Empowering Lone Worker Safety and Compliance with SafetyLine
Table of Contents
Regulatory standards in Canada & USA
Canadian lone worker regulations
US lone worker regulations
How SafetyLine meets regulatory requirements
The benefits beyond compliance
Improved peace of mind
Streamlined operational processes
Better industry reputation
Compliance is crucial
Frequently Asked Questions
Protecting your employees can be a major challenge. The safety hazards from individual to individual and team to team can vary, requiring a dynamic, adaptable approach to maintaining their safety. Another layer of complexity is added when employees work alone, performing their jobs in higher-risk situations. To help employers improve the safety of their lone workers, there are different legislation and regulatory standards in Canada and the United States put in place, addressing the special occupational hazards these people must face.
A dynamic strategy to lone worker safety is SafetyLine’s Lone Worker’s app and solution, which provides different, highly effective OHS features that take care of these complex needs. As you will read below, in addition to protecting your lone and remote workers, SafetyLine also helps your organization maintain compliance with any local, relevant occupational health and safety legislation, regulations and safety standards.
Regulatory standards in Canada & USA
Over the past century, occupational health and safety has come a very long way in North America. Having said that, work safety for lone workers, specifically, is still developing with more and more industries and governments realizing the unique safety risks that people working alone must deal with.
Canadian lone worker regulations
In Canada, under the Westray Law and legislation, section 217.1 of the Criminal Code requires “all organizations and individuals who undertake or have the authority to direct how others work or perform a task, to take all reasonable steps to prevent bodily harm to the person performing the work or task, and to any other person.”
The regulations apply to staff working in Canada according to provincial legislation standards. The bill modernized the criminal law’s approach to establishing the criminal liability of corporations for workplace deaths and injuries. Specifically:
Established rules for attributing criminal liability to organizations, including corporations, for the acts of their representatives and established a legal duty for all persons directing the work of others to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of workers and the public
Set out factors that a court must consider when sentencing an organization
Provided conditions of probation that a court may impose on an organization
Read more on the Westerly Law from the Canadian Government Department of Justice website: https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/other-autre/westray/p1.html
Liability every employer has for their employees working alone
It is the responsibility of the employer to minimize risk associated with their workers who works alone. If reasonable measures are not put in place to help mitigate risk, companies and individuals may be held criminally liable under Canadian law and the legislation for lone workers.
Even beyond that, without proper safety precautions in place, a company may be exposed to risks such as lawsuits, higher premiums on insurance, employee replacement costs, or even damaging media attention. It is therefore of utmost importance to take preventative action to mitigate risk. It is therefore recommended to enact the safety measures listed above in your company.
Please note each Province in Canada has varying lone worker regulations and legislations. You can read more on our Working Alone Canadian Regulation page.
United States lone worker regulations
Not only do employers and companies have a moral obligation to protect their workers and employees, but they also have a legal one. For example, provisions 1915.84 address the hazards associated with employees working alone in shipyards. While this regulation may not be applicable to all industries, it remains crucial to consider the safety and well-being of solitary employees across all work environments. OSHA regulations regarding lone worker safety in shipyards are predominantly guided by two core standards:
OSHA 1915.84: Working alone.
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 work shift 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 work shift, whichever occurs first.
1915.84(b) The employer shall account for each employee by sight or verbal communication; maintaining lone worker safety is an important employer responsibility to protect lone workers properly; organizational leadership must consider OSHA regulations, lone worker safety best practices, and employee needs and expectations.
This standard is important as it requires employers to ensure that their lone team members are accounted for by sight or verbal communication, including safety check-ins or accessible means to connect with their manager, monitor, or office. The key takeaway is that the lone worker must have a quick way to request immediate help in the case of an emergency.
Source: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1915/1915.84
How SafetyLine meets regulatory lone worker requirements
In Canada, under its federal and provincial legislation and regulations, using SafetyLine to monitor lone workers demonstrates the employer takes reasonable steps to protect these employees. Additionally, SafetyLine can satisfy provincial lone worker safety requirements for communication systems and occupational health and safety protocols and procedures. SafetyLine helps employers comply with the regulation that requires them to account for their team members throughout and at the end of their shift. SafetyLine is a reliable, solid “line” of communication that empowers lone workers to confirm their safety with their manager and employer.
SafetyLine offers features and functionality that can be beneficial to all parties such as lone workers, supervisors/managers, and administrators.
Lone workers can check in and out of their work sessions using a mobile app, a web portal, or a voice call. Workers can also send emergency alerts, request assistance, or report incidents using the app. They can customize their check-in frequency and profile settings according to their preferences and needs. Workers benefit from SafetyLine by staying connected and protected while working alone or in hazardous environments.
Supervisors/managers can monitor the status and location of their workers in real-time using a web dashboard or a mobile app. Supervisors/managers can also receive notifications and alerts when a lone worker misses a check-in, triggers an emergency, or reports an incident. Supervisors/managers can benefit from SafetyLine by ensuring the compliance and accountability of their workers, as well as responding quickly and effectively to any situations that may arise.
Administrators can configure and manage the settings and permissions of their workers, supervisors/managers, and organizations using a web portal on their computer. Administrators can also access and export reports and analytics on the performance and activity of their users, supervisors/managers, and organizations. Administrators benefit from SafetyLine by optimizing the efficiency and productivity of their remote workforce, as well as reducing the risks and costs associated with lone worker safety.
SafetyLine also offers a variety of reporting options to meet the needs of users and organizations. These options include:
User History Report: This report provides a detailed history of each user's activities, including check-ins, emergency alerts, and location information.
User Summary Report: This report summarizes each user's activities, including the number of check-ins, emergency alerts, and response times.
Compliance Report: This report helps organizations ensure compliance with safety regulations by providing information on check-in frequencies, response times, and emergency procedures.
System History Report: This report provides an overview of system activities, including the number of check-ins, emergency alerts, and system performance.
All of these reports can be customized for specific time frames and can be exported in an easy-to-use format for sharing with others.
The benefits beyond compliance
In Addition to ensured compliance, SafetyLine’s advanced functionalities and suite of safety features provide many more benefits to the lone worker and employer.
Improved peace of mind
The most significant benefit that SafetyLine customers express is the peace of mind that comes with using the app and system. Knowing that their safety is being watched helps lone workers focus on their work - stress-free and comfortably. Likewise with the employers, SafetyLine also provides peace of mind knowing that their team members working alone, or in isolation, are safe and accessible.
Streamlined operational processes
Because the lone worker does not need worry about their safety, operations and the tasks at hand can be optimized, improving processes throughout the day or shift. This includes easy, automated safety check-ins, fast and customized safety reports, as well as simple, seamless communication between the lone worker and employer or safety monitor.
Better industry reputation
While a work safety tool such as SafetyLine may be required in your industry or location, using such as resource with your team will also reduce liability, building a solid business reputation for caring about their lone workers and people. Not only will customers and clients be more interested in working with you, but more skilled employees will want to work for you, reducing expensive staff turnover.
Compliance is crucial
When a company is not compliant with safety legislation, regulations and/or industry standards, the safety of their lone workers is at risk. Additionally, failure to comply may result in heavy safety fines as well as incarceration – not to mention the reputational damage to the company and its brand.
With so much at stake, employer need to look at the best tools available to help protect their people and lone workers who put themselves at risk to perform their jobs. With more people working alone and more risks that come with it, employers can’t afford not to use a system like SafetyLine – everyone will benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions about SafetyLine
How does SafetyLine ensure real-time worker safety?
Using automated safety check-ins, voice and text messaging, as well as real-time location monitoring, SafetyLine makes sure the safety of employees is being monitored
What support does SafetyLine offer to businesses for understanding compliance better?
SafetyLine’s customer support and sale teams will be more than happy to help explain your compliance requirements and how they impact your company and team. Additionally, there are educational resources including:
Working Alone Regulations in Canada
Maintaining Your Lone Worker Safety and OSHA Regulations
Staying Compliant with Lone Worker Safety Legislation, Regulations, and Industry Standards – Part 1
Staying Compliant with Lone Worker Safety Legislation, Regulations, and Industry Standards - Part 2
How does SafetyLine compare with other lone worker safety apps in terms of security?
SafetyLine has an API which allows it to integrate with other systems or platforms that you uses or plans such as payroll, scheduling, CRM, ERP, GIS, etc. API integration enables data sharing and synchronization between SafetyLine and these systems, which can improve efficiency, accuracy, and reporting.
The Single Sign On (SSO) feature allows workers and supervisors to access SafetyLine with their existing credentials from other systems or platforms you use or plans to use, such as Microsoft Azure AD, Google Workspace, Okta, etc. SSO simplifies the login process and enhances security, as users do not have to create or remember separate passwords for SafetyLine. It also streamlines the user management and administration process, as users can be added or removed from SafetyLine through these systems.
SOC 2 Type 2 certification indicates that SafetyLine has undergone an independent audit and has met the standards for security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, and privacy of its service. This also assures that SafetyLine is a reliable and trustworthy partner that can protect its data and comply with its policies and regulations.
Can SafetyLine cater to businesses operating both in Canada and the USA?
SafetyLine is the leading provider of lone-worker solutions for large organizations across Canada and the United States. With 24+ years of experience, SafetyLine has helped many organizations comply with Canadian OHS legislation and American workers from hazards.
SafetyLine is a purpose-built, cloud-based solution that seamlessly transitions between various devices, including smartphones (iOS and Android), tablets (iPad, Android, Windows), landlines, web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox), desktop computers (Windows, macOS), satellite devices (Globalstar SPOT, Garmin inReach), and radios. This extensive device compatibility ensures staff can choose the communication tool that suits their needs throughout the day or shift, providing flexibility and convenience.