Remote or isolated work

Information for employers and workers about managing the risk of remote or isolated work.

What is remote or isolated work?

When you work remotely or in isolation, you are unable to get immediate attention from rescue, medical or emergency services, due to the location, time or nature of work being done.

Workers can experience extra safety risks if nobody is around to help with difficult tasks. Another worker can let you know about hazards or provide information or instructions about how to do a task safely. They can also notice if you are fatigued or making mistakes.

Examples of remote and isolated work include:

  • where there is limited access to other people
  • workers experience issues with communication or technology to get physical and emotional support, if required
  • working from home
  • travelling long distances
  • workplaces where exit and entry to locations takes a long time such as gaols
  • working alone, for example farmers or scientists
  • working in other peoples’ homes for example in health and community care.

Remote and isolated work isn’t always easy to spot. For example, a cleaner working at night in a city office is considered an isolated worker, even if people may be close by outside. Remote and isolated work can also impact work groups. For example, a hundred workers in a base camp far away from cities and towns.

Risks related to remote or isolated work

Workers who work remotely or in isolated conditions may experience physical and psychological harm. Potential risks include:

  • exposure to violence and aggression from members of the public
  • poor access to emergency assistance
  • emotional and cognitive reactions such as feeling lonely, fearful or unsupported, which result in increased stress
  • burnout, fatigue and depression
  • low morale, poor teamwork and disengagement
  • behavioural changes such as withdrawal from work activities and performance issues
  • exposure to environmental hazards such as extreme weather.

It can also have social and economic costs for workers, their family and the business.

How to manage the risks

Employers/PCBUs

Under work, health and safety (WHS) laws, a person conducting a business of undertaking (PCBU) must take proactive steps to prevent risks associated with remote and isolated work.

PCBUs have specific duties when managing risks related to remote and isolated work.  These include specific laws around managing the risks, providing a system of work that ensures effective communication with affected workers and managing these risks as a psychosocial hazard.

PCBUs must:

  • Eliminate health and safety risks at work. If PCBUs are unable to eliminate risks, they must be minimised so far as is reasonably practicable.
  • Manage the risks associated with remote and isolated work. This process involves consulting with workers to identify, manage, control, and review risks related to the hazard.
  • Identify and adopt effective control measures to manage risks to both physical and psychological harm.  All workplaces must have an emergency plan, including those who work remote or in isolation.

Remote and isolated work is identified as a hazard in the Managing psychosocial hazards at work code of practice. This guidance will help you meet your responsibilities under WHS laws in NSW.

Workers

While at work, workers must:

  • take reasonable care for their own psychological and physical health and safety
  • take reasonable care to make sure what they do, or don’t do, does not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons
  • comply with reasonable health and safety instructions, as far as they are reasonably able, and
  • cooperate with reasonable health and safety policies or procedures, for example, reporting hazards and workplace incidents.

Workers should report concerns to their employer if they experience harm related to remote and isolated work. This will ensure they get support and the PCBU can take action to address the risk.

If you have raised concerns about harmful workplace behaviour internally and no action is being taken, read our ‘Dealing with a psychological health and safety issue at work’ section for further assistance.

Examples of controls and actions

PCBUs must use the hierarchy of controls (PDF, 46.87 KB) and consider all relevant matters within Section 55D of the WHS Regulation 2025 when identifying appropriate control measures to eliminate and minimise the risk of remote or isolated work.

When choosing control measures, you must consider all hazards present and how they may interact and combine.

Examples of controls that can help minimise harm:

  • Relocate workers if it is reasonably practicable to do so.
  • Adopt automation practices for remote or isolated work. For example, instead of workers cleaning a city office alone at night, consider robotic vacuum and mopping systems, or use of drones and robotic crawlers to inspect pipelines and infrastructure in remote locations.
  • Design work so workers do not work alone. For example, use a buddy system, particularly where there is a risk of violence or high-risk shifts.
  • Consider the workplace layout and design to minimise risks. For example, separated areas to address violence and minimising undesirable access by using intercom systems.
  • Provide safe and suitable accommodation for remote workers who travel long distances, undertake seasonal remote work or FIFO/DIDO workers.
  • Ensure there is appropriate resources and monitoring systems in place when workers are working in isolation, in the community, or away from the workplace such as:
    • use of security guards and escorts for workers to their vehicles on night shifts
    • monitored CCTV and enhanced visibility
    • schedule periodic visits by supervisors to visually observe workers and provide appropriate support and assistance
    • use of communication devices and procedures to maintain regular contact between workers and supervisors
    • automatic warning devices that raise the alarm in an emergency
    • a ‘check-in’ at the beginning and ‘sign-off’ at the end of the working period
    • use satellite tracking systems or devices.
  • Provide workers with training in situational awareness and assessment of the safety of their work location before commencing duties. For example, when they are working in a client’s home or in the community.
  • Train workers in emergency plans, communication systems and processes when working remotely or in isolation.
  • Provide remote workers with first aid training and equipment specific to risks they may encounter while remote. For example, provision of a snake bite kit when working on farms.
  • Provide workers with personal duress alarms that activate in an emergency and also activated by a lack of worker activity.
  • Train workers in communication systems and processes when working remotely or in isolation.

Note: These are examples only. You must consult with workers to identify and implement control measures that eliminate or minimise the risks in your workplace, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Resources

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