with a dedicated monitoring center when activated.

Enhance the safety of your lone workers with the Safe Lone Worker App, available throughout Canada.

Canada Lone Worker Policies

Quick Reference For Workers Working Alone At A Work Place

This section is a reference guide for lone workers and employers to adhere to the Canadian OHS (Occupation Health and Safety) Code, as provided by the government of Canada. Please note that this is not the Canadian OHS Code itself and is only intended for reference. The full Canadian OHS Code can be viewed on the Government of Canada Justice Laws Website.

1. Subject

The health and safety of workers working alone at a work place.

2. Issue

To provide guidance on the provisions of the Canada Labour Code (Code), Part II, and the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (COHSR) that can be considered to protect the health and safety of employees working alone.

3. Questions

4. Conclusions

(a) Do any provisions of Part II of the Code or pursuant COHSR prohibit employees from working alone?

There are no specific provisions under the Code that prohibit employees from working alone. However, employers are bound by section 124 of the Code which states, “every employer shall ensure that the health and safety at work of every person employed by the employer is protected”.

There are several situations identified in the COHSR which prohibit employees from working alone, including:

• certain types of electrical work require a safety watcher or a first aider [section 8.8 and subsection 16.3(3) respectively]
• entry into confined spaces under specified hazardous conditions [paragraph 11.5(1)(c)]
• where there is a hazard of drowning [paragraph 12.11(2)(b)]
• repairs or maintenance work on a machine which cannot reasonably be locked out [subparagraph 13.16(2)(b)(ii)]
• operation of materials handling equipment with an obstructed view [subsection 14.25(b)]

Similar requirements exist within other Regulations pursuant to the Code and should be consulted accordingly. These include the Maritime Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, Aviation Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, On Board Trains Occupational Health and Safety Regulations or Oil and Gas Occupational Safety and Health Regulations.

Therefore, employers continue to be responsible for the health and safety of all employees, regardless of whether or not they work alone.

(b) What must employers do to ensure the health and safety of those employees who are working alone?

Hazard Assessment

As required by COHSR Part XIX, Hazard Prevention Program, the employer, in consultation and with the participation of the Policy Committee, or if there is no Policy Committee, the Work Place Health and Safety Committee or Health and Safety Representative shall assess the health and safety hazards associated with each particular job. The tools to be used are the hazard identification and assessment methodology developed in section 19.3 of the COHSR and the assessment shall consider the following factors:

• the nature of the hazard
• the employees’ level of exposure to the hazard
• the frequency and duration of employees’ exposure to the hazard
• the effects, real or apprehended, of the exposure on the health and safety of employees
• the preventative measures in place to address the hazard
• any employee reports made under paragraph 126(1)(g) or (h) of the Code or under section 15.3 of the COHSR;
• any other relevant information

In addition, if there is a potential for harassment and violence in the work place when an employee works alone, the employer shall identify the risk factors and preventative measures in their work place assessment as required under subsection 5(1) of the Work Place Harassment and Violence Regulations.

An important factor to consider in respect to working alone is the remoteness of location and/or restricted access. For example, is the employee working alone outside at the corner of a busy street versus a remote rural area, miles from the nearest occupied area?

After conducting the hazard assessment, the employer shall implement preventative measures to address the assessed hazards. Preventative measures include eliminating the hazard, reducing the hazard, providing the proper tools, equipment and protective equipment and administrative procedures up to, and including, safe work procedures.

For example, to help improve emergency notification and response time in the event of an accident involving an employee working alone, the employer may implement the use of a personal alarm (tools) or established check-in times for the employee working in a high-risk job (procedures). But no additional provisions may be required for an employee working in a low risk job.

Any assessment or change in the work place that is intended to improve the health and safety of employees shall be done in consultation with and participation of the Policy Committee, or if there is no Policy Committee, the Work Place Health and Safety Committee or Health and Safety Representative. The employer shall provide employees with education and training on the preventative measures implemented and any other training that will ensure their health and safety, including the requirements set out in section 19.6 of the COHSR and section 12 of the Work Place Harassment and Violence Regulations.

In any case, it remains the responsibility of the employer to ensure the health and safety of every employee at work.

(c) What criteria should be considered in determining whether or not working alone constitutes, in itself, a situation of danger or unacceptable risk?

Each case will have to be assessed on its own merits. All relevant facts should be reviewed, including the activities the employee performs and the anticipated emergency response time, in order to determine whether the employee working alone is exposed to either a danger or a situation which contravenes a provision of the Code or Regulations.

The following IPGs shall be referenced when assessing hazards to determine if they meet the definition of danger set out in subsection 122(1) of the Code:

• 905-1-IPG-062, Definition of Danger
• 905-1-IPG-070, Danger as a Normal Condition of Employment

In conclusion, the factors to be assessed in determining whether or not working alone constitutes a situation of danger or unacceptable risk include:

• the nature, potential frequency of occurrence and potential consequence of the hazards associated with a task, in an effort to determine the potential severity of the hazard
• to what degree the hazard is a normal condition of employment for the job
• the remoteness of the work site, or restricted access which will duly delay the notification and response of emergency personnel;
• the procedures implemented by the employer to reduce the risk of the above hazards