Protecting Workers Behind Closed Doors | The Unique Risks of In-Home Visits

Home Visiting Professionals

For hundreds of thousands of Canadian workers, entering someone’s home is just another part of the workday. Whether they are home care aides, social workers, utility technicians, real estate agents, inspectors, or tradespeople, these professionals deliver essential services in spaces that are often unfamiliar, unpredictable, and outside of employer control.

This article explores the unique risks faced by workers who perform home visits, why these hazards can be difficult to manage, and what employers can do to keep their staff safe.

The Complex Nature of In-Home Work

Every home is different—and so is every visit; from the layout and occupants to household rules and social dynamics, no two environments are the same. This variability makes the work inherently unpredictable.

Many workers performing home visits operate alone, with no immediate assistance or backup. They may encounter volatile individuals, unsafe conditions, or confrontational situations with little warning and no easy way to remove themselves safely.

The Main Categories of Risk

1. Violence and Aggression

Workers may face physical or verbal aggression from clients/patients or others in the home. Common risks include:

• Harassment, including sexual harassment
  
• Verbal abuse or intimidation
  
• Threats of violence
  
• Physical attacks (e.g., pushing, hitting, throwing objects)
  
• Sexual assault
  

2. Psychosocial Stress

Being alone in an unfamiliar or hostile environment takes a toll. Workers may experience:

• Anxiety or dread before visits
  
• Burnout or emotional exhaustion
  
• Post-traumatic stress after incidents or close calls
  

Who Is Most At-Risk?

Although all workers who perform home-visits are exposed to some degree of risk, certain demographics may be at greater risk than others:

• Young or inexperienced employees may feel pressured to complete a task even when they feel unsafe. They may not recognize early warning signs or know how to exit safely.
  
• Workers delivering difficult news—like child protection workers, probation officers, or inspectors—may face aggressive reactions from upset clients.
  
• Women, who make up a significant portion of the home care and social work sectors, experience higher rates of harassment and violence.
  
• Independent contractors, such as app-based delivery workers or cleaners, often lack access to formal safety training.
  
• Racialized or marginalized workers may be subjected to discriminatory or disrespectful treatment in clients’ homes.
  

Additionally, some workers must operate in higher-crime neighbourhoods where safety risks begin long before the front door. Yet few receive training on how to navigate these settings safely.

Why These Risks Are So Hard to Manage

Managing the safety of home-visit workers is uniquely challenging because:

1. Employers have limited control over the environments where work takes place.
   
2. Risks are often normalized, with some workplaces pushing employees to “get the job done” regardless of the situation.
   
3. Fear of retaliation can prevent workers from reporting unsafe conditions.
   
4. Specialized and effective training is difficult to find, especially programs that teach real-world skills for assessing risk, de-escalating aggression, and enhancing personal safety.
   

What Employers Can Do to Improve Safety

Home-visit work will always involve some level of risk, but employers can take meaningful steps to mitigate risk and support their teams.

1. Conduct Pre-Visit Risk Assessments

Develop formalized systems to assess worker safety before each home visit:

• Use checklists and client intake forms to flag potential hazards.
  
• Have supervisors conduct home assessments for new clients.
  
• Develop policies and procedures for managing potentially higher risk visits such as clients with a history of aggression, previous violent incidents, substance use, aggressive pets, delivery of negative news.

2. Provide Practical, Scenario-Based Training

Equip workers with meaningful training that includes:

• Situational awareness and threat level assessment
  
• Techniques for de-escalating client anger and hostility
  
• How to recognize escalating behaviours and serious warning signs of assault
  
• Safe disengagement strategies and use of physical barriers
  
• Two-person visit protocols
  
• Personal safety strategies for entering, navigating, and exiting homes
  
• Emergency response and reporting procedures
  

Training should be ongoing, regularly updated, and grounded in real-world examples.

3. Support the Right to Refuse Unsafe Work

Workers must feel empowered to decline work when they have reasonable cause to believe that the task puts them at risk.

Across Canada, every province and territory—along with federal legislation—guarantees employees the legal right to refuse unsafe work. While procedures may vary by jurisdiction, the core protections include:

• The obligation to report unsafe conditions immediately
  
• An employer’s duty to investigate the concern
  
• The right to remain in a safe area during the investigation
  
• Protection from retaliation
  

Make sure your workplace policies reflect and reinforce these rights.

4. Implement Work-Alone Safety Protocols

To support employees working independently:

• Use check-in systems (manual or app-based)
  
• Provide GPS-enabled safety devices or panic buttons
  
• Schedule check-in calls before and after appointments
  
• Require accompanied visits for high-risk situations
  

5. Foster a Culture of Safety and Accountability

Build an environment where worker safety is the top priority—not client convenience or productivity.

• Teach employees to set boundaries and assert themselves when faced with harassment or abuse.
  
• Follow up with clients who behave inappropriately and inform staff when action has been taken.
  
• Encourage consistent documentation of all incidents.
  
• Reinforce the importance of adhering to safety protocols and policies.
  
• Celebrate staff who make safe, informed decisions—even if it means not entering a home, or leaving a task incomplete if they feel endangered.
  

Legal and Regulatory Context

All jurisdictions in Canada include mobile and home-visit workers under provincial Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) laws. These include regulations surrounding workplace violence and harassment—whether the work is performed in an office, a facility, or someone’s home.

Final Thoughts: Prioritizing Safety Behind Closed Doors

Workers who perform home visits provide essential services that, in many cases, allow others to live with independence and support, but all too often, their own safety is overlooked.

Recognizing the distinct risks of in-home work—and taking proactive steps to mitigate them—is not just good policy. It’s a moral obligation.

Let’s ensure that safety isn’t restricted to traditional workspaces when it should follow workers into every home, every room, every hallway, and everywhere in between.

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