Man Down Alarm Devices

Whether it is working at height or for a job that involves sudden injury or illness, lone workers can find themselves incapacitated with no way to alert their team for help. This is where Man Down alarm systems can come in handy.

These devices are designed to detect movement or non-movement, launching an alert when pre-programmed settings are met. They can be sent to a trusted person or a monitoring centre.

Detection





Lone workers can be stranded or incapacitated at work for several reasons, from falling down stairs to being assaulted. While many lone worker safety measures such as buddy systems or call checks can help, Man Down alarms provide an additional layer of protection and the assurance that somebody will be alerted if a user stops moving.

With 53% of non-fatal injuries caused by falls, a Man Down alarm can prove crucial for anyone working alone away from a fixed work location. wearable panic button with gps This can include lone workers in client homes, construction zones or even on the road in their vehicle between sites.

Man Down Alarm Devices use a combination of sensor data to monitor and track movement, or lack of it. They are calibrated to detect a certain posture and can trigger an alert when configured according to the device settings. These alerts can be sent automatically to the lone worker’s trusted contacts and/or to ADT’s purpose-built Alarm Receiving Centre (BS: 8484:2016 accredited).

When an alarm is triggered, each of the lone worker’s contacts will receive a text and voice message on their mobile phone. Each contact can then decide whether or not to cancel the alert. If no action is taken within a short amount of time the device will activate and send a Man Down alert to ADT’s Alarm Receiving Centre who will be able to call the emergency services directly (rather than going through the standard 999 system). This speeds up the response process significantly and reduces the amount of time that could pass before a person needs assistance.

Countdown

The Man Down Alarm can generate a call for help using a built-in automatic fall detection alert within the device or by pressing the red button manually. It uses a social alarm base unit, which can operate independently of a landline and is ideal when work is carried out in remote locations or for extended periods of time.

Lone Workers can be left vulnerable even if their job isn’t considered “high risk” – accidents, sudden falls and other events can leave them incapacitated without the ability to get in touch with colleagues or contact emergency services. In addition to the obvious risks associated with working alone, medical conditions like heart problems or epilepsy may also leave workers vulnerable.

One of the most popular features available on the Tait TP9300 and TP9400 portable radios is the Man Down Alarm. This feature takes advantage of the accelerometer in the device to detect falls and other situations where a user is unable to speak or move. When paired with location services, this feature can even help dispatch know exactly where the worker is located, allowing for rapid response.

Depending on the type of radio, the Man Down Alarm can be configured to trigger an alert when a certain amount of time has passed since the last movement was detected or if the tilt sensor detects the device is at an angle greater than the pre-programmed threshold. This functionality helps to reduce the number of false alarms, which can cause a sense of frustration and detract from the effectiveness of the Man Down Alarm function.

Alerts

Lone workers often operate in hazardous environments such as a construction zone, an office or out in the field. Although they can be trained to spot potential fall hazards in their working area, it is not always practical or possible for them to remove themselves from danger. This is where man down alarms come in as they can alert someone else if an accident happens such as a fall.

A typical Man Down alarm can be triggered by a soft fall or if the device has not been moved for a predetermined amount of time. Depending on the model, the worker can use their smartphone to check-in with their supervisor confirming they are OK (avoiding false alarms). Some Blackline devices such as Loner offer true fall detection which means that it will not trigger a Man Down alert even if there has been a soft fall.

In the event of a Man Down alarm being triggered, a live response will be logged with the monitoring centre and if necessary the emergency services will be called out. SoloProtect’s BS: 8484:2016 accredited monitoring centre can bypass the 999 system and send an alarm directly to the relevant police force using a Unique Reference Number which can significantly reduce the response times to help save lives. This is a key feature that sets the Identicom product range apart from other competitors.

Automatic Response

Slips, trips and falls are the leading cause of workplace injury, but they’re not the only reason a lone worker might need to sound their alarm. Other reasons can include acts of violence (sadly, lone workers in some professions are at risk of being assaulted while they work), sudden illness or even road traffic accidents.

Many modern lone working devices are designed with Man Down functions in place to help reduce this type of risk for their users. These systems use sensors to check the status of a device user and send a signal to a monitoring centre if an accident happens.

Some of the more advanced lone worker devices are even capable of sending a man down alert automatically without the user ever having to press their panic button. If the lone worker hasn’t moved for around 25 seconds, the system will activate an emergency response – it could be the difference between life and death in some situations!

It’s important to make sure any lone working device your company is looking at has a Man Down function. Some basic lone worker devices don’t have this feature, which leaves vulnerable employees out of luck if they find themselves in an incident while they’re working alone. By using a Man Down solution, you can ensure that your most vulnerable employees are able to call for assistance if they fall or experience any other kind of critical incident while working on their own.