Seasoned pumpers may recall the “good old days” of going out on service calls, heading out to a rural location with an address scrawled on a slip of paper and very little additional customer information. If you’d visited this isolated location before, you might recall if the homeowner was going to be around during the day, whether there would be big dogs on the loose, or the condition of the driveway to support your vacuum truck. Or you’d be going in blind.

Being a lone worker 40 years ago was truly lonely. Pumpers faced workplace dangers at every turn during a call from irate customers and protective hounds to potential injury while digging up tanks and horsing around concrete manhole covers to equipment failure that could leave you stranded. And when something bad happened, there was often no way to let the crew back at the office know about it.

So much has changed for one worker/one truck septic service technicians over the years with radio communications, cellphone and computer technology that has made the work safer and more efficient. But there is still a lot to be done to harness available technologies to further reduce the likelihood of workplace injury or death. Communication needs to be more reliable, faster and right at hand for pumpers who still often work alone in the field.

And August, at the height of the busy season, is a great time to review how pumpers can best utilize the latest technologies to measure safety risks and report emergencies quicker to reduce preventable injuries when running a service route. 

ELIMINATE FATALITIES

The nonprofit National Safety Council, through its Work to Zero initiative, is educating employers about how to bring more technology into your trucks and to carry with you on the job site. The group is also recommending companies large and small implement a lone worker safety policy to slow the number of preventable worker injuries and deaths. Its goal is to eliminate workplace fatalities by 2050 through use of emerging technologies.

Consider these statistics from the NSC:

• Preventable injury is the fourth leading cause of death. Preventable deaths increased 16% in 2020, for a total of 200,995.
• An American is accidentally injured every second, and killed every three minutes by a preventable death, including any number of workplace mishaps.
• An average of 552 people die daily after suffering preventable injuries.
• 23% of all workplace homicides between 2011 and 2020 involved lone workers.

“A lot of risks lone workers face are going to happen to people doing similar roles or have similar responsibilities. The difference is that working alone increases the chance of severity of workplace accidents,” says Kenna Carlsen, a Work to Zero research associate for the NSC. “Because there isn’t another colleague around or a supervisor, they may not be able to reach help, or if they can there is going to be that sort of delayed response.”

That’s where keeping up with communications technology for lone workers comes into play.

Carlsen says that at minimum these workers should be provided with a cellphone or another push-to-talk device and a plan for constant check-ins with others at the company. But you have to make sure to make sure any communication device is going to work when it’s needed most. “I know there are a lot of locations where these remote workers are in dead zones for cellphones and they may not have reception,” Carlsen says.

MANY CHOICES

“One of the benefits of lone worker technologies is that it can be as simple or complex as an employer needs. For employers seeking low-cost options, even applications on their phones can serve as a lone worker monitoring device,” she continues.

But there are is a greater array of more sophisticated monitoring devices pumpers might want to consider for fieldworkers. Carlsen mentions wearable panic buttons for uniforms so workers are always in reach of an emergency warning device. Personal GPS devices can give a constant location of every worker in the field. Other digital devices can track a worker’s vital signs such as heart rate, monitor exposure to toxic gases while working in confined spaces, or track risk of heat stress for those working outdoors in the summer.

“If they’re interested in these types of technologies, it’s about assessing what resources they have available and really looking into some of these capabilities,” Carlsen says. “It’s really about doing a thorough risk assessment of what lone workers are facing in the field and then tailoring your resources and needs to that.”

We know there are many job site risks for pumpers. Hauling hose and lids, jumping up and down from the truck can result in back injury. Slips, trips and falls are common on work sites. You have to keep your head on a swivel at all times when working around excavation equipment. In addition Carlsen points to workplace violence as a rising danger to lone workers.

“Customer-on-worker violence does happen and what the evidence points to is that the risk is highest for workers when they need to confront a customer about something more difficult, … when they have to say ‘no.’ If a customer has made multiple complaints, that can increase the risk of a situation getting out of hand,” she says. “We recommend in that case that workers go through some sort of de-escalation training so they can remove themselves from that situation.”

GUN POLICIES

When talking about violence in the workplace these days, it’s important to discuss the role firearms may play. Carlsen said the topic of lone workers carrying firearms for protection is controversial, but every company should determine if they need a policy to cover this possibility. Some pumpers concealed carry on the job, and the NSC says the decision to allow that practice should be left up to the company and state laws.

That said, the NSC position/policy statement on firearms stresses the risk of workplace homicides rises when companies allow workers to keep firearms. That comes from a study in the American Journal of Public Health, which says company policies prohibiting open and concealed carry can help prevent injury and death. The statement also says that right-to-carry laws are associated with a 29% higher rate of firearm workplace homicide.

Additionally, the position statement recognizes the potential benefits of allowing workers to carry firearms. It says that national surveys “suggest that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals. … Defensive uses of guns have consistently lower injury rates among gun-using crime victims compared with victims who used other self-protection strategies.

“NSC takes the position that it is the employer’s right to decide, but what is important to note is that if an employer does not allow concealed carry they make sure they are clearly communicating that,” Carlsen says. “Make sure they’re mindful of their state laws surrounding concealed carry and that what they’re telling their lone workers aligns with the company policy.”

YOUR LONE WORKER POLICY

In addition to being clear on the policy with lone workers, Carlsen says companies must post clear signage at all entry points if they don’t allow firearms at the premises. This is just one part of a comprehensive lone worker safety policy. A policy should include a list of responsibilities for all personnel including:

Employees must:

• Notify a designated person when they will be working alone.
• Provide information on their location, when they expect work to be completed and where they will go after completing work.
• Assess risks before beginning to work alone and coordinate this assessment with supervisors.
• Wear personal connected safety devices at all times.
• Inform supervisors or managers of changes in these devices, phone numbers or personal emergency contacts.

Managers/supervisors must:

• Name a person or team of people responsible for ensuring connected safety devices are charged after each shift and remain in good working order.
• Coordinate schedules for regular contact with lone workers.
• Ensure cellphones and personal connected safety devices are issued to appropriate workers.
• Review monthly device usage to make sure lone workers are adhering to policies.
• Investigate when a lone worker does not sign out as expected and verify the safety of the employee.

Some of the lone worker safety procedures to cover in the policy are: routinely assessing for new hazards, summoning assistance in case of emergency, evacuating a hazardous environment, required safety technology and personal protective equipment, or PPE.

It’s important to stress that lone worker communication needs to be top-of-mind.

“I think a big part of that is communicating with the employees so they understand why they now need to carry that extra device,” Carlsen says. “When employees understand the purpose behind it, they are more likely to use the devices correctly.”

OTHER BENEFITS

There are a few additional benefits to implementing a lone worker safety policy. The effort can help reduce liability issues for employers in case of accidents or violence. Carlsen says while there are no specific regulations around lone workers, the OSHA general duty clause can be used to cite employers who fail to protect lone workers. And some insurance companies work with companies that support initiatives.

And there is another overarching advantage.

“In a way, it shows (employers) care about the safety of their employees,” Carlsen says. “And when employers show they care, they can see improved morale, increased productivity, lower costs and fewer injuries.”