Working alone is a reality for more workers today in our part of the country that ever before as the “gig economy” has introduced more and more opportunities for office workers; teachers; ride-sharing drivers; web designers; bookkeepers; and more to work from home. Read, Tunk, Neha, and A. Arun Kumar. “Work from home-A new virtual reality.” Current Psychology (2022): 1-13.
However, many of the largest industries in Illinois and Indiana have had workers doing their jobs without any fellow workers nearby or any supervisor monitoring things for many years. In our industrial workplaces, lone work is not a new trend.
Sometimes, industrial tasks mean a lone worker on a worksite where there are still other people in the vicinity. The task requires the worker to do the job alone, but the worker is not entirely solitary within the larger workplace. For instance, a welder may work alone on a large commercial construction site where there are other workers present, just not near the welding area. Repair of heavy machinery or equipment is another example of lone work in a populated jobsite.
Some industries here are famous for their independent, lone workers. Perhaps the most well-known of these industrial lone workers are our commercial truck drivers who haul cargo and freight in big rigs, semis, or tractor-trailers all over our “Crossroads of America.” Another prime example: utility workers undertaking power line work.
For more on the dangers inherent in these lines of work, read: Welder Accidents: The Deadly Dangers of Welding on Industrial Job Sites; Worker Injuries Involving Industrial Equipment, Machinery, or Tools; Truck Driver Fatalities on the Rise: Fatigue, Speed, and the Trucking Industry; and Electric Power Lines and Live Wires on the Worksite: Serious or Fatal Electricity Accidents.
What is an Industrial Lone Worker?
Essentially, any worker employed in an industrial workplace that works alone offsite, or works on the industrial worksite in an area where the worker cannot get help easily or quickly from another worker is considered to be a “lone worker.” Read, Lone Workers: Employer’s Duty of Care.
Examples of industrial lone workers include:
- Commercial Truck Drivers
- Delivery Drivers (e.g., Amazon; FedEx; UPS)
- Electricians
- Field Workers (farm laborer, repair experts, technicians, etc.)
- Plumbers
- Power Line Workers (install, repair, maintain electrical power lines)
- Sanitation Workers
- Security Guards at Warehouses, Manufacturing Plants, Factories
- Welders.
Dangers Facing Lone Workers in Industrial Jobs
For any worker who works alone, there are special risks and hazards of work accidents that can cause catastrophic or deadly injuries. While many may assume that working alone means that the employer has less of a duty of care and safety over the lone worker, this is not true. Working alone so that a company can benefit from your efforts does not give that enterprise an exemption from making sure that their worker is safe on the job.
Lone workers are at risk of:
- Chemical exposure
- Cold exposure
- Crushing accidents
- Explosions
- Falls (slip, trip)
- Fires
- Heat exposure
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Struck-by accidents
- Victims of crime.
The dangers of these incidents are great for any industrial worker because any one of these accidents can cause life-altering injuries or death. However, for the worker who is alone at the time of the incident, things are even more serious. The lone worker, now injured, will likely face a delay in being given rescue or emergency medical care that would not exist if the accident happened in a crowded workplace.
Lone work is commonplace today in our industrial workplaces. These heightened risks and dangers are not unknown or mysterious to employers, their insurance carriers, and others with possession, custody, or control of aspects of the workplace or the lone worker’s tasks or job site.
Industrial Employers Have a Legal Duty to Keep Lone Workers Safe from Harm
Under federal law, workers in Illinois and Indiana are protected by legal duties of care and safety placed upon employers which are overseen by the OSHA State Plans of Illinois and Indiana. For details, read Workplace Safety and OSHA Regulations in Indiana and Illinois.
Shipyard Industrial Lone Workers
Federal regulations specific to working alone have been implemented for those lone workers in our shipyards, under 29 CFR 1915.84 which provides:
1915.84(a) Except as provided in § 1915.51(c)(3) of this part, whenever an employee is working alone, such as in a confined space or isolated location, the employer shall account for each employee:
1915.84(a)(1) Throughout each workshift at regular intervals appropriate to the job assignment to ensure the employee’s safety and health; and
1915.84(a)(2) At the end of the job assignment or at the end of the workshift, whichever occurs first.
1915.84(b) The employer shall account for each employee by sight or verbal communication.
Other Industrial Lone Workers
For other industrial workers tasked with working alone at any time in their employment, their employer must protect them from harm on the job under the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1970. For details, read What is the Employer’s General Duty Clause?
In June 2023, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration published its Comprehensive Guide to Understanding OSHA Working Alone Laws. From that publication:
It is crucial to recognize that the specific regulations pertaining to working alone may vary depending on the nature of the industry and the tasks being performed. Therefore, conducting a comprehensive risk assessment and consulting relevant OSHA guidelines specific to the industry is essential.
Conducting lone worker risk assessments
Conducting thorough lone worker risk assessments is a critical step in ensuring the safety and well-being of your employees. A risk assessment is often defined as a systematic evaluation of the potential hazards and risks associated with solitary work, aiming to identify and mitigate any dangers that could compromise the lone worker’s safety.
Lone Workers Should See Employers Making Safety Protections
OSHA provides employers with guidance on how to keep lone workers safe from injury on the job. Guidance to all industrial employers includes doing the following procedures. If lone workers in Illinois or Indiana find these things are not being done by their employer, they should realize they are facing an increased risk of serious injury or death on the job.
Industrial employers of lone workers should do the following according to OSHA:
- Conduct a risk assessment
- Establish safety policies
- Provide adequate training
- Implement emergency protocols
- Conduct safety inspections
- Monitor compliance
- Maintain thorough documentation
- Seek legal guidance as needed.
New 2023 Research Study: How to Protect Lone Workers From Accident Dangers
On October 16, 2023, Illinois’ internationally respected National Safety Council announced its new research findings regarding lone worker safety published in its white paper entitled Using Lone Worker Monitoring Technology to Protect Workers.
From NSC Senior Director of Workplace Programs Katherine Mendoza:
“Lone work can be beneficial for both organizations and employees, allowing for more flexibility and a greater utilization of resources, but this practice also comes with heightened risk for workers. According to a 2021 survey, nearly 70% of organizations reported a safety incident involving someone working by themselves in the past three years, and 1 in 5 of these incidents were described as ‘quite or very severe.’ Every employee deserves to work in an environment where safety risks are minimized, and this white paper helps business leaders do just that by providing a playbook for understanding the unique hazards isolated workers face and how industry-specific technology can be used to save lives and prevent injuries.”
Targeting lone workers in “high risk industries” with examples including “construction, mining or agriculture,” NSC provides employers with guidance on how to better protect lone workers from being hurt or killed on the job. This includes understanding and providing lone worker monitoring technology, where devices can help alert others to an accident as well as providing “…potentially lifesaving data related to worker activity levels and location.”
Industrial Lone Worker Injuries in Illinois and Indiana
Lone workers are vital to many industries and for many workers, the independence of working alone has its own benefits. Some lone workers prefer working alone. However, for all workers and their employers, the special needs and risks of the lone worker must be addressed to keep these people safe while on the job.
As OSHA explains:
Working alone carries inherent risks and challenges that need to be carefully managed. Any employee can face potential hazards, such as accidents, injuries, or medical emergencies, but without others nearby to hear or assist, they may go unnoticed or be assisted for prolonged periods, resulting in worst-case scenarios.
To ensure the safety of employees working alone, you must establish comprehensive safety protocols and procedures. This may involve implementing safety policies, providing training on emergency response, and equipping employees with appropriate safety solutions.
For any worker who is hurt or killed while working alone in Indiana or Illinois, there are legal avenues for justice available to them under state or federal law. Damages may be available to the worker and their family members that include medical expenses, long term care needs, rehab costs, lost earning capacity, loss of consortium, and more.
See:
- Dangerous Confined Spaces on Industrial Worksites in Illinois and Indiana
- What Is The Most Dangerous Job in Indiana and Illinois?
- Workers Beware: BLS Reports Highest US Worker Death Rate in 5 Years
- Wrongful Death Damages After Fatal Work Accidents in Illinois or Indiana.
Lone workers face increased dangers on the job and employers have a clear legal duty to protect these workers from harm even if they are working independently from managerial oversight or immediate supervision. Working alone accidents can be particularly tragic when someone is alone and suffers serious injury. Please be careful out there!
