Lone workers are not just prone to risks while driving or working in remote locations—indoor workspaces challenge the safety of your employees more often than you’d expect.
Many do not consider employees who work inside facilities as “lone workers.” Just because workers are stationed within a specific structure with team members doesn’t mean they don’t work alone—tasks often pull crew members out of sight and sound of others. These employees immediately become isolated from their colleagues,risking their lives if an incident occurs.
To get the job done, your employees work against the clock—often in high-risk, high-stress environments that require long hours. Let’s explore some of the most dangerous indoor situations facing your employees and how you can ensure their safety.
Working Indoors—Location. Location. Location.
Warehouses and production plants are noisy and fast-paced, with many moving parts. Hospitals, research labs, psychiatric centers and correctional facilities host individuals who may display unpredictable behaviours.Manufacturing facilities, warehouses and indoor construction sites can be some of the most dangerous places to work in the world. And some, power plants, grain terminals, and wastewater treatment facilities can even take your employees underground.
You have safety policies in place for your teams, but are you accounting for all of the potential risks your employees face indoors?
Hazards Lone Workers Face Indoors
Regardless of where an employee is located indoors—workers in a variety of industries can be challenged by the equipment and materials used to complete their work.
From researchers to reclamation technicians, a laboratory can pose just as many risks as an outdoor site. Engineers, assemblers and compounders face the dangers of working with and near heavy-duty machinery, conveyor belts, combustible liquids and spray booths.