Where's My Supervisor?

If you are a co-op student at a placement, your Workplace Education Agreement (WEA) explicitly states that you should never be left alone. 

During your placement hours, you must be in the same physical building or area as:

• Your direct supervisor, or

• Another employee (not a co-op student or intern) that has been designated by your supervisor to help supervise you

If you find yourself at your co-op placement with neither your supervisor nor a designated employee, you must report this to your co-op teacher immediately. 

For general workers, working alone is also a risk. The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) requires that employers take "reasonable precautions" to protect workers that are working alone. If you are the only employee at a workplace, your employer must conduct hazard assessments, create check-in procedures, and provide training to prevent injury  and to ensure that injuries can be reported.