Integration of Lone Worker Panic Buttons With Other Safety Measures

For many lone workers, especially those working in remote or isolated environments, a panic button can be life saving. In fact, in some countries, maintaining regular contact and emergency procedures is a legal duty of care.

Panic buttons go by many names: duress alarms, SOS alarms or personal alarms, but they do one thing: trigger an alert to the monitoring center.

Integration with Other Safety Measures

Lone worker safety devices are a must-have for any workplace that regularly sends employees out on their own. They allow workers, like housekeepers and hotel staff, to instantly call for help. These wearable panic buttons work over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and can be activated with a click or a swipe of the screen. They are especially useful for industries like hospitality and healthcare, where lone workers may encounter potentially dangerous or threatening behavior from guests, patients or other staff.

Whether or not legislation requires employers to provide their lone working staff with panic buttons, they do have a legal duty of care to make sure their employees are safe at all times, including when they are away from the office. These devices provide a safety net for employees who might otherwise be vulnerable, such as those working alone as social workers, in juvenile detention or making home visits.

A lone worker device with panic button functionality can also incorporate other features that are designed to increase security. These can include timed sessions, the ability to set a duress PIN in case of a physical attack and motion sensors that alert supervisors when someone trips or falls over. These features can also help prevent false alarms by reminding employees to manually check-in, ideally at regular intervals and to keep their devices charged up to avoid dead spots.

Time-Based Check-Ins

Many employers are concerned about whether they should provide lone workers with personal safety devices. While it is important to carry out a risk assessment and provide staff with the relevant PPE, training programs and health and safety policies, it's also essential that companies put in place measures that will ensure staff can get help quickly in an emergency situation. This is where a device like a lone worker panic button or alarm comes in.

The best lone worker panic buttons are easy to use and can connect to a monitoring service that can immediately alert colleagues, first responders or the emergency services. They can be activated manually or automatically, depending on the individual's needs and preferences. For example, a lone worker alarm device that connects to GPS will be able to provide colleagues or security with an accurate location of the employee in real-time. This can be particularly useful in isolated areas where WIFI or cellular coverage is not available.

Some cities and states have passed laws requiring that hotel, healthcare or other companies that require employees to operate alone provide them with personal alarm panic buttons. This is intended to prevent the kind of workplace violence that occurs in hospitals and hotels where staff are likely to encounter threatening or aggressive behavior. These devices allow hotel or healthcare workers to summon assistance without leaving the scene.

Incapacitation Alerts

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has no nationwide standards for panic buttons, but many organizations use them in combination with other safety measures to protect employees who work alone. OSHA does offer guidance documents and citations that reference them, but the guidance does not create any new legal obligations for employers.

Employees in remote industries such as healthcare, social services and care providers, construction, retail, and hotel workers need access to a way to call for help when they are working alone. Lone worker alarms allow employees to signal for help from a discreet device or mobile app, even in areas with no cell or WiFi service, such as stairwells or elevators.

personal safety gps trackers Lone worker apps and devices integrate with a central monitoring system to send alerts for duress, man-down/fall detection, and check-in failures. They also provide GPS tracking capabilities to instantly notify the monitoring center of the worker's location. The monitoring center will verify the duress alert and dispatch assistance based on the employer's safety policies.

Managers can access this data from the online ConnectMe management portal, which gives real-time updates for each device and employee. This is a convenient way for managers to view the status of each lone worker device and to take immediate action when necessary. Employees can also track their progress toward their safety goals through the online dashboard, which displays live alerts and activity data for each device.





Monitoring

In addition to the panic button, many lone worker devices will also have other functionality that can help protect employees in an emergency situation. These include duress alarms, man-down alarms and discreet panic alarms. These alarms can be used when a worker is confronted by a potentially threatening person or in the event of a medical emergency such as a fall or stroke. They alert security and/or management to the situation, without making a noise that may aggravate an assailant.

These devices work over Bluetooth and WIFI and are ideal for workers like housekeepers who move between rooms all day or are prone to trips and falls. They can be triggered to send an instant alert to management, even when no check-in has been made. They can also offer GPS tracking capability, helping responders locate the employee as quickly as possible.

Providing employees with a device that can be accessed at any time removes one of the most dangerous aspects of lone working, which is an inability to summon help or make contact. As part of a risk assessment, it is a good idea to consult your mobile workforce and ask them whether they would feel safer with a safety device. Taking this approach can help to improve morale and increase employee retention. It can also demonstrate that the company’s commitment to employees’ safety is a priority.