[TheThinkTank] Anyone have a Lone Working Policy? Looking for a template to build ours from!

[cyclista at inventati.org]

Also using power tools! I'm un the U.S, but it's something I think about 
a lot when building things alone. Pretty much very time I start up the 
circular saw, I imagine the scenario for "ok what if I slip and saw 
myself".

This reminds me of the protocols for caving in places with active water 
tables; always let someone know your coordinates and expected timetables 
so that there will be a check-in if you go outside those parameters. 
Sort of a deadswitch (ideally to **prevent** the dying O_O! ). This just 
seems like smart protocol/policy for any potentially dangerous activity 
conducted in isolation.

Thanks for bringing this up Doireann!! It's something we in the U.S., 
including myself, should think more about.

~cyclista Nicholas


On 2022-04-12 23:59, Jean-François Caron wrote:
> This isn't from a bike shop, but afaik all Canadian universities have
> some kind of Lone Worker program or policy.  Here's what I found with
> a quick search:
> 
> http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/general/gp39.html
> <http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/general/gp39.html>
> https://www.queensu.ca/risk/security/services
> <https://www.queensu.ca/risk/security/services> (Ctrl+F for Lone
> Worker)
> 
> And the BC provincial safety body has a page:
> https://www.worksafebc.com/en/health-safety/hazards-exposures/working-alone/
> <https://www.worksafebc.com/en/health-safety/hazards-exposures/working-alone/>
> 
> The general theme is just to check in and check out when you are going
> to be working alone.  Another worker or supervisor should react when
> someone doesn't check out, and maybe the supervisor should do a check
> in the middle of a long solo shift.  Not taking on risky tasks while
> working alone is also mentioned: e.g. not working on ladders, using
> harmful chemicals, etc, wait until you are not solo for that stuff.
> 
> This could easily translate into a bike shop scenario.  The hazardous
> work could be things like taking stuff down from elevated storage,
> using a parts degreaser bath, or maybe test rides depending on your
> situation.
> 
> Jean-François
> 
>> On Apr 12, 2022, at 16:02, Gordon Hamachi <gordon.hamachi at gmail.com> 
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Doireann:
>> 
>> Thank you for bringing up this topic.  I had never heard of a Lone 
>> Working Policy.  Evidently, employers are obligated to see to the 
>> safety of lone workers in the event of mishap such as a slip and fall, 
>> or an attack by hostile customers.  After conducting a few web 
>> searches, I gather that these policies are more widely used in the UK 
>> and Canada than in the US, where our Occupational Safety and Health 
>> Administration (OSHA) has no Lone Working policy requirement.
>> 
>> If it helps at all, a web search turned up this template for Lone 
>> Working Policy from the UK.  This one doesn't seem very helpful, but 
>> still better than nothing.  I expect that a determined searcher will 
>> find that many other examples are available online.
>> 
>> https://positivelyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Sample-Lone-Worker-Policy.pdf 
>> <https://positivelyuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Sample-Lone-Worker-Policy.pdf>
>> 
>> In addition, I found some commercial web sites that furnish sample 
>> Lone Working Policy templates by email, in exchange for your contact 
>> information.  Undoubtedly a sales person will be contacting me 
>> shortly. :-)
>> 
>> Although my non-profit shop does not have an official Lone Working 
>> Policy, this may be due to only having two paid employees working with 
>> many volunteers.  Unofficially, the shop policy seems to be, "Don't 
>> work alone."
>> 
>> In the past, when my shop has needed advice for issues like this, we 
>> have been able to turn to another local non-profit organization that 
>> provides free legal support and sample language.  I hope that you too 
>> have such a resource that can provide assistance tailored to your 
>> particular country's requirements.
>> 
>> When you complete your own Lone Working Policy, please post a copy so 
>> the rest of us can see it.
>> 
>> 
>> On Tue, Apr 5, 2022 at 1:03 PM 
>> <thethinktank-request at lists.bikecollectives.org 
>> <mailto:thethinktank-request at lists.bikecollectives.org>> wrote:
>> From: Doireann Lalor <doireann at bsbcoop.org 
>> <mailto:doireann at bsbcoop.org>>
>> Hi lovely Bikey people,
>> Do any of you have a Lone Working Policy for your 
>> workshop/organisation that you’d be happy to share with me? We need to 
>> make one for Broken Spoke (Oxford, UK), and I find it’s always easier 
>> to make policies using a good template from a similar organisation. 
>> Would be super useful!
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