Working alone can be a dangerous job. If something happens, who is there to help? How can you call for help? What if you lose consciousness or are unable to alert anyone that you have been hurt? It’s can be a scary job, which is why your company needs a lone worker alarm system in place to maximise safety and to show your employees that you care about them. These systems can also protect your company from any liability that may come from negligence.
What is a Lone Worker?
If you’re wondering what a lone worker is, they are defined as anyone who regularly works alone, without contact from another employee or supervision. This causes these workers to be exposed to a much greater risk than employees who work in close proximity with other employees. A detailed description of the range of these workers includes:
-
Employees who regularly work out of sight of others.
-
Contractors working on remote locations.
-
People who work outside of normal hours of operation who often work alone (think security workers, janitors, etc.).
-
Forestry and agricultural workers who may be far away from others when on site.
-
Maintenance workers who come in and take care of problems (especially when other employees aren’t used to seeing them).
-
Self-employed workers who occasionally visit your work site.
Why Does Your Company Need an Alarm System?
While you may pride yourself on the safety of your company and the working habits of your employees, you can never be 100% when it comes to lone workers. They work outside of the field of view of others and at any time are prone to accidents. Even with the utmost preventative care, accidents happen. An employee could have a heart attack, fall unconscious, or misuse equipment at any time. As much as you hope that this never happens to you, hope is not enough. Companies need lone worker alarm systems in place so that they can respond fast enough to save lives. With these types of accidents, the time it takes to respond could be a matter of life or death. These systems also help to prevent liability claims to your company due to any damages or accidents that occur due to negligence.
There are many different types of alarm systems available and picking the right one for your company just depends on your companies wants and needs. There are pros and cons to every type of alarm system, and therefore it's important to research them thoroughly beforehand and getting a demo of it before purchasing it.
How do Lone Worker Alarm Systems Work?
Lone worker alarm systems have two elements to them: the device a worker uses to trigger the alarm message and a system that distributes that alarm to the responsible helper. And there are many different types of alarm systems, which allow your company to choose what works best for them. Some aspects of the systems include:
-
Panic alarms: the button used to trigger an alert when an accident occurs.
-
Man down alarms: if the user is unconscious, this sensor will automatically trigger an alarm using horizontal no-motion sensors.
-
Pre-alarm: before the “man down” alarm is triggered this activates a headset warning to the user to prevent false alarms.
-
Voice: two-way voice communication is used to ensure that the lone worker can always reach someone.
-
Location: GPS or beacon co-ordinates help to alert other employees of the location of the lone worker.
Different Kinds of Lone Worker Alarms
With today’s technology companies now have an almost unlimited amount of options. You want to find something that works best for your employees in your company and something that will be easy enough to use hassle free. The key is finding the right alarm system based on what your lone workers do. There are tons of options to choose from such as:
-
Smart phones with Lone Worker Apps – needs mobile coverage
-
Mobile Lone Worker Devices (GSM) – needs mobile coverage
-
Digital Mobile Radio (DMR)
-
IP Dect Systems
-
Private Mobile Networks
-
VoWiFi
Each of these systems operates different and depends on whether or not a lone worker will be in an area with mobile coverage. It may be best to engage with a specialist telecommunication expert to work with you to identify what platform is the right one for your environment and team. Make sure that the speciality you hire to assist you though has an expertise in all the different platforms and solutions, as they will then be able to better advise you on the right system for you.
While there are many different types of lone worker alarm systems, the fact remains the same: your company needs one in place. In this day and age it has never been more important for employers to check in on their team and to make sure that their lone workers are safe. With the ever-growing work in remote and isolated environments, these alarm systems are the only way to ensure that workers are safe and accessible at all times. Your company has a duty to your employees to make sure that they are confident about their safety so that they can focus on their tasks at hand. With each alarm system, companies also need to make sure that they understand the best and most efficient way to respond to calls when an accident occurs. Remember, time matters, safety matters, and your employees matter.
