Working alone policy template for Canadian workplaces

Use this template to turn a solo assignment into a documented decision, a working contact plan and a response to missed contact. Replace every bracketed field with the employer's real people, tasks, locations and governing law. A signed policy that nobody can execute during a shift does not protect the worker. The companion working-alone policy guide explains the design choices; verify its route before publishing this cross-link.

The template separates the *standing policy* from a *task authorisation* and a *check-in log*. That distinction matters because a good general rule can still fail at a remote site with no signal or after the designated contact leaves work. The employer should review the governing federal, provincial or territorial requirements and any separate rule requiring an attendant, rescue team or second worker. CCOHS advises assessment of each solo-work situation and local legislation. The examples below do not declare a single Canada-wide check-in interval.

Copyable policy: approval and scope

> Organisation: [legal employer name] > Sites/jurisdictions covered: [list site, province/territory or federal jurisdiction] > Policy owner: [name/role] > Effective date / review date: [dates] > Approved by: [responsible person]

Purpose. We assess work in which a worker may be alone or isolated and effective assistance may not be readily available. We authorise solo work only after evaluating the task, site, time, communication and rescue arrangements. A check-in device does not replace a legally required attendant, competent partner or rescue capability.

Scope. This policy applies to [employees/temporary staff/contractors as applicable] at [sites and activities]. The task authorisation identifies who controls each worker where multiple employers share a site. Contractors must disclose their own lone-work arrangements and coordinate with the site controller; this policy does not silently transfer one employer's legal obligations to another.

Work not authorised alone. [List tasks prohibited by current local law, permit, manufacturer instruction or employer risk decision.] Examples to *evaluate*, not automatic national prohibitions, include confined space entry, live electrical tasks, work at height, hazardous energy isolation, high-risk violence exposure and work with equipment where injury could prevent self-rescue. The supervisor must check each task's own law and procedure. If the job changes into one of these tasks, the worker stops and seeks fresh authorisation.

Authority to approve. [Role] may approve a solo assignment only when the task assessment below is complete, the worker and contact person are trained, the communication system works at the location, and emergency access is credible. [Role] may suspend approval if conditions change. The worker may report an unsafe condition and use their rights under the applicable OHS law without adverse treatment.

Copyable policy: responsibilities

Do not assign a contact who is simultaneously unreachable or unable to act. Define the handover for meal breaks, shift changes and travel. CCOHS recommends a primary and backup contact and a daily work plan. Review whether a third-party monitoring service is actually contracted and able to perform the stated response; never label an ordinary phone app as emergency rescue.

Copyable policy: check-in and emergency response

Check-in method. [Call/radio/text/visual visit/other]. A successful check is [two-way confirmation requirements]. If electronic contact is unavailable, use [tested fallback]. The worker checks equipment before departure, reports any lost communication, and does not proceed into work for which the approved communication has failed.

Frequency. The supervisor chooses [interval] for this task based on [hazard, likely injury, site access, distance, travel, weather and local law]. The reason and approver are recorded on the authorisation form. The worker checks in at the start, at the defined intervals, when the task or location changes, and at end of work. A generic policy does not set one national interval.

Missed-contact sequence. At [due time + risk-based grace period], the contact immediately attempts [primary channel] and [backup channel]. If no confirmed response by [time], they inform [supervisor/backup] and check the last known location and task. They call emergency services at [defined trigger or immediately where suspected serious danger], giving [address/coordinates, entry instructions, hazards and last known status]. Any site visit must be safe and authorised. The contact records each action and confirms the worker's final status; no case closes merely because a message was sent.

Emergency access. Emergency contacts: [numbers]. Site address/coordinates and access: [details]. First-aid/rescue arrangement: [actual capability]. If the worker is mobile, the planned route, stops and estimated return are attached. A code phrase for danger: [if used, explain what it means and who reacts]. Protect location and personal details through the employer's privacy procedure.

Training and testing. Before first assignment, the worker and contact practise the check-in, a missed-contact scenario and device failure. Record [date, participants, scenario, result, correction]. Repeat when equipment, task, worker, site or response arrangement changes. The employer reviews the policy after incidents, near misses, failed contacts and at [locally justified periodic date].

Form A: task authorisation and risk decision

An “approved” box must be supported by the actual test. If a worker is sent into a basement after signal testing only in the car park, repeat the test where the work occurs. If the task changes from visual inspection to maintenance, reassess the work and any permit, isolation or attendant requirement.

Form B: shift check-in and escalation log

The log should capture *confirmed* contacts and actions, not just scheduled alerts. Record a handover when the designated contact changes. If the worker is mobile, update the route or destination when it changes. Keep access to the log controlled because it may contain location and health information.

Adaptation notes for Alberta and British Columbia

In Alberta, OHS Code Part 28 applies when a worker is alone at a work site and assistance is not readily available in an emergency, injury or illness. Section 394 requires effective communication and contact intervals appropriate to the hazard; if effective electronic communication is not practicable, employer/designate visits or worker contact at appropriate intervals are required. Use the task form to document why the chosen interval and fallback work at that Alberta site.

In BC, WorkSafeBC's section 4.21 guidance describes a required written well-being-check procedure for assigned lone or isolated workers, recorded checks by a designated person, a final shift check, missed-contact and emergency-rescue steps, and consultation on intervals with the worker and committee or representative as applicable. The form's consultation field should be added for BC use. Do not apply these specific sections automatically to Ontario, Quebec or a federally regulated employer; verify their own law.

Worked completion example

A building-services firm assigns a technician to inspect a closed retail site after hours. The supervisor records the exact room, excludes repairs and roof access, checks mobile signal *inside* the room, and chooses a contact interval from the injury and access risk. The contact gets the gate code and after-hours emergency number. During the first visit, the worker reports a failed signal in the service corridor. The worker exits to the tested area and the supervisor changes the route rather than continuing under the original approval. The log records the interruption, new control and release. This is the kind of decision the forms should make possible.

Source, ownership, product and QA record

Terminal writer-side disposition: READY.