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Simplifying OSHA Compliance For Field Workers

3 min read

OSHA fieldworker compliance

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has specific regulations regarding working alone to ensure the safety and health of workers. The OSHA rules on working alone, also known as the “Lone Worker Policy”, are designed to address the unique hazards faced by employees who work alone or without direct supervision.

According to OSHA, employers have a responsibility to provide a safe workplace for all employees, including those who work alone. OSHA prohibits working alone in certain hazardous situations, such as confined spaces, but there is no general prohibition on working alone. 

However, employers are required to conduct a hazard assessment to identify potential hazards for lone workers. This will help them to develop appropriate control measures and mitigate those hazards.

Employers should implement a comprehensive lone worker policy that outlines procedures for checking on the safety of field and lone workers. This will further include communicating with them, and responding to emergencies. The policy should also include safety training for employees and provide them with the necessary personal protective equipment.

Apart from OSHA, some States also enforce their unique standards for a safe work environment. Workplace safety is crucial, but complying with standards and regulations has challenged employers since their enactment.


OSHA Compliance: What Challenges do Businesses Face?

Employers struggle with the tedious tasks required in meeting field worker compliance standards. Constantly maintaining communication with employees to monitor changing conditions and collect safety updates can be a time-consuming task for both employers and employees. Whether it’s to meet lone worker safety requirements or to check work conditions for weather-related field worker requirements.

Frequent monitoring of multiple off-site working conditions can divert employers and managers’ attention from unexpected on-site crises and non-job-related tasks. Simultaneously, worrying about worker safety and OSHA compliance can deplete resources and decrease productivity for employers and employees.


How Can Automation Help in Adhering To OSHA Compliance?

With advanced mobile applications, you can automate daily field service tasks and increase productivity. These apps can improve communication between workers and managers, streamline data collection, and simplify task tracking and scheduling. 

They further include GPS tracking, allowing employers to monitor employee locations and respond to emergencies quickly. They can also help with inventory management, route optimization, and job completion tracking. 

With pre-set alerts, in-app messages, and real-time location tracking, employers can ensure that their workers are safe and productive while in the field. This automation will noticeably simplify the process of adhering to OSHA and state rules.

Mobile workforce management apps with specialized field and lone worker capabilities can provide a variety of functions that help your business with compliance. They can send alerts throughout the day reminding employees to take mandatory breaks. 

In the hotter months, some states offer stricter guidelines for heat-related working conditions. These regulations require greater contact and communication that employers can streamline through in-app abilities.

For example, based on California law, field workers must take a mandatory break totaling 10 minutes within the two hours that the temperature reaches 95 degrees. When the temperature threshold is passed, an automated alert can be sent to employee phones informing them that they need to take their required breaks.

Conclusion

OSHA compliance includes specific laws and regulations related to working alone. Employers are responsible for identifying potential hazards and developing policies and procedures to mitigate those hazards. By implementing a comprehensive lone worker policy, employers can ensure the safety and health of their employees who work alone.

allGeo goes beyond compliance to prioritize worker safety, cut costs for employers, and boost productivity by streamlining communication.

allGeo is a cloud-hosted, carrier-grade location and messaging platform that helps SMB and Enterprise businesses better manage their mobile employees. We help businesses improve productivity and accountability while reducing payroll and operations costs with solutions such as GPS tracking & time clock, Lone worker safety, Automation of field activity monitoring, Mobile forms & data collection including signature, notes, pictures, barcode/QR code etc. The allGeo platform enables these solutions across a wide range of industries such as field service management, trade services, emergency responders, sales reps, transportation & logistics, and home health care providers.

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