POLICY

A. Purpose

The Working Alone Policy restricts work at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) in cases where a plausible failure of hazard controls could result in an injury or exposure that would render an individual unable to take appropriate emergency actions. Examples include the following:

• An individual may be splashed with a corrosive chemical that blinds him or her (volume used and concentration, etc., should be considered).
• An individual may be exposed to a chemical or trauma that impairs consciousness.
• An individual may be set on fire.
• An individual may receive a severe electrical shock or arc-flash injury.
• An individual may fall from an elevation above six feet.
• An individual may be struck or trapped by a heavy object or suspended load.
• An individual may become trapped in or by moving machinery.
• An individual may be injured by a powered cutting tool.

B. Persons Affected

All persons who visit or work at Berkeley Lab

C. Exceptions

None

D. Policy Statement

1. Workers at Berkeley Lab are not allowed to work alone when the mitigated hazards associated with their work could incapacitate them such that that they could not "self-rescue" or activate emergency services. This policy supports the Laboratory's Environment, Safety & Health (ES&H) Core Policy to perform all work safely and with full regard to the well-being of workers, contractors, vendors, affiliates, the public, and the environment.
2. The Working Alone Policy is implemented through the Work Planning and Control (WPC) process at the division level.
   1. Each division must assess its work activities and find those in which the severity of mitigated hazards may prevent workers from self-rescuing or activating emergency services in the event of an accident.
   2. Authorizations for the identified work activities must place restrictions on working alone.
   3. During the work authorization development and review process, authors and reviewers determine whether and when a working alone restriction is necessary and include it in the controls listed in a WPC Activity or other work authorization document.
   4. This working alone restriction then flows down to individual workers through their WPC Activities or other authorizations.
   5. For construction activities, the policy is implemented through the construction safety review process; for nonconstruction subcontractors, it is implemented through the Subcontractor Job Hazards Analysis and Work Authorization process.
   6. The policy does not address activities "commonly performed by the general public" that include hazards commonly accepted by the public, the control of which requires little or no specialized guidance or training. These activities include walking or driving while alone and the consequences of personal medical conditions that may arise while at work.

E. Roles and Responsibilities

F. Definitions/Acronyms

G. Recordkeeping Requirements

None

H. Implementing Documents

Other References

• Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Disposal of Chemicals, Section 3, Evaluating Hazards and Assessing Risks in the Laboratory, National Research Council, National Academy Press, 1995
• Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Disposal of Chemicals, Section 5.C.10, Responsibility for Unattended Experiments and Working Alone, National Research Council, National Academy Press, 1995

I. Contact Information

Work Alone SME
EHS Division

J. Revision History

DOCUMENT INFORMATION

Source Requirements Documents

10 CFR 851.21, Hazard Identification and Assessment