Isolated worker: what is the definition?

This definition of a lone worker comes from recommendation R 416 of the CNAMTS (Caisse nationale de l'assurance maladie des travailleurs salariés). However, there is no official definition of isolated work in the French Labor Code. This recommendation is therefore the reference to be used to identify isolated and dangerous work situations.

The isolated work is not strictly speaking a risk. Nevertheless, this type of work context is much more accident-prone. Behaviors and habits are not the same when you're working alone. It is therefore more difficult to detect an accident and rescue a lone employee.

This is why all employers must train and inform their lone employees on the procedure to be applied in the event of an accident in order to be rescued. The Labor Code also requires the employer to guarantee their protection.

It is the employer's responsibility to ensure the safety of his employees and to keep them in good health at work. The French Labor Code does not provide a precise definition of a lone worker. It is, however, very clear on the measures to be taken to supervise their work. Employers must identify the risks faced by their lone workers in order to guarantee their rescue in the event of an emergency.

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Isolated working amplifies the dangers for employees who find themselves alone once at their workstation. They are likely to be unable to sound the alarm in the event of an accident, for example, or not be spotted quickly in the event of discomfort. Ultimately, the risks are manifold. So it's a good idea to identify them clearly, and carry out a risk assessment:

Discomfort: your employee may feel unwell and have no one to come to their aid,
Accidents: your technician has to work at height and may suffer a fall,
Aggression: your employee finds himself late in low-traffic areas,
Incivilities: your receptionist finds herself alone and may be confronted with angry customers.

A lone worker is not always an employee working in a high-risk or extremely dangerous occupation. Each employer must then refer to the CNAMTS definition. He therefore identifies all his employees working in isolation, out of earshot or sight of his colleagues. However, we can identify certain sectors more often confronted with risks: technical services and maintenance, industry and logistics, social and associative, local authorities and points of sale.

Your isolated workers have all been identified. You then need to list all the situations that put your employees at risk, whether one-off or recurring. You must then prevent these risks and implement your lone worker protection plan. Lone working is then reduced to a minimum.

Also, you need to set up a warning system adapted to their activity so that they can be rescued in the event of an emergency. This individual protection goes hand in hand with a suitable rescue organization, available and reactive throughout the duration of lone working. These preventive and organizational measures enable your employee to be rescued at short notice.

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There are various types of lone-worker alarm systems. In such cases, you need to choose a device that does not hinder the smooth running of the activity, with full knowledge of the risks involved and the context. For example, if your employee is faced with the risk of being attacked, you need to provide him or her with a device that can discreetly trigger an alarm.