
Worker safety is a fundamental concern for any business. But the stakes are inevitably higher for employees operating in remote, high-risk and otherwise hazardous environments, which hold their own unique set of challenges.
These individuals, often classified as "lone workers," perform critical tasks with little to no direct supervision, facing distinct safety concerns that demand specialized solutions. Be it construction sites, healthcare centers or delivery vehicles, these environments expose workers to above-average risks – and ensuring their safety is not just a legal and operational necessity but can be a matter of life and death for the lone worker as well.
Emergencies such as workplace violence, mechanical accidents, falls, or other incidents can arise during the workday – indeed, 68% of companies employing lone workers have had a lone worker incident in the past three years. In these cases, the ability to provide swift assistance can make the difference between a minor incident and more serious consequences.
It is employers’ responsibility to adopt proactive measures that ensure lone workers have access to immediate support in the case of emergencies, offer resources to safeguard their well-being, and maintain a safe, productive workplace. Many states even have legislation requiring panic buttons for employees. For example, legislation is in place for hospitality workers and school campuses to protect their people.
Lone Workers Risks
In the United States, there are approximately 23 million lone workers employed across diverse industries – from education and healthcare to manufacturing, construction and transportation.
The nature of their work often places them in hazardous environments, leading to significant safety risks. In 2023 alone, there were 2.6 million reported workplace injuries and illnesses, with lone workers often those affected most frequently and severely.
Over the past three years, 20% of lone worker injuries were categorized as “quite severe” or “very severe,” ranging from strains and contusions to more significant injuries. Accidents of this severity can have grave consequences for both employees and employers. Consider that a temporarily or long-term disability can lead to physical pain, emotional distress, and financial burdens. In the retail sector, for instance, workplace injuries result in an average of 70 lost workdays.
For businesses, the fallout from workplace injuries extends beyond loss of productivity. The financial costs can be significant, with the average workers’ compensation settlement costing around $20,000, alongside what can be equally detrimental reputational damage. For example, just last month, a Cleveland bakeware manufacturer faced $182,000 in fines and widespread media backlash after multiple employees suffered amputations from preventable workplace accidents.
Amazon recently came under similar fire during a Senate probe, where it was revealed that the effort to keep up with Prime Day sales resulted in injuries to 45% of its warehouse workers, including conditions like rotator cuff injuries, herniated disks, and muscle sprains.
For those lone workers with even more isolated jobs, who operate with limited oversight, the risks can be even higher. The ability to proactively monitor the safety of these workers, even remotely, and ensure rapid emergency responses is critical for mitigating such incidents, protecting lives and minimizing the severe consequences for all parties involved.
Safety Requirements
Ensuring the safety of lone workers requires advanced monitoring solutions, tailored to the unique risks these environments pose. These solutions must combine robust safety features with user-friendly design to ensure usability in diverse and often unpredictable conditions.
For the many lone workers who operate in remote locations or on-the-go, critical safety features include location and tracking capabilities with pinpoint accuracy, geofencing alerts for entering or exiting designated areas and 2-way voice mobile communications devices as a reliable backup to landlines or office phones.
These devices must also be more than mere panic buttons – especially because some incidents may inhibit a lone worker’s ability to actively trigger an alert. As such, these devices should be able to detect falls, track deviations from standard routes or routines and automatically dispatch help when workers are unable to call for assistance themselves.
Lightweight, wearable alert devices attached to a lanyard or belt clip offer lone workers an effective, unobtrusive, and seamlessly integrated emergency alert option that is always within reach. Additional features such as water resistance, battery status indicators, and real-time weather updates can further enhance the reliability and versatility of these devices, regardless of the work environment.
Ideal safety solutions should not only cater to the needs of different types of workers and environments but also offer immediate, automatic emergency responses. Such advanced systems are essential to protecting employees, mitigating risks and maintaining operational safety in challenging work environments.
Safety First
Lone workers are essential to millions of operations around the world, and ensuring their safety is both a moral responsibility and a practical necessity for businesses. Recognizing that lone workers face unique challenges and investing in advanced safety measures to address them is the responsibility of the businesses that employ these crucial members of the workforce.
By prioritizing these solutions, employers not only protect lives but also strengthen organizational resilience, reduce financial risks and demonstrate their commitment to employee wellbeing.
There are tools available to help businesses ensure that every worker is as safe as they deserve to be – making the choice to actively embrace these solutions is all it takes to achieve peace of mind and reduce the risk for the company and employee.