Working Alone
Service techs, maintenance workers, surveyors, night security and small-crew contractors often work alone. A minor injury, a fall or a medical emergency becomes much more dangerous when nobody knows you need help.
- Construction
- General Industry
- Service
Photo: maintenance technician checking in by phone before entering a mechanical room
Some work should never be done alone
- Confined space entry (an attendant is required outside). See Confined Spaces.
- Energized electrical work
- Trenching and excavation
- Chainsaw and tree work
- Work requiring fall arrest, where a fallen worker would need prompt rescue
- Hot work that requires a fire watch
Plan for lone work
- Check-in schedule: call or text at set times, and a plan for what happens if you miss one
- Location: someone knows exactly where you are and when you expect to finish
- Communication: charged phone or radio, and a backup where there’s no signal (satellite messenger)
- Lone-worker devices or apps with man-down or panic alerts for higher-risk work
- First aid kit and water with you
- Limits: tasks you won’t do alone, even if it would be faster
Tip: if something changes, like a bigger job than expected or a new hazard, stop and call before continuing.
Standards & references
- There is no single OSHA standard for working alone, but the General Duty Clause and many specific standards (confined spaces, fall rescue, electrical) apply.
- See also: Emergency Action Plans
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