Lone Worker Safety Devices
Lone worker safety devices help employees who operate alone stay safe by providing an immediate line of communication with emergency response teams. They can also provide valuable data and reports, helping businesses proactively prevent accidents and improve their overall safety protocols.
Lone workers are often exposed to a wide variety of hazards and dangers. They might need to visit remote locations that aren’t served by cellular networks or work with dangerous machinery or materials. They may also be at risk of assault, violence or other physical harm. It’s essential for employers to protect their lone working employees as part of their duty of care.
The best way to determine if your team needs a lone worker device is by conducting a hazard assessment and risk analysis. This will highlight any areas that could be unsafe and allow you to make an informed decision about what kind of device is most suitable for your team.
A lone worker device can be as simple as a handheld panic button or as complex as an overarching lone worker management system that includes features like GPS tracking and automatic check-ins. Regardless of the type of device you choose, it should be simple to use and designed for hands-free operation so that employees can activate an alert in an emergency situation without having to fumble around with their phone or a keyboard.
Most lone worker devices have multiple alerting options, including a panic alarm, man down and no-motion alerts. These can be triggered manually, or automatically based on the settings you specify when you set up your device. For example, a no-motion alert is triggered when the device does not detect any movement from an employee after a certain time period – such as when they’re unconscious or unresponsive to touch. A man down alert is triggered when the device does not recognise any heartbeat or pulse rate from an employee.
Some lone worker safety devices will also send a text message to up to 10 contacts, with GPS coordinates, when an alert is triggered. The contacts will then be able to track the worker’s location and dispatch help accordingly.
Many lone worker safety devices have the capability to record video and audio, which can be helpful for legal matters or training purposes. Some devices will let you upload this footage to a cloud storage service, which is easy for managers to access when reviewing the safety data of their teams.
Whether you opt for a standalone device or an overarching management solution, you should always choose a lone worker safety device that is compliant with the laws of your jurisdiction. These will typically include regulations relating to the responsibilities of your organisation to keep its employees safe. You should also make sure that the device you choose can be easily customised to suit your team’s varying requirements. For example, if your team members are often required to operate outside of office hours, you may need to enable additional features such as an auto two-way voice communications for man down and no motion alerts or SoloProtect Chaperone, which is designed to reassure users that they’re not alone.
