Whitecap Resources is one of Canada's largest light oil and condensate producers. Based in Calgary, the company runs a broad asset base across Alberta and Saskatchewan, from the Montney and Duvernay plays in Alberta to its light oil holdings in Saskatchewan. Much of that work happens in the field, at wells, gas plants, and sites spread across wide rural areas. Keeping it all running takes hundreds of people, and many of them work alone, often far from the nearest coworker.
Whitecap is the company formerly known as Crescent Point Energy. Crescent Point became Veren Inc. in May 2024, and Veren combined with Whitecap in May 2025. This program has continued through those changes.
It is estimated that 25 million employees across North America work alone. Some of these workers travel to remote locations to monitor or maintain equipment, however, not all lone workers are remote workers. Who are considered lone workers? In many jurisdictions around the world, a person is “alone” at work when they are on their own, or when they cannot be seen or heard by another co-worker. Everyday examples include long haul transport drivers, security guards, social workers, and service/repair workers.
The challenge for employers is how to keep these mobile employees safe while on the job. The need for employers to do a better job of protecting lone workers is real and urgent. In fact, up to 5,000 workers are killed on the job each year in North America. That’s more than 90 workers every week, upwards of 13 deaths every day. Employers have a moral responsibility to keep workers safe while also complying with legislation specifically aimed at protecting these workers and keeping their business running smoothly.
One of Whitecap’s strengths is having a data-driven culture. This principle informs their safety program as well. When health and safety advisors looked for new ways to monitor lone workers, they chose a data-driven solution that helps workers stay safe by providing automated insights. For at-risk workers in the field, Crescent Point deployed Aware360’s SafetyAware. The app-based system uses smart phones and satellite devices, along with web-based monitoring, to support lone workers. SafetyAware supports lone-worker safety legislation while keeping workers and managers productive, providing 24/7/365 live response services to help workers in emergencies. If an employee fails to check in, the system automatically shows any hazard or other alerts the employee used, as well as their last known location.
Implementing SafetyAware allowed Whitecap to monitor their employees in real-time, and reinforced their safety culture, on and off the clock. Supervisors and health-and-safety advisors now face potential emergencies with more insight, as well as assess overall safety with reporting that summarizes activity and usage.
In Saskatchewan, for example, a young man and his father were trapped by a wildfire. The SafetyAware solution not only alerted emergency services but also provided the pair’s location so they could be found. In the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, an employee of Whitecap Resources was traveling with her partner when a landslide swept them off the highway. Although the worker was off duty, the SafetyAware app on her phone was not. The woman used the SafetyAware application on her work phone to send a message that alerted emergency services.