Remote work might be routine for your business: employees get their assignments, head to job sites, and finish their tasks. But distance from the main office can magnify problems - some easily solved, others posing serious risks to your company and staff.

When sending workers to high-risk locations, it’s vital to understand the dangers and how to prepare. Here are key threats remote workers may face and ways to protect them.

1. Isolation: understanding the risks of remote job sites

The greatest danger presented by remote, high-risk locations is distance and isolation. Many job sites are situated outside of populated areas, leaving your workers at risk in emergency situations. People in remote areas, specifically remote job sites, are twice as likely to require hospitalisation due to an injury. The combination of this heightened dangers and the implications of isolation put your workers at risk. While at remote job sites, do all you can to monitor and support your employees. Use safety devices to allow two-way communication, location tracking, and emergency alerts for all situations.

2. Reliable communication: a lifeline for high-risk work

Communication is the highest priority in a high-risk job. Make sure your workers have the ability and properly maintained equipment to check in with your main office throughout the project. By using personal safety devices in your workforce, you can monitor and protect your workers when they are out of the office. Alarm buttons and man-down, fall, or inactivity features will alert your office when your employees are under duress. With the timed check-in feature, you can continuously monitor your employees' well-being, even outside of cellular reception. With or without these devices, it is most important to make sure your workers can contact local emergency services quickly and efficiently, no matter the situation.

3. Assessing workplace conditions: ensuring compliance and support

When you send employees to any job site, you are trusting that your client maintains a safe work environment. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case and unsafe work conditions become infinitely more dangerous in a remote location. To ensure your workers' safety, do your own job site inspection before starting any work. Check for safety regulation compliance and available support. Give your employees the tools and environment they need to safely complete the work and return home unharmed.

4. Preparing for emergencies

Emergencies happen all the time. Whether it's a workplace accident or dangerous weather conditions, your workers need to be prepared for any situation. If the job requires long hours in dangerous heat, is there a place for your employee to cool down and plenty of water for hydration? Do your workers need to worry about dangerous local wildlife? Will your employee have ample warning of incoming weather and a safe place to shelter nearby? Address these potential situations before the project begins and give your worker the knowledge and equipment to handle any issues that occur.

5. Navigating travel risks: safeguarding remote journeys

As your employees travel through remote areas, they are at increased risk for accidents and injuries, with 46% of all fatal road crashes and 48% of accident fatalities occurring in rural areas. Poor road maintenance, mechanical failures, collisions, and bad weather can also create dangerous driving conditions. To increase driver safety, use location tracking, emergency alerts, and open communication to help your employees avoid poor routes and get them the help they need in an emergency.