Cinematic lone workers: 7 of the world’s best-known solo operators
It’s been a big month for cinema with several blockbusters hitting the big screen. As well as Barbie and Oppenheimer, IMF agent extraordinaire Ethan Hunt returns for the seventh (you read that right) instalment in the Mission Impossible saga.
While his team are never far away, it’s safe to say that Agent Hunt falls firmly – probably without a parachute – into the lone working bracket.
This got us thinking…who are some of the most well-known lone workers to have thrilled cinema-goers throughout the years? And what risks are they most likely to face? Spoiler alert – it’s mostly aggression and violence.
James Bond (007)
The iconic British secret agent from the James Bond film series is known for working alone on his missions. He’s a skilled spy and assassin who takes on various villains and threats without relying heavily on a team.
Lone worker solution needed? No, as he normally has some implant that feeds back every detail down to what he had for breakfast back to MI5 HQ.
Risks: Fire, explosion, loss of consciousness, asphyxiation, drowning, falls from a height, workplace violence, vehicle collision, exposure to hazardous substances.
Jason Bourne
From “The Bourne Identity” series, Jason Bourne is a highly trained and skilled assassin suffering from amnesia. He navigates through dangerous situations and international espionage on his own, relying on his instincts and combat abilities.
Lone worker solution needed? It would help if only he could find a manager to oversee the system who was actually on his side.
Risks: See above.
Lisbeth Salander
From “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series, Lisbeth Salander is a brilliant hacker and investigator who often operates independently to uncover dark secrets and solve complex mysteries.
Lone worker solution needed? Tech-savvy Lisbeth might be wary of tracking, but once she knows our system doesn’t track employees she might warm to the idea.
Risks: Loss of consciousness, workplace violence, cold stress.
The Man with No Name
Clint Eastwood’s iconic character in Sergio Leone’s “Dollars Trilogy” (“A Fistful of Dollars,” “For a Few Dollars More,” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”) is a lone gunslinger with no name, who roams the Wild West dealing with outlaws and bandits.
Lone worker solution needed? Alas, there was no GPS in 1870. Or phones. Or computers. Or Health and Safety Legislation.
Risks: Falls from a height, workplace violence, severe dehydration.
Driver
Ryan Gosling’s character in “Drive” is a skilled stuntman and getaway driver who becomes entangled in a dangerous criminal underworld, navigating the chaos on his own terms.
Lone worker solution needed? The GPS on our lone worker app and devices update every six seconds when an alarm is raised. Which is great for tracking a moving vehicle, but not so great for the driver who’s on the wrong side of the law.
Risks: Workplace violence, vehicle collision.
Ethan Hunt
In the “Mission: Impossible” film series, Ethan Hunt, portrayed by Tom Cruise, is a skilled IMF agent who frequently takes on high-stakes missions alone, relying on his resourcefulness and combat abilities.
Lone worker solution needed? It could fill in those gaps of radio silence from his team and their gadgets. Our fall detection feature certainly would be working hard.
Risks: See “James Bond”.
The Bride (Beatrix Kiddo)
In Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” films, Uma Thurman portrays a former assassin seeking revenge on her former team, taking on her enemies alone with deadly precision.
Lone worker solution needed? For the people on her “hitlist”? Sure; they need all the help they can get!
Risks: Workplace violence.
Risks facing these well-known lone workers
All the above lone workers face a multitude of dangers in their work, and if they have a manager, they would almost certainly be investigated by the HSE for not carrying out a risk assessment and putting adequate control measures in place.
The other great danger is the level of complacency and cavalier attitude to their safety. Remember, lone workers have an obligation under health and safety legislation too!
Protect your own lone working super stars!
If you’ve got team members who could benefit from a fast, simple and reliable way to call for help, while you have visibility on alerts raised, get in touch to find out more about our lone worker solution at Pick Protection.