Lone Worker Safety Solutions for Agriculture Workers

Agriculture is a major industry in North America, employing roughly 2.5 to 3 million people in the US and 2 million in Canada who rely on the sector to help feed themselves and their families. (The industry predicts there will be nearly 114,000 more jobs by 2025).

With so many families and communities dependent on this industry, we must constantly look for new, innovative ways to protect their hard workers, particularly those who are vulnerable and working alone. Agriculture workers face a full range of work safety hazards such as falls and physical injuries, biohazard and chemical exposure, dangerous weather conditions and machinery, and long-term safety risks like hearing loss and even skin and lung cancer from prolonged and regular sun and hazardous chemical exposure. 

Working alone in agriculture in the United States

The United States does not have specific lone worker legislation and regulation however, in California, the Occupational Safety and Health Act has implemented a Heat Illness Prevention Program, Title 8 Section 33954, to address the risk of heat illness. Outdoor workers in the agriculture industry and the transportation or delivery of agriculture products are required to comply with the OSHA Heat and Illness prevention program. Some of these regulations include the following:    

• Ensuring that effective communication by voice, observation, or electronic means is maintained so employees at the work site can contact a supervisor when necessary. An electronic device, such as a cell phone or text messaging device, may be used for this purpose only if cell reception in the area is reliable.    

• Observing employees for alertness and signs or symptoms of heat illness. The employer shall ensure effective employee observation/monitoring by implementing one or more of the following:    

  • The supervisor with 20 or fewer employees, or    

  • A mandatory buddy system, or    

  • Regular communication with solo employees such as by radio or cellular phone, or    

  • Other effective means of observation.  

  • Designating one or more employees on each work site as authorized to call for emergency medical services and allowing other employees to call for emergency services when no designated employee is available. 

Washington State also developed “Working Alone Safely: Controlling the Risks of Solitary Work,” a document focusing on safety hazard assessment and establishing the necessary safety protocols for lone worker safety.

Working alone in agriculture in Canada

Canada’s overall farm safety hazards are complex and varying, like the US. According to the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), they face many types of safety hazards, such as biological, chemical, ergonomic, physical, psychological, and physical hazards. Canadian farm workers also face colder temperatures and the accompanying dangers during the winter.

Federal and provincial legislation for working alone in agriculture in Canada

The Westray Law (formerly Bill C-45) 

Under the Westray bill, formerly Bill C-45, the Criminal Code has been amended such that organizations and even individuals may be criminally liable for failure to take reasonable measures to protect employee safety (effective March 2004), and applies to the Code of Liabilities for Corporations. 

Under Canada Bill C-45 (which applies to the Code of Liabilities for Corporations), the Criminal Code has been amended such that organizations and even individuals may be criminally liable for failure to take reasonable measures to protect employee safety (effective March 2004). 

In Canada, each province and the three territories have its unique safety legislation to protect its lone workers. New Brunswick was the first jurisdiction in Canada to pass working-alone safety legislation with the Code of Practice for Working Alone Regulation - Occupational Health and Safety Act. 

To learn more about Canada's provincial and territorial lone worker safety legislation, visit our regularly updated Canadian working alone regulations page.