If you have employees who work alone, particularly late at night, or who work in isolation from co-workers, you have a legal responsibility to assess and reduce the risks associated with their working conditions.
According to WorkSafeBC, a worker is considered to be working alone or in isolation if assistance is not readily available in case of emergency, injury or ill health, or if the worker cannot be seen or heard by anyone capable of providing assistance in a timely manner. Some employees in late-night situations need to be protected from the risk of violence precisely because assistance is not readily available to them.
In 2011, new rules were put in place to deal with the inherent dangers associated with late-night and isolated shifts. These amendments to British Columbia’s Occupational Health and Safety Regulation have a significant bearing on the tourism and hospitality industry.
This Working Alone section of the website will help you understand your legal responsibilities as an employer. In addition to providing links to the OHS regulations, there are guides and tools that will assist your compliance, as well as some common-sense tips.
Often, making your workplace safe for those working alone or in isolation is a matter of simply rethinking what you already do — and making small but crucial adjustments to your current policies and procedures.
