Traveling Lone Worker
I have a fuel pump installer and maintainer service. They have 1 office centrally located in a region. They have 3 teams.
Team 1: Parts located at the central office.
Team 2: Install mostly touch base in central office every moring and work as team of 5.
Team 3: Service which are spread out and mostly work out of their home. They go from their home to the job site to do maintenance tasks like changing a part in a pump (electronic or hardware). They are lone workers 90% of the time.
Question 1: What first aid requirements/best practices are there for them?
I believe they fall under the construction std 1926.50 but i have also looked at 1910 subpart K and cant find anyhting that specifically states if they need a first aid kit or need to be first aid trained.
Question 2: Have you had to deal with cell phone 911 for a traveling worker who can go up to 4 sites in a day varying in length of drive?
Question 3: Do you have any best practices for them to inspect their vehicles everyday?
Question 4: Do you have them adhere to 1910.177? and how do you do this if they are filling up tires with are at a gas station of something?
Comments (5)
Regarding #1, if they are not within "near proximity" of a hospital, clinic, or infirmary (which is 3-4 minutes per an OSHA standard interpretation), you have to train at least one person in first aid, as well as provide adequate first aid supplies based on your internal hazard assessment of likely injuries/illnesses. See 1910.151(b) below (1926.50 is essentially identical to 1910.151).
1910.151(b)
In the absence of an infirmary, clinic, or hospital in near proximity to the workplace which is used for the treatment of all injured employees, a person or persons shall be adequately trained to render first aid. Adequate first aid supplies shall be readily available.
Can you elaborate more on #2?
On #3, it depends on how stringent you want to be. DOT, for example, requires a full vehicle inspection from front to back before each day's shift ("pre-trip inspection"). However, if you're not DOT-covered, you can "get away" with a lot less.
On #4, what kind of vehicles are you referring to? 1910.177 only applies to the big stuff, mainly commercial motor vehicles (CMVs with GVWR of >10,000 lbs.).
Train your people on FA/CPR, and provide ample supplies. If you want to move the ball forward a lot more than that, then I recommend that you check out an app names SHEQSY. They have an interesting system that can help alert you if your people are injured, off course for journey management, and they have a panic button too.
Design a pre and post trip to help track mileage, tires, maintenance needs, damage, etc… if you need one reply. I’m sure we have one in our ESHMS.