Perhaps the most concerning thing about lone workers is the whole “lone” part. To some, being alone might sound like a dream. Plenty of occupations offer the perfect career for introverts and loners — truck drivers, mailmen (and women), park rangers, etc. — they all give workers the opportunity to spend most of their time and handle their work responsibilities alone.
However, there’s an inherent danger in working alone. After all — who’s going to come to your aid in an emergency? Let’s dig in and talk about the top 5 most dangerous jobs for lone workers. Some of them might surprise you!
1. Security Guards
Okay, some of them might surprise you, but likely not this one. It’s fairly obvious that there is danger in being a security guard. They are responsible for protecting people and/or property, which means they must step in and react when someone is threatening the safety of others.
That’s certainly dangerous! Routine interactions can escalate into dangerous confrontations and security guards may be forced to respond with force. Sometimes, it can even be deadly.
Security guards are given plenty of training to know how to respond to aggressive situations, but it doesn’t diminish the danger. It’s an inherent part of the gig — especially for those security guards who work at night when they are most vulnerable and often working alone.
Often, it is a single security guard watching over a workplace, facility, or community, and this is typically the perfect time for criminals to strike under the cover of darkness. When thieves confront security guards, the confrontation can become physical and even involve weapons. This is one of the most dangerous lone worker jobs you can find.
2. Care Workers/Community Nurses
Community nurses and care workers who visit patients in their homes are put at risk for verbal and violent abuse. You can take certain measures to improve the safety of your care workers, community nurses, and lone workers of that sort, but unfortunately, you can never entirely remove the risk.
If they carry drugs for their patients, they are at risk of being attacked outside of their patient’s residences as well. And inside the home, they are at risk for abuse from their patients and relatives.
3. Construction Laborers
Job site laborers fill various roles, making it challenging to explain their specific risks. While they often do work in large groups, many will spend a good amount of time alone on site. This leaves construction workers vulnerable to workplace incidents.
Construction laborers work with heavy machinery and dangerous tools and are often at risk for falls when they are on roofs, ladders, and scaffolding. They also have to worry about electric shock if they are working near wiring or power lines. Workplace injuries are common for construction workers making this another of the most dangerous lone worker jobs.
4. Maintenance Workers
Maintenance workers typically work long hours alone. Another broad category — maintenance workers might be fixing things in buildings or homes, using high-powered tools, fixing machinery, working at heights, and even working at night.
Maintenance workers are at high risk for falls and injuries from using high-powered tools. Working at night presents its own set of dangers as these workers are less likely to be seen should an incident occur. The danger here is mostly presented by the tools used and the isolation involved.
5. Retail Workers
Didn’t see this one coming, did you? But think about it…
While working a cash register might not seem like the most dangerous job in the world, think about what kind of stores are most often the ones being held up by criminals.
Small stores and gas stations, especially those that are open at night, are vulnerable to theft. It might not seem that risky or dangerous overall, but thieves typically target these locations when there is only one person working — at night. Retail workers might be threatened with weapons or injured during these criminal instances. Sometimes, they are even held hostage.
Summary
There you have it—the five most dangerous jobs for lone workers. Many businesses have lone workers in some capacity, and it is your responsibility as the business owner to ensure that all of your lone workers are as safe as possible when they’re on the job.
Vestige View offers tools to safeguard your assets and employees. You can use tool and equipment tracking to stay on top of where all of your tools and machinery are at all times. You can also provide your lone workers with an employee safety advice that will track their location and give them an emergency button to push should they find themselves in trouble.
Protect your most precious assets — your employees — today.
