A medical emergency in isolation is a catastrophe, not a risk factor.
In Australia and New Zealand, the question isn’t whether a pregnant employee or someone with epilepsy can work alone, but whether you have eliminated or minimised the risk of them being unreachable during a crisis. Under the WHS Act 2011 (AU) and HSWA 2015 (NZ), failing to account for an individual’s specific vulnerabilities is a failure of your duty of care.
Vulnerability is a mandatory part of your risk assessment
Australian and New Zealand law requires PCBUs and employers to consider the specific characteristics and competencies of every lone worker. Pregnancy and medical conditions like epilepsy are explicitly identified as factors that can make a worker more vulnerable to risk. You are legally obligated to identify these hazards and implement controls that ensure the worker is not left in a position where help is inaccessible.
A policy document cannot trigger an emergency response
What we consistently see across our client engagements is a reliance on “check-in” policies or a Mobile Phone App that fails the moment a worker enters a no-coverage zone. For a worker with epilepsy, a seizure renders them unable to manually call for help, making a standard phone or a PLB—which requires manual activation—completely useless. This gap between a paper policy and real-world capability is where your greatest liability sits.
Protection that works when the worker cannot
Genuine protection requires technology that doesn’t rely on a conscious worker to raise the alarm. This means deploying cellular or satellite devices equipped with No-Motion Alerts to detect inactivity and trigger an automatic SOS. These alerts must be connected to a professional, 24/7 monitoring centre, not a customer service desk or a supervisor’s mobile phone.
Guardian Angel Safety: Turning Policy Into Real Protection
For over 12 years, we have helped organisations across Australia and New Zealand convert compliance obligations into life-saving infrastructure. By integrating satellite-connected devices with professional 24/7 monitoring, we ensure that no matter the medical condition or the location, your workers are never truly alone. We focus on the outcome: getting help to the worker before it’s too late.
Content prepared by Guardian Angel Safety — lone and remote worker protection across Australia and New Zealand.