Our EHS group is revising our lone worker policy for R&D and I am a member of the larger team providing input. Initially the team essentially came up with a document that amounted to a prohibition of working alone. That is to say, it was so prohibitive that it essentially precluded this activity altogether. After multiple rounds of discussion we were able to first articulate that working alone is risky, and requires a discussion between employee and manager as to the risks and potential hazards. Second, we identified "buckets" of tasks that should not be prohibited while working alone (confined spaces, cyanide work, etc.).

 

But I wanted to look externally for benchmarking to see if any of you have wrestled with ensuring a safe work environment without sacrificing productivity unnecessarily. If any of you can provide any input into your organization's approach to this topic I'd be much obliged.

 

Thank you in advance,

Andy