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🔎 Key takeaways
Lone working is a necessity for many businesses. However, worker isolation is an aggravating risk factor in the event of an incident. What measures should be put in place? We'll explore this in this article.
What is lone working?
“Work is considered isolated when the worker is out of sight or earshot of other people, without the possibility of external assistance, and the work is dangerous.”
This excerpt from CPAM recommendation R416 serves as a definition to outline the scope of lone working.
Thus, three characteristics define lone working:
- the inability to be seen or heard by other workers;
- the absence of external assistance;
- the dangerous nature of the work.
⚠️ Important : Even short-term isolation should be considered lone working.
Whether for practical reasons, safety concerns, or due to working conditions, many sectors rely on lone working, particularly:
- hospitals;
- the food industry;
- construction;
- maintenance;
- ...
ℹ Please note : According to the National Research and Safety Institute (INRS), in 2014, France had approximately 3 million lone workers across all sectors.
What are the risks of lone working?
The main risk of lone working is the lack of assistance in the event of a workplace accident.
This is because the worker's isolation makes it impossible for them to alert emergency services or to get outside help in case of an incident.
🔍 Focus : The risk of lone working is heightened for high-risk occupations such as confined space work or work at height.
Furthermore, lIsolated work exposes workers to psychosocial risks particularly due to the apprehension of being left to one's own devices, or boredom and loneliness for certain positions (especially surveillance positions).
What are the regulations for isolated work?
As with all occupational risks, regulations require employers (Article L4121-1 C.Trav.) to:
- implement occupational risk prevention measures;
- conduct information and training activities;
- establish appropriate organization and resources.
Beyond these general rules, regulations establish specific rules applicable to certain precise isolated tasks.
Thus, for work carried out by an external company and when the operation is performed at night, in an isolated location, or at a time when the user company's activity is interrupted, the head of the external company must ensure that no worker works in isolation in a place where they could not be quickly rescued (article R4512-13 C. Trav.)
Furthermore, there are several prohibitions for isolated workers who perform maintenance and upkeep work on permanently installed lifting equipment (elevators, freight elevators, escalators, moving walkways, etc.), particularly manual handling of a mass exceeding 30 kg or the installation or removal of elevator traction cables (Article R4543-20 C.Trav.).
🔍 Focus : For more information, please consult the section of the Labor Code dedicated to maintenance work on lifting equipment.
Finally, for certain tasks or work with particular risks, workers are prohibited from working alone or unsupervised; this includes:
- rope access work or when using a harness (Article R4323-61 C.Trav.) ;
- hyperbaric work (Article R4461-37 C.Trav.) ;
- confined space work (ED 6184 INRS).
How to prevent risks associated with lone working?
Risk assessment
Risk assessment primarily aims to identify all lone working positions and all work situations in which workers are isolated.
This identification must take into account all circumstances, working conditions, and factors that could contribute to workers' isolation (ambient noise, visual obstructions, distances from other workers, job independence, frequency of passage, etc.).
The workstation and the tasks to be performed must also be precisely defined in order to determine the associated risks.
Next, in order to best determine the preventive measures that need to be taken, the lone working risk assessment must precisely define the characteristics of isolation, namely:
- geographical isolation;
- visual isolation;
- auditory isolation;
- the duration of isolation;
- ...
Finally, les personal characteristics of workers such as gender, age, or seniority play an important role in risk prevention and must therefore be taken into account in this assessment.
🔍 Focus : For example, in this legal case, a worker died after falling from a pole on a construction site. The worker was alone and using a harness. The worker's isolation was a contributing factor (Cass. crim. 3 novembre 1998, n° 97-85.236).
Prevention Measures
Risk prevention for lone working primarily relies on:
• monitoring of lone workers;
• implementing an alert system in case of an accident;
• organizing emergency assistance.
As a first step, organizational measures can be implemented to limit lone working or mitigate its risks : reorganize the workstation or its environment, reduce the duration of tasks, implement collective and individual protection measures, etc.
Worker Monitoring
Implementing monitoring for lone workers ensures that no incidents or accidents occur during their work period.
This monitoring can be carried out remotely by a designated person using a portable communication device (walkie-talkie or phone). Checks can be established at the beginning and end of shifts, as well as periodic checks at regular intervals.
Lone Worker Alarm Device (LWAD)
To prevent the risks associated with lone working and in accordance with general principles for occupational risk prevention, the employer must provide the lone worker with a means to alert the monitoring station in case of an accident.
The Lone Worker Alarm Device (LWAD) operates either by manual activation or with sensors that detect an abnormal worker position. This latter solution is particularly effective if an accident prevents the worker from manually activating their LWAD.
Indeed, in the event of an accident, the LWAD's sensors can detect prolonged immobility or an abnormal worker position (lying down or sitting).
🔍 Focus : There are many forms of LWADs, such as wristbands, small belt-clip transmitters, walkie-talkies, phones, etc. Whatever form is chosen, ensure that the LWAD is suitable for the worker's isolation and their workstation.
Emergency Services
When the lone worker or the lone worker alarm device sends an alarm signal to the monitoring station, the latter performs an alarm verification by contacting the worker to confirm or dismiss the alert.
If an alert is confirmed, the monitoring station must relay the information and call emergency services immediately so that the worker receives help as quickly as possible. To this end, it is important that emergency services are informed of the lone worker's operational area.
Some lone worker alarm devices also have a GPS signal that allows for precise location of the lone worker. This GPS signal is particularly useful when the worker operates in a large geographical area.
Worker Training
Finally, in accordance with general risk prevention principles, the employer must conduct training and information activities for its employees.
Therefore, the information and training for lone workers should cover the following points:
- training on the use of a lone worker alarm device (DATI);
- information on the risks of lone working and the risks of the workstation ;
- information on the operation of the monitoring station;
- information on how emergency services operate;
- a precise definition of the job role and tasks to be performed to prevent task overload;
- information on risk prevention measures for lone working;
- ...
What are the risks for an employer in the event of a lone worker accident?
In the event ofabsent, insufficient, or defective risk prevention measures, the employer's civil and criminal liability may be incurred (Cass. crim. December 5, 2000, n° 00-82.108).
Indeed, in this legal precedent, a lone worker died during railway traffic maintenance work. The worker's isolation, being out of sight of the shunting foreman, and the lack of communication means were implicated.
As a reminder, failure to comply with a duty of care or safety imposed by law or regulation incurs the employer's criminal liability, particularly in these three scenarios:
- endangering others (Article 121-3 of the Criminal Code) ;
- injuries to others (Article 222-20 of the Penal Code.) ;
- death of others (Article 221-6 of the Penal Code.).
Key takeaways:
❖ Lone work makes it more difficult to assist workers;
❖ Risk assessment helps identify lone work positions and the characteristics of worker isolation;
❖ Implementing monitoring, a lone worker device, and emergency services effectively prevents risks associated with lone work.