Lone Worker Safety Policy Guide For British Columbia

Written safe work procedures

Some tasks require workers to follow a written safe work procedure to eliminate or minimize risks. For example, in your workplace you may have developed a procedure for locking out machinery before cleaning it. Here are examples of topics that require written safe work procedures:

• Lockout
• Fall protection
• Personal protective equipment
• Violence in the workplace
• Chemical spill clean-up
• Emergency evacuation
• Person check procedures

Person check procedures

In addition to any other written safe work procedures, employers must develop and implement a procedure for checking on the well-being of employees who are working alone or in isolation. A person check procedure must include the following:

• The designated person who will establish contact and record results
• Time intervals between checks
• A check at the end of the shift
• A procedure to follow in case the employee cannot be contacted

The time intervals for checking the well-being of the employee must be developed in consultation with the employee assigned to work alone or in isolation. Time intervals should be based on the level of risk the employee is exposed to, with lower risks allowing for longer periods between checks. For example, an employee in a store that is located in a strip mall, with workers of other employers nearby, may not require checks as frequently as a worker who is working in an isolated premises.

The person assigned to check on the well-being of a worker must be trained in the written safe work procedures and what to do if they are unable to make contact with the worker.

Review written procedures

Written safe work procedures must be reviewed in all the following cases:

• At least once a year
• Whenever there is a change in work arrangements or the procedures are not effective
• Immediately following an incident related to the procedures

Training

All workers need supervised, hands-on training in the written safe work procedures that apply to their jobs. For example, if an employee is required to operate a tool or machine, that employee has to be properly trained in the written procedures for using the equipment safely. Employees must be properly trained before they start a job.

What should employee training include?

Training should include how to:

• Perform tasks safely
• Operate machines and equipment safely
• Use and maintain any required personal protective equipment such as gloves or goggles
• Identify and report hazards

Employees who work alone must also be trained in the written person check procedures for your workplace. Employees who work alone in late night retail premises must be trained in cash handling procedures

You may need to explain what tasks employees should not do without specific training or qualifications, such as operating a forklift or handling chemicals. Make employees aware of any restricted access areas, such as confined spaces.

Identifying and reporting hazards

During training or orientation, discuss or point out hazards in the workplace. Discuss past accidents and near misses that have occurred and how they might have been avoided. Explain what has been done to prevent these incidents from recurring.

Explain what workers should do when they see an unsafe condition or hazard. They should eliminate the hazard if they are able to do so safely (for example, clean up a spill). If they cannot eliminate the hazard, they should immediately report it to their supervisor, who will ensure that corrective action is taken.

Workplace violence

What is workplace violence?

Workplace violence is the attempted or actual exercise by a person, other than a worker, of any physical force so as to cause injury to a worker. Violence doesn’t have to be a physical act — it can include any threatening statement or behaviour that gives a worker reasonable cause to believe that he or she is at risk of injury.

There are many potential hazards in a typical workplace, but the most common hazard in retail operations is violence. The following scenarios all carry a risk of violence, particularly if an employee is working alone:

• Robbery and assault
• Theft (shoplifting)
• Irate or abusive customers or clients
• Unwelcome members of the public (loiterers)

Whenever there is direct interaction between employees and the public, there is a potential for violence to occur. According to the Regulation, if experience in a specific workplace or in similar workplaces indicates that a potential for violence exists (for example, in the retail industry), you are required to identify hazards, assess the risks, and eliminate or control those risks.

Violence prevention tips for retail employees

Minimize the risk to employees by following these guidelines:

• Keep all outside areas well lit.
• Designate a well-lit parking spot close to the building for those who work alone after hours.
• Ensure that back doors are locked from the outside when not in use (but don’t violate local fire codes).
• Keep doors and windows free of posters to ensure a clear line of sight.
• Lower shelving units so workers have a clear line of sight to all parts of your business.
• Install overhead mirrors so workers can see all parts of the store from the cash register area.
• Raise the area where your cash register is located. Keep counter-top displays to a minimum.
• Build the counter high and deep enough to provide some physical distance from threatening individuals.
• Install a panic or emergency alarm for workers.
• Regularly check on workers who are working alone. Consider providing workers with an automatic warning device that triggers if movement or signals are not detected within a set time.
• Post signs that state there is no cash or minimal cash less than $20 on the premises, or that it is locked in a safe.
• Install security cameras and advertise their presence.
• Identify areas where workers can safely retreat and call for help.
• Train workers to check that all the doors and windows are locked and that no one is in the washroom or torage room before one person is left to work alone.
• Train workers not to resist if they are threatened with violence.
• Organize specific work tasks that may place a worker at risk of injury from violence so those tasks will be completed when there is more than one employee working.

Violence prevention tips for retail employees

Minimize the risk to employees by following these guidelines:

• Provide drivers with a communication system such as cellular phone or two-way radio that is in functional range wherever they might be required to drive.
• Maintain delivery vehicles in good running order, and ensure that drivers know how to perform basic emergency repairs, such as changing tires.
• Encourage drivers not to wear expensive jewelry.
• Require drivers to cash out on each delivery, by depositing all cash from a delivery before leaving the store again.
• Remove signage from the tops and sides of cars.
• Encourage drivers to use a bright flashlight to find addresses or check the perimeter.
• Train drivers not to take unnecessary risks. For example, if they feel a situation is unsafe they should use a cell phone to call and ask the customer to meet them out front; or they should wait until the dispatcher can confirm safe delivery (for example, the porch lights are turned on).
• Work with local police to determine high crime areas to be avoided. Restricting delivery to a whole area may result in a loss of business, so other restrictions may be useful (for example, deliver only to the supervisor’s suite in an apartment building or only during safe hours). Some companies have a policy of telling customers in high-risk areas to come out to the vehicle, cash in hand, so the driver can leave quickly if necessary.