Lone Worker Safety Solutions for Laboratory and Manufacturing Workers

It is generally advised that lab workers not work alone; however, it still does take place. While they appear to be safe, clean spaces, laboratories can also present the dangers of unseen biological hazards such as toxic chemicals, gases, fumes, fires, and electrical shock, which can put employees’ safety at risk. 

Like laboratories, manufacturing facilities also present a range of unique and challenging safety hazards. Manufacturing workers help produce new products and goods from different materials, components, and substances. These people face toxic substances and chemicals, as well as dangerous machinery and electrical hazards. In certain facilities, the employees are required to work alone, which can increase the chances of physical harm. 

In both lab and manufacturing work settings, employers are morally and legally (depending on local OHS legislation) required to protect their employees while on the job. A structured safety system program must be implemented and practiced, putting strategies in place to protect the working team members. 

However, as structured as they are, severe, even fatal, injuries can still occur in lab and manufacturing settings, especially when the worker is alone. SafetyLine can effectively monitor the safety of these people using only a smartphone or tablet and its easy-to-use lone worker app. Having employees work with a personal safety device that offers real-time monitoring and alarm systems in the event of an accident can reduce the risk of injury, especially if they are working alone.  

Working alone in laboratories in the United States

Currently, there is no safety legislation for laboratory lone workers in the United States. Still, several notable educational institutions have recognized the dangers of working alone in a laboratory. Stanford University has a working alone guidance page that provides specific protocols on how to work in their labs safely, recommending “working alone should be avoided.” On a similar page, Stony Brook University in New York states, “working alone, especially after hours, can be unsafe and should be avoided whenever possible. When it cannot be avoided, procedures must be used to protect lab lone workers in an emergency.” 

The safety of lab lone workers is such a concern that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) developed a comprehensive Laboratory Safety Guide stating employers and workers should “avoid working alone” in a lab setting. UCLA also created the UC Centre for Laboratory Safety, which was created after a horrible 2008 accident at the university, which led to the death of a young researcher working with a pyrophoric substance; their mission is to “improve laboratory safety by researching to provide evidence-based best safety practices in the laboratory.” Labs that utilize a lone worker monitoring system will greatly improve employee safety and reduce the risk of a working alone emergency. 

Working alone in laboratories in Canada

Canadian lab workers also face a host of dangerous work safety hazards and do not have any legislation to protect them and their employers. 

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) lists “working alone” as one of the laboratory technicians and technologists' main health and safety concerns. Ottawa’s Carlton University states that a “Working Alone Safety Plan” is required for tasks that “present a medium or high risk.” The Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science has also released eight editions of Laboratory Safety Guidelines, “Canada’s most comprehensive resource on laboratory safety.” These resources address the wide range of laboratory safety hazards and risks, including fall protection and the many biological hazards lab workers can face. 

Working alone in manufacturing in Canada and the United States 

Comparable to lab workers, American and Canadian lone manufacturing workers are not protected by safety legislation or regulations specific to this work and industry. It is, therefore, dependent upon the employer to ensure the safety of lone workers in this industry. 

These workers face safety hazards such as: 

• Shocks and burns from exposed electrical wiring and circuits. 

• Limb injury from dangerous machinery and equipment. This includes accidents involving forklifts and other industrial vehicles.) 

• Slips, trips, and falls on spilled liquids and loose materials. 

• Exposure to hazardous chemicals can result in various injuries and health issues, such as severe burns and respiratory damage. 

Lone Worker Safety Due Diligence 

In Canada, each province and territory has its own lone worker legislation. In addition, employers are recommended to exercise due diligence in their workplace, defined as “the level of judgment, care, prudence, determination, and activity that a person would reasonably be expected to do under particular circumstances.”