Working alone requirements

The employer must account for each employee who is working alone to ensure the employee's safety and health. Employers meet this obligation by following the requirements in 1915.84(a) to check employees at regular intervals appropriate to the job and again at the end of the assignment or shift, and by accounting for them by sight or verbal communication per 1915.84(b).

An employer must check the employee throughout each work shift at regular intervals that are appropriate to the job assignment. The standard itself does not set a fixed time interval; it requires checks "at regular intervals appropriate to the job assignment" in 1915.84(a)(1).

• Use a competent person or job hazard assessment to choose reasonable check frequencies (for example, more frequent checks for confined-space work or hazardous operations). See 29 CFR Part 1915 standards for related duties of competent persons.

The employer must also account for the employee at the end of the job assignment or at the end of the workshift, whichever occurs first. This requirement is set out in 1915.84(a)(2).

• That means employers should confirm the worker is safe either when the specific task ends or when the shift ends, whichever happens sooner.

Employers must account for employees by sight or verbal communication. The standard explicitly states that an employee shall be accounted for "by sight or verbal communication" in 1915.84(b).

• "Sight" can include direct visual checks or video systems that reliably show the worker.
• "Verbal communication" can include in-person conversation, phone calls, or two-way radio checks, provided the communication confirms the employee's well-being.

Yes, 1915.84 generally applies to employees working alone in confined spaces, but the standard contains an exception specified in 1915.51(c)(3). The text of 1915.84 begins "Except as provided in 1915.51(c)(3) ..." so you must check 1915.51(c)(3) for any limited exceptions that apply to particular confined-space or attendant requirements.

No, 1915.84 does not require continuous monitoring; it requires accounting at regular intervals appropriate to the job and at the end of the assignment or shift. The standard's timing requirements are in 1915.84(a)(1) and 1915.84(a)(2).

• If a task creates higher risk, employers should increase the frequency of checks accordingly.

Yes, using a phone or two-way radio to establish verbal contact satisfies the "verbal communication" method specified in 1915.84(b), provided the communication reliably confirms the employee's safety and well-being.

• Make sure communications are documented or logged if needed by internal procedures, and ensure the communication method works reliably where the employee is located.

The standard requires the employer to account for the employee, so if a worker fails to respond the employer must take prompt action to locate and ensure the worker's safety. While 1915.84 does not list specific rescue steps, its purpose is to ensure employee safety during lone work (see 1915.84(a)).

• Employers should have an escalation plan (e.g., repeat attempts, in-person check, emergency response) and provide training and first-aid or emergency measures as appropriate. See OSHA guidance on first-aid readiness in the "First aid and bleeding control" interpretation for related emergency preparedness considerations.

The employer is responsible for accounting for each employee working alone; the standard places the obligation on the employer to ensure checks occur as required by 1915.84.

• Employers typically assign supervisors, a competent person, or a monitoring system to perform the checks. See OSHA's explanation of duties a competent person may perform in shipyard standards in the "Competent person requirements in shipyards" interpretation for guidance on delegating responsibilities.

No, 1915.84 does not itself require written recordkeeping of checks; it requires that the employer account for the employee by sight or verbal communication during the shift and at its end as stated in 1915.84(a).

• Employers may adopt written logs or electronic tracking as part of their internal safety program to demonstrate compliance or to support incident investigations, but the regulation does not mandate a specific recordkeeping format.

Yes, a reliable camera or live video feed that allows the employer to see and confirm the employee's status can satisfy the "sight" accounting method in 1915.84(b).

• Ensure the camera provides a clear, real-time view of the worker and that privacy, communication, and technical reliability issues are addressed in your workplace policies.

Yes, 1915.84's requirement to account for each employee working alone applies to all employees under the employer's control, including temporary and contract workers. The employer must account for each employee as required by 1915.84.

• Employers who supervise or control contractors should include lone-worker check procedures in contractor safety plans and ensure those workers receive the same accounting protections.

An employer should set check frequencies based on a job hazard assessment considering the risks of the task, the environment, and the worker's ability to call for help; this follows the performance-based direction in 1915.84(a)(1).

• Higher-risk situations (e.g., confined spaces, hazardous machinery, isolated locations) normally require more frequent checks.
• A qualified or competent person can help determine appropriate intervals—see the "Competent person requirements in shipyards" interpretation for guidance on using competent persons to set protections.

No, an employee assigned to operate equipment must remain capable of performing the task without unscheduled interruption that could affect safety; leaving controls unattended is not acceptable. OSHA's interpretation about crane operators makes clear an operator must not leave controls while a load is suspended, and employers must ensure the operator can complete the job safely (see OSHA's crane operator medical condition scenario and apply the accountability requirements in 1915.84).

• If accounting checks would interfere with safe operation, employers must design a system (for example, delegation of checks to another person or on-site supervision) that does not create unsafe interruptions.

No, accounting for lone workers is an additional safety measure but does not replace other required hazard controls; employers must still comply with all applicable standards and control measures. 1915.84 addresses checks for lone workers, while other shipyard rules and competent-person duties address hazard controls—see 1915.84 and the "Competent person requirements in shipyards" interpretation for how competent persons may specify protections for hazardous exposures.

• For example, confined-space entry, respiratory protection, and machinery lockout/tagout have separate standards that must be followed in addition to lone-worker accounting.

Yes, an employer may assign one person to account for multiple lone workers provided that the single monitor can reliably sight or verbally confirm each employee's condition at the intervals appropriate to each job, satisfying 1915.84(a) and 1915.84(b).

• Employers must ensure the monitor is capable and that the system does not delay checks beyond what is appropriate for higher-risk tasks; consider workload and communications reliability when assigning one person to multiple checks.

If verbal communication is not possible because of lack of coverage, the employer must use sight checks or provide a reliable alternative means to confirm the employee's safety (for example, scheduled in-person checks, panic alarms with local monitoring, or video) to meet 1915.84(b).

• Employers should plan for communications gaps in their lone-worker procedures and supply redundant methods (on-site check-ins, personal alarms, or direct visual checks) appropriate to the hazard and location.

No, 1915.84 requires accounting regardless of day or night; employers must check employees at intervals appropriate to the job and at shift or assignment end as stated in 1915.84(a).

• Night work may increase risks (reduced visibility, fatigue), so employers should consider more frequent or different methods of checks (for example, illuminated sight lines or more frequent radio contact) when planning night-time lone-worker protections.

Yes, having a clear, implemented procedure for accounting checks (timing, method, responsible person, and escalation steps) helps demonstrate that the employer is meeting the performance-based requirements of 1915.84.

• A written procedure should describe how sight or verbal checks will be made, what counts as a successful contact, and what steps to take when contact fails; it can also reference competent-person determinations where appropriate (see the "Competent person requirements in shipyards" interpretation).