When most people think about lone workers, they picture oil rig operators in remote locations or utility workers fixing power lines in isolated areas. High-risk jobs in places where help is hours away.

That’s not wrong.

But it’s incomplete.

The actual definition of a lone worker is anyone who works without close supervision, can’t be seen or heard by a coworker, or can’t get immediate assistance if something goes wrong. By that standard, a lot of businesses have lone workers without realizing it.

Here’s what that actually looks like across different industries.

Professional Services

Real estate agents showing properties alone have faced attacks during showings and open houses. After one San Antonio agent survived an assault in 2010, she changed her practices entirely – she never goes to properties alone and speaks monthly to new agents about safety protocols.

Therapists and counselors working solo in private practice offices, especially during evening appointments. Home inspectors walking through vacant properties. Mobile notaries traveling to clients. Accountants meeting clients after hours.

Retail & Hospitality

Workers opening or closing stores alone. Hotel night desk staff. Restaurant closers staying late to finish prep or clean. Gas station attendants working solo shifts face robbery and violence risks that led to mandatory prepayment legislation across Canada. BC acted in 2008 after a fatal incident. Alberta followed in 2018.

New York recognized these risks with the Retail Worker Safety Act, which mandates panic buttons for retail workers in businesses with 500+ employees – specifically targeting workers opening, closing, or working isolated shifts.

Property & Facilities

Property managers inspecting vacant rental units or showing apartments. Janitors and custodians working after hours in schools, offices, or hospitals (we covered this extensively in a previous post). Building maintenance staff. Painters and contractors working in unoccupied spaces.

Mobile & Field Work

Home healthcare workers visiting patients alone, often in unfamiliar neighborhoods. Sales representatives traveling to client sites. Delivery drivers. Mobile pet groomers and veterinarians. Mobile mechanics doing roadside service.

Event & Service Industry

Wedding vendors setting up or breaking down at remote venues. DJs and photographers at locations without other staff present. Caterers doing prep work alone at event spaces.

After-Hours Office Work

IT staff doing server maintenance overnight. Employees working late alone in office buildings. Security guards on solo patrol.

Why Recognition Matters

Medical emergencies don’t only happen on oil rigs. A heart attack, severe allergic reaction, or slip-and-fall can occur anywhere. Security threats exist in retail stores, vacant properties, and client homes. Equipment failures happen. Vehicle accidents happen.

Beyond the immediate safety concerns, there’s a legal element. Regulations around lone worker safety are tightening across North America, and employers have a duty of care whether they’ve formally identified someone as a lone worker or not.

There’s also the employee wellbeing angle. People notice when their employer has thought about their safety. It affects retention, morale, and whether someone feels valued or expendable.

Quick Assessment

Ask yourself:

• Do employees work outside normal business hours alone?
• Do staff travel to client sites, properties, or service locations alone?
• Are there times when only one person is on shift?
• Do employees work from home or remote locations?
• Could 30 minutes or more pass without another employee knowing if they’re okay?

If you answered yes to any of these, you’ve got lone workers.

What To Do About It

Start with a risk-based approach. Not every lone worker needs the same level of protection. Someone working late in a secure office building faces different risks than someone visiting client homes in unfamiliar areas.

For lower-risk situations, simple measures work. Buddy systems where employees check in with each other. Clear protocols about who to contact in an emergency. Making sure someone always knows where employees are and when they’re expected back.

For higher-risk work, technology helps. Automated check-in systems that prompt workers at regular intervals. Panic buttons. GPS tracking for field workers. These aren’t about surveillance – they’re about making sure help can get to someone quickly if something goes wrong.

You can’t protect people you don’t realize need protecting.

Recognition is step one.

The stereotypical lone worker – the guy on the remote oil rig – gets attention because the risk is obvious. But the property manager checking an empty building at 7 p.m., the home healthcare aide visiting a patient alone, the retail worker closing up shop – they’re just as alone when something goes wrong.

The difference is whether anyone knows it, and whether anyone has a plan for it.