Lone working must be considered as inherently dangerous. Persons working alone can be subject to extra risks as their working environment is not necessarily subject to the same level of checks as those used by more people. In addition, persons working alone, if injured or become ill, may not have access to the necessary support services / emergency recovery protocols applied to them in time.
Question
Can lone working occur on a busy construction site / workplaces that have other persons working close by?
Answer
Most definitely yes. Construction sites vary enormously in terms of complexity of built environments and topography.
People may be isolated / working alone on a busy site if they find themselves working by themselves if they are in “blind” areas created by slopes / gradients or in remote areas or in rooms / areas of partially built structures that create isolated working areas.
Site managers should be aware of this situation and preempt any potential lone working situations and ensure that anyone finding themselves in this situation have lone working protocols / emergency procedures developed, explained, implemented and supervised until the lone working situation is completed.
There are many lone working monitoring systems available on the Internet, or simple systems may be developed based on say a “buddy buddy” system or walkie-talkie handsets combined with frequent contact with a supervisor in charge of the operations.