When working alone, employees work out of call and sight of other people and are therefore on their own in emergency situations. Working alone is part of everyday life in many professions and poses particular challenges for occupational safety.
In order to reduce the hazards for lone workers, these must first be analyzed and evaluated. For this purpose, a hazard figure is determined for the activity performed as part of the risk assessment and the work is assigned to a hazard level.
The classification into hazard levels helps to classify potential risks and safety measures. It serves as a basis for determining and implementing suitable occupational safety measures in the company.
The most important facts in brief
✓ Working alone requires special measures, as employees work without direct support. A risk assessment identifies risks and suitable protective measures.
✓ Hazard levels classify risks as low, increased and critical. Measures range from no monitoring to constant monitoring, depending on the hazard level (1 to 10).
✓ Responsibility and protection lie with the employer, who assesses hazards and implements measures. Personal emergency signal systems (PNA) are often necessary in the event of increased or critical hazards.
What are the risk levels when working alone?
The German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) illustrates the three hazard levels in a table. The risk levels for working alone are divided into three categories: low, increased and critical.
At the "low" risk level, it is assumed that the existing risk factors(Table 1) can only cause minor injuries to the person working alone.
Increased, on the other hand, means that the existing risk factors can cause significant injuries and the lone worker is only able to act to a limited extent in an emergency.
In the event of a critical hazard, severe acute impairment of health may result. The person is no longer able to act in an emergency.
It is important to bear in mind that the three hazard levels only serve as a guide and that an individual risk assessment is required for each specific work situation.
Employers and employees should work closely together as part of the risk analysis in order to identify all potential sources of danger and take appropriate protective measures. This is the only way to ensure the safety of employees.
What risk factors can occur?
Hazard factors are various aspects or conditions in the working environment that can pose potential risks to the health and safety of employees. Hazard factors therefore refer to the specific characteristics of a source of danger.
Although a source of danger does not necessarily lead to an accident, these factors play an important role in the risk assessment as they help to analyze potential hazards and determine preventive protective measures.
Hazardous factors are generally foreseeable and do not usually occur in isolation. Whether a hazardous factor causes an occupational accident or illness depends on the extent of the hazardous factor and the spatial and temporal encounter with the employees.
According to the DGUV rule, the following risk factors must be taken into account in the risk assessment:
How is the hazard figure GZ determined?
The hazard index GZ is the key figure for assessing a hazard and has a value between 1 and 10. The hazard index GZ is determined as part of the risk assessment and evaluates the risk of accidents at work in a company.
The hazard index GZ is determined on the basis of the hazard factors. This enables an objective assessment of the hazards in order to introduce suitable protective measures to minimize the risk.
With a GZ of 1-3, it is not absolutely necessary to monitor the individual workstations. If the health and safety certificate assumes values of 4-6, the individual workstations must be monitored. With a GZ of 7-10, continuous monitoring of the individual workstations is required.
If, in addition to the critical hazard, there is also a high probability of an emergency, lone working is not permitted.
The CC of different jobs should be compared with each other in order to take measures for the hazards with the highest CC first. As the exact determination of the GZ varies depending on the company and industry, it is important to follow the company-specific guidelines and procedures for risk assessment.
Who is responsible for the classification?
According to §5 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the employer is obliged to determine the hazards in the workplace and assess the working conditions as part of a risk assessment.
On the basis of this assessment, he or she must provide suitable technical or organizational personal protection measures in addition to the general protective measures and document these in accordance with §6 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
You can find out more about responsibilities in occupational health and safety in our article "Who is responsible for occupational health and safety?".
According to §3 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the employer is obliged to take measures to protect the health and safety of employees. In particular, the risk factors that could affect the safety and health of employees must be taken into account.
The effectiveness of the occupational health and safety measures taken must be checked regularly.
The occupational safety specialist, the company doctor, the staff representatives, the safety officer and the employees concerned should also be involved in the risk assessment. The involvement of the responsible accident insurance institution is also recommended.
Risk levels for working alone: case studies
Low
Working alone in the home office: People typically work alone in the home office. However, there are no particular hazards as there are no heavy machines or hazardous chemicals in the workplace. Nevertheless, there are potential accident hazards such as tripping over cables, dropping objects or injuries due to improper handling of work materials.
Working alone in the office: In the office, working alone is particularly common in companies with flexible working hours, as employees can have different working hours here. People often work alone, especially in the evenings. The absence of colleagues due to vacation, illness or business trips can also mean that certain tasks in the office are temporarily carried out by one person alone. However, similar to working from home, there are no specific risks here.
Increased
Maintenance staff: Potential injuries from sharp objects or electrical hazards can occur when handling machines and systems. Work is also often carried out in confined spaces such as shafts, where employees are exposed to the risk of suffocation, lack of oxygen or hazardous gases. If no one is on hand to provide assistance or call the emergency services in an emergency, these accidents can have serious consequences.
Employees in logistics: Industrial trucks such as forklift trucks, pallet trucks, conveyor belts and other equipment are used in many logistics activities. This exposes employees to potential hazards such as collisions, falls and crushing injuries. Particular care must be taken when loading and unloading shelves, trucks, containers or other means of transport. Inadequate securing can lead to objects falling and causing injuries.
Nursing staff or employees in social institutions: Working alone is nothing unusual for employees in social services, especially in care services. They are also confronted with a variety of risks in their work. On the care tour, you run the risk of tripping or falling, especially due to the time pressure that is often involved. In addition, care workers often encounter people who can become unresponsive and threatening due to their illness.
Janitors: The janitor's job often requires physical work, such as lifting heavy objects or climbing ladders. This can pose a risk of injury. They may also come into contact with hazardous substances such as cleaning agents, chemicals or asbestos in older buildings.
Delivery service: As a driver, traffic accidents or conflicts with other people can occur. Since work is often carried out out of call and sight of other people, there is a risk that an accident involving a driver will go unnoticed for a longer period of time and that the driver will not receive first aid in time. There may also be disputes or conflicts with customers to which the employee is exposed alone.
Critical
Construction workers: Working alone on construction sites is particularly risky as you are working with heavy machinery and hazardous materials and substances. There is also a risk of falling objects, electrical hazards and the risk of falling, which can result in serious acute health problems.
Remote wastewater treatment plants: Wastewater treatment plants often work with hazardous chemicals and toxic gases. If employees are exposed to a leak or release, this can lead to health emergencies.
Working on various machines or maintenance work can also pose a risk of injury. In the event of an emergency, the employee may no longer be able to act.
Guard and security services: For security officers in high-risk environments such as prisons or monitoring security systems, violent confrontations and accidents can occur.
Signaling devices for the different hazard levels
Depending on the degree of risk, there are different requirements for the monitoring of individual workplaces and the protective measures. If the risk is low, it is generally not necessary to monitor the individual workstation.
The use of a reporting device, such as a landline telephone, is sufficient here. It is assumed that the risks are at an acceptable level.
If there is an increased risk, the individual workplace must be monitored. If the probability of an emergency is to be classified as low in the event of an increased risk, monitoring can be carried out by means of patrols, control calls or the use of a personal emergency signal system (PNA-11).
If the probability of an emergency is considered high, constant monitoring is required in the event of increased risk, similar to critical hazards where special protective measures are prescribed.
In this case, the use of a PNA-11 in accordance with DIN VDE V 0825-11 is required for lone working with increased risk. You can find out more about this in our article "When should a personal emergency signal system be used when working alone?".
Additional technical or organizational protective measures are required in the event of critical hazards. Suitable measures must be taken to ensure personal safety, as the person is no longer able to act in an emergency.
Constant monitoring can be ensured by the presence of a second person, video surveillance in continuous operation or a personal emergency signal system (PNA ). Working alone is not permitted if the probability of an emergency is high in the event of a critical hazard.
CALIMA is an app-based personal alarm system (PNA) for commercially available smartphones and is particularly useful for working at individual workstations with low and increased risk. The alarm can be triggered both manually and automatically. All relevant data on the incident is transmitted to the relevant control center or other predefined emergency contacts. You can find out more here.
