Remote or isolated work checker

Answer three questions about where and when someone works to see whether it is remote or isolated work, the duty that follows, and the controls to put in place.

Figures checked 5 November 2026. Free to use, no sign-in.

Victoria and Western Australia have their own Acts; the tool switches to them.

Is the worker isolated from help?

Any one of these can make it remote or isolated work.

Is help far away, or hard for emergency services to reach?
Is the worker on their own at times when help isn’t around (nights, weekends, early starts)?
If the worker were hurt or taken ill, could it go unnoticed (alone in a back room, cool room or plant area)?
Anything that makes an emergency more likely or more serious?

Remote or isolated work

On your answers

Likely remote or isolated work

You must manage the risks of remote or isolated work and provide a system of work that includes effective communication with the worker (r 48 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW)). The communication duty is not qualified by “reasonably practicable”: it must be provided.

Why

  • Location: help is far away or hard for emergency services to reach.

Controls to put in place

  • A means of contact that works where the worker is: mobile phone, two-way radio, satellite phone or personal locator beacon, with a backup where coverage is patchy.
  • Scheduled check-ins at set times, a named person who monitors them, and a written plan for what happens when a check-in is missed.
  • An emergency plan covering how the alarm is raised, who responds, and how emergency services find the exact location.
  • Training in the communication system, check-ins and emergency procedures before the work starts.

Legal test

Remote or isolated work is work that is isolated from the assistance of other people because of location, time or the nature of the work. Assistance includes rescue, medical help and emergency services.

Source: r 48 of the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2025 (NSW).

General information, not legal advice. The right controls depend on the work and the location.

How this works

The test: r 48 of the WHS Regulations defines remote or isolated work as work isolated from the assistance of other people because of location, time or the nature of the work. Any one of the three is enough. If you answer unsure, the tool asks you to check rather than assuming the work is isolated.

The duty: manage the risks using the hierarchy of controls, and provide a system of work that includes effective communication with the worker. Western Australia has the same rule. Victoria relies on the employer’s general duty in the OHS Act.

Controls: the list always includes a means of contact, scheduled check-ins, an emergency plan and training, with extra controls for the risks you tick.

Legal basis

Checked against these sources on 5 November 2026. Spotted a figure that looks wrong? Tell us.

Questions

Is working alone the same as remote or isolated work?

Not always. The test is whether the worker is isolated from help because of location, time or the nature of the work. A worker alone in a busy shopping centre during the day may not be isolated, while a two-person crew hours from a hospital can be.

What does effective communication mean?

A reliable way for the worker to call for help from where they actually are, such as a mobile phone with coverage, a two-way radio, a satellite phone or a personal locator beacon, backed by scheduled check-ins and a plan for when one is missed.

Is the communication duty only “so far as reasonably practicable”?

No. Under r 48(2) of the WHS Regulations, a PCBU must provide a system of work that includes effective communication with a remote or isolated worker. Other controls are judged by what is reasonably practicable.

What about Victoria?

Victoria’s OHS Regulations have no general remote work rule, but the employer’s duty under s 21 of the OHS Act to provide safe systems of work covers employees working alone or in isolation.

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Questions the calculator can’t answer?

Workfloor answers pay, award, leave and termination questions for your team, with the Fair Work Act section or award clause behind each answer.

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