FACTS

1. Many workers in factories, plants, and warehouses can find themselves working alone, even if it usually isn’t considered part of their normal duties.
2. There can be times where employees may need to work unsupervised or without assistance, to meet demands in the fast-paced industry.
3. Many employers fall short in providing a solution to employees working alone. The root cause can be summed up to managers not understanding the countless challenges their employees face while performing their job duties.
4. Verbal assault is the most common form of assault that lone workers experience across all industries.
5. Lone workers who enter private homes throughout their work day have a greater risk of being exposed to many different forms of assault including sexual harassment. The assault does not have to be the home healthcare worker’s client but might be another individual occupying the home during the time of the visit.

STATS

• There are 53 million lone workers in the United States, Canada, and Europe combined. To put that statistic into perspective, it represents about 15% of the overall workforce.
• 44% of workers say they face personal safety issues in their primary employment practices.
• OSHA states that 48% more assaults occur in the healthcare and social services industries more than any other.
• 62% of social workers have been subject to psychological aggression in the past year, with 86% experiencing this at some point in their careers.
• 15% of social workers have been physically assaulted by clients in the past year, with 30% having experienced this at some point in their career.
• Employee turnover rate is as high as 75% among home healthcare workers.
• 50% of retail workers who are killed are employed alone at late-night establishments, such as liquor stores or gas stations.