Newfoundland and Labrador Working Alone Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: Workplace safety law in Newfoundland and Labrador

Workplace safety in Newfoundland and Labrador is set by the Occupational Health and Safety Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, 2012. The Act is enforced by the provincial government's Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Division and its officers. WorkplaceNL (the Workplace Health, Safety and Compensation Commission) runs workers' compensation and sets standards for safety training.

Basic duties

• The employer must give workers the information, training and supervision they need to work safely (Act, s. 5).
• Workers must take reasonable care to protect their own health and safety and that of others (Act, s. 6).
• Workers must follow the safe work procedures they were taught and report hazards to the employer or supervisor right away (Regulations, s. 17).

WorkplaceNL's OHS guide lists security guards as an example of workers who often work alone. Night shifts, empty buildings and remote sites all add risk.

Lesson 2: The working alone rule (section 15)

Newfoundland and Labrador has a specific working alone rule in section 15 of the OHS Regulations, 2012. To work alone or in isolation means to work where help would not be readily available if there is an emergency or if the worker is injured or becomes ill (s. 15(1)).

The regulation does not set one fixed check-in time for every job. The interval goes in the written procedure and should match the risks found in the assessment. Under the OHS First Aid Regulations, an employer must provide an effective means of checking on lone workers at intervals satisfactory to an officer (s. 12), and must make sure a lone worker holds a valid emergency first aid certificate where reasonable or where an officer requires it (s. 4(3)).

Your check-in checklist

• Know the interval, the designated person and the backup contact.
• Test your radio or phone at the start of every shift.
• Know what happens if you miss a check-in, and who calls 911.
• Report dead zones, broken lights and other hazards right away.

Lesson 3: Workplace violence and harassment

Under section 22 of the regulations, violence means the attempted or actual use of physical force to injure a worker. It also includes threatening statements or behaviour that give a worker reason to believe they are at risk of injury.

• Risk assessment (s. 22.1): the employer looks at past incidents, similar workplaces, the location and circumstances of the work, and concerns raised by the committee or representative.
• Controls (s. 23): where there is a risk of violence, the employer sets procedures, policies and work arrangements to eliminate it, or minimize it if it cannot be eliminated.
• Family violence (s. 23): if the employer knows, or ought to know, that family violence likely to cause injury may happen at work, it must take every reasonable precaution.
• Informing workers (s. 24): workers must be told about the risk and the precautions, including information about people with a history of violent behaviour they are likely to meet.

Harassment

Workplace harassment is inappropriate, vexatious conduct or comment toward a worker that the person knew or ought to have known would humiliate, offend or intimidate them (s. 22(2)). Reasonable action by an employer or supervisor to manage and direct work is not harassment (s. 22(4)).

Every employer must have a written harassment prevention plan (s. 24.1). It must say every worker is entitled to work free of harassment, explain how to report and how complaints are investigated, give a route to an external third party if the employer or supervisor is the alleged harasser, and protect workers from retaliation. The plan must be available to all workers and reviewed at least once a year. The employer must investigate complaints and train employees on the plan (s. 24.2).

Lesson 4: Your three rights and the right to refuse

Workers in Newfoundland and Labrador have the right to know about hazards, the right to participate in health and safety, and the right to refuse dangerous work.

How a work refusal works

1. You may refuse work you have reasonable grounds to believe is dangerous to your health or safety, or to another worker or person at the workplace (Act, s. 45(1)).
2. Report the exact problem to your supervisor right away (s. 46). If it is fixed to your satisfaction, go back to work.
3. If not, the OHS committee or worker health and safety representative investigates.
4. If it is still not resolved, report it to the OHS Division or an officer (s. 47). An officer investigates and advises whether to return to work.

During a refusal, the employer may give you reasonably equivalent work, and you must accept it. You keep the same wages and benefits whether or not you are reassigned (s. 45(2) to (4)). An employer or union must not dismiss, discipline or cut the pay of a worker for a reasonable refusal (s. 49). The right must not be misused without reasonable grounds (s. 48).

Committees and representatives

Lesson 5: Reporting injuries and serious incidents

The OHS Division runs a 24-hour line for reporting serious accidents: 709-729-4444. A death must also be reported in writing within 5 days, and a serious injury within 3 days (Regulations, s. 10).

As a guard, your job after an incident is to get help, keep people safe, protect the scene if it is safe, and give your supervisor a full, accurate report. Your notes may be used by the employer, WorkplaceNL and OHS officers.