HomeMy WebLinkAboutPR 684 HS - Working Alone-1-PR.684.HS
PROCEDURE PR.684.HS
TITLE: WORKING ALONE
Date issued: November 2011
Last revised:
Authorization:
1.0 OBJECTIVE
To establish safe work processes for the protection of all workers while working alone.
2.0 DEFINITIONS
In this procedure,
2.1 Working Alone refers to circumstances where:
a)a worker is performing a job function and he/she is the only worker at the work
location;
b)assistance is not readily available to the worker in the event of injury, ill health or
emergency; or
c) a worker is traveling alone in a vehicle or working off-site in the community.
2.2 Workers include all District employees.
2.3 Supervisor refers to superintendents, principals, vice-principals, managers, supervisors
and others who, by organizational title or position description, have responsibility for a
worker(s) or a workplace.
2.4 Normal Working Hours means the hours an employee is regularly scheduled to work.
3.0 RESPONSIBILITY
3.1 Superintendents, principals, vice-principals, managers and supervisors are primarily
responsible for the implementation of this procedure.
4.0 PROCEDURES
General
4.1 Working alone or in isolated areas, where it is not a normal requirement of the job,
should, to the extent reasonably possible, be avoided. Workers should not work alone
or in isolated areas unless someone else is advised and there is a means for
summoning immediate assistance in the event of an emergency.
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4.2 If a supervisor, in consultation with the affected workers, determines that the hazards of
working alone cannot be adequately or reasonably controlled, appropriate measures will
be put in place to ensure either that the work function is not performed or the work is not
performed alone.
Supervisor Responsibilities
4.3 Supervisors have an obligation to take all precautions reasonable to ensure the
workplace is safe, including taking appropriate precautions for workers who are working
alone.
4.4 Supervisors will ensure that workers who may be required to work alone are made
aware of where first aid kits, emergency exits and fire alarm pulls are located.
4.5 Supervisors will ensure that all workers working alone have access to appropriate
communications devices to summon immediate assistance if required. Such devices
may include one or more of the following:
a)Phone or PA system to call the office, or another worker elsewhere in the
building;
b)Walkie talkie or mike phone device to contact another worker;
c) Landline to call 911;
d)Cell phone to call 911. Workers will be made aware of known areas of the facility
where cellular communication is not available;
e)Where none of the above options are available to the worker in his/her immediate
work location, the worker may request the use of a Board cell phone (with 911
capabilities only) for use while working alone.
If the worker does not have access to either a landline or a cell phone, the worker
will be instructed to pull the fire alarm as a last resort, to activate the security
system and ensure emergency services are dispatched.
4.6 Supervisors will establish for their work location a ‘sign in/out’ procedure for workers
who are working outside of their normal working hours. The procedure should include a
mechanism for tracking workers who are in the building outside their normal working
hours and for identifying the area(s) of the building being occupied.
4.7 Supervisors will review safe working alone procedures with all new workers who are
required to work alone as part of their job. Supervisors will at least annually review safe
working alone procedures with all workers who are required to work alone as part of
their job responsibilities.
Worker Responsibilities
4.8 Workers working alone will take all precautions reasonable in the circumstances for
their protection. (Reference Appendix A)
4.9 Workers will, to the extent reasonably practicable, within 24 hours report any incidents
that arise while working alone to their immediate supervisor.
4.10 Workers working alone after normal working hours will sign in using the procedure
established for their work location.
4.11 Workers with medical conditions or severe allergies that may require an emergency
response are encouraged to inform their supervisor in order to establish a specific
response plan when working alone.
4.12 Workers who are required to handle cash as part of their job responsibilities should, to
the extent reasonably possible, avoid handling cash while working alone after normal
working hours.
4.13 Workers who do not feel safe meeting alone with particular individuals are encouraged
to advise their immediate supervisor to arrange for another appropriate staff member
(e.g., supervisor) to be in attendance at the meeting. Meetings with members of the
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public or that involve contentious issues should, to the extent reasonably possible, be
scheduled during times when the building is populated, and held in a central or
populated area of the building.
4.14 Workers working alone in a building should, where possible, select parking spots that
are closest to the main entrance used by the worker, or, move their car to a closer
parking spot after regular business hours when other workers have left the building.
4.15 Workers who are required to undertake home visits will ensure that they follow the
established process for making contact in advance of and following a home visit.
Before/After Normal Working Hours (Early Morning, Evenings, and Weekend Work) –
Additional Precautions
4.16 During evening and weekend hours buildings should be secured to prevent
unauthorized entry. When the public is scheduled to use the building, arrangements
should be made to unlock the doors 30 minutes prior to the event starting.
4.17 Portables should be locked when not in use, after dark and after normal working hours.
Staff that work in portable classrooms are encouraged to confine their work activities in
their portable to normal working hours. Staff should move into the main school building
when they work extended hours.
4.18 In the event a worker arrives at a District facility and finds evidence of forced entry,
suspicious activity, trespassers or the sound of an intrusion alarm, the worker should
not enter the building but should contact police and/or the security company.
4.19 For workers that regularly work alone or in an isolated location, the supervisor, in
consultation with the worker, will establish a safe area where the workers may go in the
event of an emergency such as an intruder or suspicious behaviour, while waiting for
assistance to arrive.
4.20 Work that involves working outside (e.g., external security checks, disposing of
garbage, shoveling) should, to the extent reasonably possible, be completed during
daylight hours or with another person.
4.21 In the event conflict arises between a worker who is working alone and another person
(e.g., visitor, rental groups), the worker should take reasonable steps to avoid
confrontation, leave the area immediately and contact his/her immediate supervisor for
assistance. In the event the worker feels threatened or unsafe, he/she should contact
911.
4.22 All District facilities have an alarmed security system that must be activated by 1:00
a.m. If an alarm is not activated by that time, emergency response will be dispatched to
the site.
Home Visits – Additional Precautions
4.23 Where possible, home visits by District staff should be restricted to situations where
there are no reasonable alternatives. Workers should, where possible, try to arrange a
mutually acceptable alternate public location to meet clients. Where home visits are
required, supervisors and workers will take additional precautions for the safety of the
workers.
4.24 Supervisors responsible for supervising workers who may be required to conduct home
visits, will establish safe work procedures that include:
a)a process for notifying the supervisor or another designated contact prior to
making a home visit, and the specific information that should be provided (i.e.
name, address, contact number of client, time of appointment, expected
duration);
b)an opportunity to discuss with the supervisor any known risks in advance of the
home visit;
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c) provision for a second staff member to accompany the worker, if necessary;
d) measures to ensure workers are aware of known risks, for example, previous
hostile or aggressive behaviour, high risk geographical areas, confirm that a
parent/guardian will be in attendance, and strategies to use during the visit (e.g.
remaining close to the door, being aware of surroundings, maintaining a safe
distance);
e) strategies for ending the home visit immediately in the event the worker begins to
feel unsafe or threatened and for summoning immediate assistance, if required;
f) a process for notifying the supervisor or another designated contact immediately
following the home visit and for reporting any incidents that may have occurred.
4.25 Supervisors will ensure that workers who are required to conduct home visits are able to
summon immediate assistance. Workers who do not have access to a personal cell
phone may request the use of a Board cell phone (with, as a minimum, 911 capabilities)
during home visits.
Higher Risk Activities
4.26 Any work that puts a worker at high risk for injury should not be performed by a worker
who is working alone. This prohibition does not apply to workers who have received
specific training from a certified trainer to operate equipment and these trained workers
may use any equipment required to their job when working alone.
4.27 Notwithstanding paragraph 4.25, the following high risk activities will not be performed
when a worker is working alone or working in isolation:
a) Entry in to a confined space as defined by regulation;
b) Working on an installation, equipment or conductor operating at a nominal
voltage of 300 volts or more, except while testing equipment or trouble -shooting.
c) Working in or near trenches;
d) Working on a portable ladder that exceeds 6 metres in length and is not securely
fastened, or working with a ladder that is likely to be endangered by traffic;
e) Work involving the use of fall arrest equipment and scaffolds;
f) Operating a machine or power tools that could cause critical injury, e.g. lathes,
table saws, chain saws;
g) Working with quick-acting acutely toxic material as described by the Material
Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), e.g., inorganic cyanides, fumigants, etc.;
h) Use of supplied air respiratory equipment or self-contained breathing apparatus;
i) Working at or near water hazards where there is a risk of drowning;
j) Use of a vehicle, crane or similar equipment near a live power line where it is
possible for part of the equipment or its load to make contact with he live power
line;
k) Use of a vehicle, crane, mobile equipment, or similar material handling
equipment where the operator does not have full view of the intended path of
travel;
l) Welding operations where a fire watcher is required as per CSA standard
W117.2-94, Safety in Welding, Cutting and Allied Processes;
m) Handling of animals capable of causing critical injury or paralysis, and life-
threatening zoonotic diseases.
5.0 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS
Board Policy P.058.HS: Occupational Health and Safety
Board Policy P.132.HS: Violence in the Workplace
Occupational Health and Safety Act of Ontario RSO 1990, as amended
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District Procedure PR.680.HS: Violence in the Workplace
District Procedure PR.624.HS: Refusal to Work
District publication Guide to Workplace Violence
Industrial Establishments, Ontario Regulation 851/90
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Appendix A
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS FOR WORKING ALONE
Workers who are working alone in a building or in an isolated area should:
Ensure they are aware of the location of first aid kits, fire alarm pulls and emergency
exits;
refrain from using personal listening devices which may compromise personal safety by
eliminating or limiting the workers’ ability to hear anyone or anything in the area;
ensure access to appropriate communication device (landline, mikephone, walkie talkie,
cell phone);
upon leaving the building, walk around their vehicle, check the back seat before
unlocking the car.
Workers who are required to meet clients in the community should:
to the extent reasonably possible, arrange to meet clients in a public, well populated
location;
follow the safe work procedures established by their supervisor for conducting home
visits or client meetings in the community;
during a home visit, remain as close to an exit door as possible
maintain a safe distance at all times during the visit;
be alert to surroundings and any potential risks;
end the visit or meeting immediately in the event the work begins to feel unsafe or
threatened;
ensure they have a means to summon immediate assistance if re quired;
notify their supervisor or another designated contact p rior to and following the visit