How to Create a Lone Worker Policy in 5 Steps (Easy Guide for Canadian Employers)

A lone worker policy gives your team a clear plan for staying connected, getting help, and responding when something changes.

It can support many types of work, including security patrols, property maintenance, home visits, deliveries, field service, overnight cleaning, remote inspections, and after-hours office work. A person may be working alone even when they are in the same building as others if they cannot be seen or heard by someone who could assist.

For Ontario employers, a written policy also helps demonstrate due diligence. Under section 25 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, employers must provide information, instruction, and supervision, and take every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to protect workers.

Ontario does not set one universal check-in interval for every lone worker. Your policy should reflect your actual work, locations, schedules, and hazards.

Here are five practical steps to create one.

Why a written lone worker policy matters

A written policy turns general safety expectations into a repeatable process.

It should help your team answer simple questions:

• Who is working alone?
• What risks could affect that worker?
• How often must they check in?
• Who receives an alert?
• What happens if a check-in is missed?
• How does a worker call for help?
• What records must the employer keep?

A policy also supports your broader occupational health and safety program. Ontario employers are required to prepare and review a written occupational health and safety policy at least annually in many workplaces. Lone worker procedures can form part of that program, along with workplace violence prevention and emergency response procedures.

A policy is not a substitute for a site-specific risk assessment or legal advice. It is a practical framework that helps your organization apply reasonable precautions consistently.

Step 1: Identify everyone who works alone

Start by creating a complete list of lone worker roles and situations.

Do not limit the review to full-time employees. Include anyone who performs work for your organization and may be isolated from immediate assistance.

✅ Full-time and part-time employees
✅ Temporary, seasonal, and casual staff
✅ Contractors, subcontractors, and agency workers
✅ Security guards and patrol officers
✅ Supervisors who attend sites alone
✅ Delivery and service workers
✅ Cleaners and overnight staff
✅ Workers travelling between locations
✅ Employees working from isolated areas or after hours

Ask managers and workers when lone work occurs. A person may work alone for only part of a shift, during a meal break, while travelling, or when entering a storage room, mechanical area, or remote site.

For each role, record:

• The worker’s job title and normal duties
• The locations they may visit
• Their usual working hours
• Expected travel routes
• The person responsible for monitoring them
• The communication method available
• When the worker is expected to finish or return

Workers should be involved in this process. They often understand practical risks that may not appear in a job description.

Step 2: Assess risks at each site and for each task

A general company-wide statement is not enough. Lone worker risks can change from one site, shift, or task to another.

Complete a risk assessment for each location and work activity. Consider four main areas.

Environment

Review the physical setting and conditions.

• Is the site remote or difficult to access?
• Is there reliable cell service?
• Are there poor lighting, uneven surfaces, or extreme temperatures?
• Could weather affect travel or communication?
• Is the worker inside a locked building or isolated area?
• Are there vehicles, machinery, hazardous materials, or energized equipment nearby?

Task

Consider what the worker must do.

• Does the task involve heights, tools, vehicles, or hazardous equipment?
• Could the worker experience a medical emergency?
• Is there a risk of violence or contact with the public?
• Could a mistake or injury go unnoticed for a long time?
• Is first aid, fall protection, or specialized training required?

Some tasks should not be performed alone. For example, confined-space entry, certain electrical work, and other high-risk activities may require additional workers or specific controls under applicable regulations. Your policy should clearly identify prohibited lone work and the approval process for exceptions.

Timing

The same task may carry different risks depending on when it happens.

Consider:

• Day, evening, and overnight work
• Holiday and weekend staffing
• Reduced site activity
• Traffic and travel conditions
• Expected response times
• Worker fatigue and long shifts

Worker factors

Your assessment should also consider experience, training, familiarity with the site, and access to communication equipment. Do not rely on personal medical information unless it is necessary, relevant, and handled appropriately.

The goal is not to label workers as the risk. The goal is to understand whether the work, environment, timing, or available support requires stronger controls.

Step 3: Set check-in schedules and missed check-in alerts

Your check-in system should be simple enough to follow and clear enough to trigger action.

Set the schedule based on the risk assessment. As a starting point, many employers use a framework like this:

Example risk level	Starting check-in interval	Typical controls
Higher risk	Every 15 minutes	Frequent monitoring, panic button, location information, trained response
Moderate risk	Every 30 minutes	Scheduled check-ins, backup contact, clear escalation
Lower risk but isolated	Every 60 minutes	Hourly check-ins, end-of-shift confirmation, accessible emergency contact

These are practical starting points, not legislated Ontario requirements. Shorten the interval when the consequences of an incident are serious, the work is remote, or help may take longer to arrive.

Each check-in should confirm that the worker is safe and still following the planned work schedule. Depending on the task, a check-in may be a voice call, text, app confirmation, radio response, or visual check.

Your policy should also define what happens after a missed check-in.

A clear escalation sequence may look like this:

1. The system or designated contact identifies the missed check-in.
2. The contact attempts to reach the worker immediately by phone, radio, or the approved monitoring system.
3. A short grace period is applied, based on the risk level. For higher-risk work, the response should begin immediately rather than waiting for a long delay.
4. The supervisor or backup contact is notified if the worker does not respond.
5. The responsible person reviews the worker’s schedule, last known location, route, and site details.
6. A safe welfare check or dispatch is arranged when appropriate.
7. Emergency services are contacted when there is reason to believe the worker may be injured, in danger, or unable to respond.
8. The event is documented and reviewed, even if the worker was safe and simply missed the check-in.

Give the designated contact both the authority and responsibility to start this process. A missed check-in should never sit in an inbox waiting for someone else to decide what to do.

Step 4: Define the emergency response plan

A check-in system only helps when your team knows what happens after an alert.

Your emergency plan should identify:

• Who receives missed check-in alerts
• Who acts as the backup contact
• Who can contact 911 or other emergency services
• Who may dispatch a supervisor, guard, or trained responder
• What information is shared with responders
• How workers trigger a panic or duress alert
• How responders gain access to a locked site
• How incidents are documented and reviewed

The information available to responders may include:

• Worker’s name and contact details
• Last confirmed check-in
• Last known location or assigned site
• Expected route and task
• Site access instructions
• Known hazards
• Emergency contacts
• Relevant workplace policies or procedures

Workers should also know what to do if communication fails. If cell service is unreliable, consider radios, satellite communication, site visits, fixed alarms, or another suitable backup.

At RIPS, we bring practical emergency response experience into our approach. Our organization is rooted in Ontario, and our leadership includes an active Ontario Mine Rescue volunteer. We also provide regular emergency-response training for our guards based on that field experience.

Mine Rescue training reinforces a calm, structured approach: understand the conditions, communicate clearly, follow the plan, and account for people. Those principles apply to lone worker safety as well. Technology can send an alert, but trained people and clear procedures help turn that alert into an organized response.

Step 5: Train the team and keep records

A policy only works when workers and supervisors understand how to use it.

Provide training before a worker begins lone work and refresh it when duties, sites, equipment, or procedures change. Training should cover:

✅ The hazards of working alone
✅ The worker’s check-in schedule
✅ How to check in and confirm the end of a shift
✅ How to trigger a panic or emergency alert
✅ What to do when communication fails
✅ What happens after a missed check-in
✅ When lone work is prohibited
✅ How to report incidents, hazards, and near misses
✅ How supervisors and contacts respond to alerts

Supervisors and designated contacts need additional practice. They should know how to acknowledge an alert, verify information, escalate the response, and document the steps taken.

Run occasional exercises. A short missed-check-in drill can reveal unclear responsibilities, outdated phone numbers, poor site information, or gaps in coverage.

Keep records of:

• Lone worker risk assessments
• Approved check-in schedules
• Worker and supervisor training
• Check-ins and missed check-ins
• Panic alerts and response actions
• Incidents and near misses
• Corrective actions
• Policy reviews and updates

Review your policy at least annually and after a significant incident, near miss, new site, new task, or change in staffing. Ask workers what worked and what created unnecessary difficulty.

How RIPS Safety supports your policy

A strong lone worker policy needs practical tools that make the process visible and manageable.

RIPS Safety supports lone worker and guard safety with one connected system:

✅ Check-in schedules based on role, site, and risk
✅ Missed check-in alerts for supervisors and designated contacts
✅ Panic buttons for workers who need immediate support
✅ Incident reports and follow-up records
✅ Emergency policies that guide the response
✅ Guard schedules and assignment visibility
✅ Site reports for operational clarity
✅ Client dashboards for shared information
✅ A family-dedicated plan for loved ones who want peace of mind

Our security and protection services can also support guarded sites, patrols, and security personnel who need clear procedures and dependable oversight.

The goal is straightforward: help your people check in, stay visible, get help when needed, and return home safely.

If you are creating or improving a lone worker policy, get in touch with RIPS Investigation and Protection Services. We can help you look at your workers, sites, schedules, and response needs so you can choose a practical place to start.