An established pharmaceutical company with a leading position in the development of plant-derived cannabinoid therapeutics, has enlisted ANT Telecom to increase lone worker communication after conducting a lone worker risk assessment.
ANT Telecom has been working the company since 2014 and initially provided an IP DECT system that included radio bases, DECT phones and DECT ruggedised handsets for lone working, to improve communication and efficiency within the response times to incidents. Lone workers are often between locations on site and frequently work in hazardous environments that can include being exposed to substances that may put them at risk. Whilst there are a number of safety procedures in place, ANT Telecom’s solution is enabling employees to feel even safer within the workplace and confident that processes are in place if a safety issue arises.
After deploying ANT Telecom’s solution and seeing instant results – not just for its lone workers but also other members of staff who are using the devices for general communication, the pharmaceutical company is now upgrading its system further by adding location beacons. Although the current solution is able to locate lone workers to an approximate area of the site, it wasn’t always clear if a member of staff was inside or outside a building when an alarm was raised. This meant teams could be looking in the wrong place, therefore taking considerably longer to locate the injured party. Installing location beacons in specific areas will provide greater location accuracy and ensure response teams can locate the building (inside or out) where a man-down alarm has been raised.
ANT Telecom will be working closely with its client and by adding these, it can accurately detail where the lone worker is located within a specific building or room, depending on the number of beacons utilised and the accuracy the customer requires.
Niall Roberts at ANT Telecom comments: “We’ve received initial feedback from the customer that around 50 employees use at least one of the handsets, meaning that the system is in use for general communications for the majority of the time and it has improved communications around the site. In addition, the handsets are compact and lightweight to carry, with users able to quickly and easily reach each other.
Klaus Allion, Managing Director at ANT Telecom adds: “We’re really excited to be working with a pharmaceutical company as it expands its duty of care towards its employees, and continues to go further to improve health and safety for its lone workers. After the successful roll out of its first system, this upgrade will give the business a better overview of where its workforce is and puts the minds of all lone workers at ease, knowing that if an alarm is activated, the response time is minimal and those responding to that alarm will be able to locate the worker in distress with great accuracy.”
