Student Life  

Working Alone

Part 28 of the Alberta Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Code provides the requirements when a worker is working alone.  Working alone refers to workers who are working by themselves at a site where assistance is not readily available if there is an injury, illness, or emergency.

Who does this apply to?

The working alone legislation applies to all workers who may go for a period of time where they do not have direct contact with a co-worker.  Examples include:

  • Working in an area of campus where co-workers are not present and assistance is not readily available.
  • Working from home where no one else is around, and assistance is not readily available.
  • Traveling alone for the purposes of work to meet clients or have no routine interaction with customers or the public.

What does “readily available” mean?

Three factors determine whether assistance is “readily available” in the event of an injury, illness, or emergency:

  • Awareness: Will other people capable of providing assistance be aware of the worker’s needs?
  • Willingness: Is it reasonable to expect that these other people will provide helpful assistance?
  • Timeliness: Will assistance be provided within a reasonable period of time?

Assessing whether assistance is readily available must consider the risk associated with the work (e.g., the type of work, the remoteness of the location, hazards commonly present, etc.).

If possible, eliminate the hazard of having workers work alone.  If it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate working alone, implement controls to address the hazard. 

Effective Means of Communication

Workers must be provided with effective means of communication with their supervisor or designated person.  Effective means of communication may include:

Contact with the worker at regular intervals appropriate to the risks identified in the hazard assessment must be in place. Interval examples:

  • Low-risk work = check-in every 4-8 hours
  • Moderate-risk work = check-in every 2-5 hours
  • High-risk work = check-in every 30 min - 3 hours

Where electronic communication is not practicable, a designated person must visit the worker, or the worker must contact their supervisor or designated person at intervals appropriate to the nature of the risk associated with the work.

What do I need to do as a worker?

Before starting to work alone, inform your supervisor or designated person and inform them of the work type, exact location, and estimated time of work start and end.

  • Complete a working-alone hazard assessment to identify existing or potential health and safety hazards associated with working alone.
  • Determine a method of communication.
  • Receipt message regarding starting to work alone MUST be acknowledged by the designated contact prior to work beginning.
  • Determine a check-in frequency with your supervisor appropriate to the risks identified in the hazard assessment.
  • If using the NAIT Alert App – Work Alone Feature: if the lone worker does not respond, the app will make an outbound call to the emergency contact.  The contact who receives the call has the option to call the lone worker or to call the campus emergency services.
  • While on NAIT campus, if the lone worker does not respond, the designated contact must contact NAIT NPS at (780) 471-7477 and request a wellness check.  While working from home or a 3rd party location, the designated contact must contact 911 and request a wellness check.
  • Become familiar with the 9 Emergency Event Instructions.

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