According to DGUV Rule 100-001 "Principles of Prevention", Section 2.7, the term lone working refers to work that a person performs alone, out of call and sight of other people and regardless of the duration of the activity. When working alone, contact with other people in the company is restricted.
There are individual workstations in various industries. They are often found in automated production processes, cleaning, maintenance or inspection work, as well as in power plants, sewage treatment plants or landfills. Working alone is also not uncommon during inspection tours of extensive facilities or during company vacations. There are also activities in the catering and retail sectors that are carried out by one person alone.
Working alone is also legally permitted in many situations. However, if a person works alone, certain regulations must be observed. For example, employers are obliged to ensure that emergency services can be alerted immediately in the event of an emergency and that help arrives in good time.
The most important facts in brief
✓Work alone is carried out out of call and sight of other persons. Employers must ensure that help is available quickly in the event of an emergency.
✓Work involving critical hazards is prohibited for lone working. If there is an increased risk, the ban can be lifted by technical measures.
✓Working alone entails risks such as isolation and difficulties in emergencies. Technical protective measures and alarm plans are required to ensure the safety of employees.
Legal basis
When is working alone prohibited?
According to Section 5 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG), the risk assessment is the decisive factor for the approval of lone working in a company. The respective activity is assigned to one of three risk levels: low, increased or critical.
Lone working is not permitted for hazardous work involving a critical risk. The respective activity must therefore be carried out by at least two people in accordance with DGUV regulation 112-139. There are no exceptions to this rule, nor can the risk be reduced by organizational or technical measures.
Where there is an increased risk, working alone is generally prohibited. However, if the risk can be minimized by technical or organizational protective measures, the ban is lifted. This is done, for example, by using a personal emergency signaling system (PNA ) tailored to the company.
Who is allowed to work alone?
Even in companies where there are individual workstations and these are permitted, it must be noted that not every employee is legally permitted to work alone. For example, young people and pregnant women are excluded from working alone. The same applies to employees with chronic or mental illnesses or an increased health risk, as well as employees with suspected addictions.
Types of lone working
Individual workstations can be differentiated according to various factors.
Location-bound and location-independent
The first step is to clarify whether the workplace is a fixed or mobile lone worker workplace. Working alone is particularly risky in lone worker workplaces, as an accident can occur at different locations and, depending on the emergency signaling device used, it is not always possible to locate the employee precisely. Indoor localization is particularly difficult when an employee is inside a building.
Limited and unlimited in time
Even if the definition of lone working in DGUV Rule 100-001 "Principles of Prevention" does not take the time limit into account, the time factor plays a role in the risk assessment in accordance with Section 5 of the German Occupational Health and Safety Act. A distinction is made here between temporary and permanent lone working stations.
Different hazard levels
Lone workers are also divided into different hazard groups. These result from the working environment and the type of activity in question.
Activities with an increased risk of accidents are those in which particularly dangerous work is carried out, such as work with a risk of falling, handling hazardous substances and working on electrical systems. Working alone is not permitted here if the risk is not reduced by technical or organizational protective measures.
The BGHM distinguishes between 11 hazard groups depending on the type of hazard at the respective EAP:
Reasons for working alone
Although working alone entails numerous risks, around 8.5 million people in Germany work alone . This is because employees are often left to their own devices, and not just during vacations, public holidays or emergency and on-call duty. But certain tasks can also be temporarily performed by one person alone due to illness or a shortage of skilled workers.
Working alone is virtually unavoidable in some industries. For example, only one person can work in containers, silos and confined spaces.
Some employees even prefer to work alone, as this allows them to concentrate more on their work without being distracted by other employees. It also allows for better time planning and more effective work.
Risks of working alone
If a person carries out work alone, out of call and sight of other people, there are not only communication and cooperation difficulties but also problems for the safety and health of employees.
Isolation and loneliness
Possible consequences of social isolation in the workplace are psychological disorders such as stress, anxiety, excessive demands and loneliness. These can arise from working alone, but can also exacerbate existing psychological problems. This results in particular from a lack of support during extraordinary events.
In certain work situations, such as night duty at a petrol station, lone workers without the presence of other people are also easy victims of intimidation, aggression and violence.
Difficulties with cooperation
Employees who work alone, out of call and sight of others, also have limited opportunities for support from their superiors or colleagues. The lack of information exchange can lead to certain tasks being carried out despite a lack of knowledge, even though serious accidents can occur, especially when working on machines. The areas of responsibility are also not clearly defined due to the limited cooperation.
Security risks
If a person carries out work alone, i.e. out of call and sight of other people , they are on their own in emergency situations and have no one who can quickly provide first aid and trigger the rescue chain. Valuable time is often lost between the incident and the arrival of the emergency services, as those affected are often unable to call for help themselves in emergency situations. The consequences of this can be serious, as early first aid measures are essential, especially in emergencies where vital bodily functions such as breathing and circulation are impaired.
Requirements for employers
In order to ensure the occupational safety of employees even when working alone, the employer must provide suitable technical or organizational personal protection measures in addition to the general protective measures in accordance with DGUV Rule 100-001.
In the case of low-risk activities, inspection rounds at fixed intervals or scheduled inspection calls are sufficient. A dead man's switch with pressure switch can be used for low or increased risk. A switch is activated at certain intervals to confirm that the person working alone is present and able to act.
The disadvantage of volitional emergency notification systems is that they can only be activated if the employee triggers them manually. If the person in question is no longer conscious, the alarm can only be triggered by an automatic alarm system. An emergency signal is triggered automatically after a certain period of time (time alarm), a certain angle of inclination (position alarm), immobility(rest alarm) or by other automatic alarm functions.
CALIMA can transform an employee's standard smartphone into a personal emergency signaling device and thus effectively protect against accidents at work with the help of both voluntary and independent alarm functions. You can find more information about CALIMA here.
Every company must have an appropriate alarm plan in place so that the rescue chain can be triggered at an early stage in an emergency and can proceed without complications. This is the only way to avoid serious injuries or even fatal accidents.
Conclusion
At lone worker workstations, employees work out of call and sight of other people and are therefore exposed to numerous risks, especially when carrying out hazardous work. In an emergency, they are on their own because there is no one on site to trigger the rescue chain in good time. It becomes particularly dangerous when those affected are no longer able to call for help themselves.
Social isolation in the workplace can also be a trigger for mental health problems. Working alone is an integral part of everyday working life in many industries, but requires special protection for employees. If there is an increased risk, it is necessary to purchase a personal emergency signal system. Lone working is not permitted in the event of a critical hazard.
