Automated Lone Worker Safety Check-ins via Smartphones: What Are the Benefits?
Table of Contents
What is a phone-based lone worker system?
What is a smartphone-based lone worker app?
What are the benefits of a smartphone-based lone worker app?
Why adopt a smartphone-based lone worker app?
What are the challenges?
What’s an automated lone worker system?
What are the benefits?
Why would you want an automated occupational safety system over a phone-based system?
What workers can be protected by an automated lone worker system?
Proactive safety and planning
As we continue to live in an increasingly technological world, it can be tricky navigating the mass of information and the number of options for worker safety, such as phone-based apps, safety tags, wearables, etc.
As you read further, you will learn about three common types of lone worker safety tools, hopefully making it easier for you to determine which system is best for your team and occupations' health and safety needs.
What is a phone-based lone worker system?
The first safety tool we will look at is the traditional phone-based lone worker system. Believe it or not, this was not the first type of lone worker protection system – it comes in a tight third, following the simple whiteboard and punch clock.
A phone-based lone worker system is a safety protocol that requires the lone worker to dial a monitor before, periodically during their shift manually, and after the completion of their shift. While not as cumbersome as its predecessors, a phone-based worker protection system still requires the lone worker to make contact and confirm their safety, and location verbally. This can be a challenge to implement, requiring some time for busy employees to make the check-ins a daily habit. Additionally, it can be an incredible pain point for it to be effective in emergency situations where the lone worker cannot make a call. In this case, when a worker misses their manual check-in, the emergency contacts or call center will follow up in accordance with your organization’s emergency response protocols and safety procedures.
Phone-based systems are mostly used manually and are at risk of human mistakes and oversight. There are a number of pros and cons of a manual lone worker safety system, however, the cons easily outweigh the benefits. As you will see, many more effective lone worker safety systems are available.
What is a smartphone-based lone worker app?
A smartphone-based lone worker app also uses a phone, but obviously not in the traditional dial-in method. It instead leverages software that can be downloaded onto smartphones, tablets, and desktops.
What are the benefits of a smartphone-based lone worker app?
The benefits of a lone worker app are many and significant, making a positive impact on the overall safety and well-being of your lone workers. With a product like SafetyLine, it has several features that can mitigate any health and safety challenges your lone workers may face regularly. These include:
Automated check-ins
Through its cloud-based system, SafetyLine users can easily check in at the beginning of their shift and at the end to confirm they are ok. When a lone worker does not check in at the scheduled time, the monitor will receive automated notifications about the worker’s status. If a worker does not check-in, a panic emergency will be signaled. A lone worker app is much easier to use and cheaper than phone-based safety check-ins as they do not require additional employees to monitor the lone workers.
Satellite and GPS location monitoring
By working with innovative satellite brands such as Garmin and Globalstar, SafetyLine can provide cutting-edge satellite tracking for its lone workers. If the lone worker has poor or no cell reception, SafetyLine can ensure the lone worker remains connected – as well as located – should an incident occur.
Motion features: fall detection
By using the motion sensors in your existing devices, SafetyLine will request immediate help when it detects a dangerous fall and impact. This feature will request notify the monitor that i lone worker is possibly injured or unconscious and unable to do so.
Bluetooth panic button
One of the most popular ways to request help in an emergency is via a panic button. While some panic buttons are available as separate devices, SafetyLine’s panic button is in-app and does not require an additional device to be carried by the worker.
Why adopt a smartphone-based lone worker app?
The specific need that a phone-based lone worker app satisfies is the legal and moral requirements for a dependable system that will monitor the safety of people working alone and remotely. It also has benefits, including:
Automation
Ease of use and adoption with lone working teams
Provides efficient, cost-effective automation for the safety of large teams
No need to purchase additional devices
Users are familiar with smartphone apps
An app like SafetyLine is not only phone-based but much, much more. Below is the long list of devices and systems that SafetyLine can protect lone workers from:
Telephone automated service (cellphones, landlines)
Apps for iOS and Android Smartphones (free download)
Windows desktop app (laptops, desktops)
Web browser app (laptops, desktops, smartphones, tablets)
SPOT Globalstar Satellite phone
inReach Garmin Satellite phone
What are the challenges?
The challenges of implementing a smartphone-based lone worker app are few and fairly minor. Automated lone worker systems require minimal training and technological expertise and can be implemented almost immediately.
Because so many workers use a range of devices and smartphones, it can be a challenge to find a lone worker app that everyone can use. However, the flexibility of SafetyLine allows every employee, regardless of device or operating system, to access its protective safety features.
What’s an automated lone worker system?
Automated lone worker systems do not rely on human attention to confirm a lone worker’s safety. The monitor will receive automated notifications about the lone worker’s status, particularly when the lone worker does not check-in and an emergency is signaled. An automated system relies less on your employees, reducing the risk of human error and negligence.
What are the benefits?
Automated lone worker systems do not rely on the manual act of dialing in or calling in to check in before, during, and after a shift or calling to request help in an emergency. The automated element of these systems will request help in emergencies, such as when the lone worker is injured and physically unable to communicate or they experienced a head injury and are unconscious. An automated lone worker system is also very effective in protecting workers at risk of violence and assault from public members.
In addition to calling for help when the worker can’t, automated lone worker systems have a number of additional benefits as well.
Constant connectivity
An automated lone worker system can request help without any human control/action. It is able to because the safety system is connected to a cellular, satellite, and/or Wi-Fi network, an integral element in an effective automated lone worker system.
As mentioned earlier, when a worker misses a check-in, an emergency will be signaled. If a worker falls and cannot call for help, SafetyLine will do that for them. So even if the employee is hurt or unconscious, they are still connected and can still request help.
Connectivity can enable a device to request help in an emergency and facilitate reliable two-way communication between the lone worker and a monitor. In SafetyLine’s case, it uses the information from this communication, location data, and other details to build a complete picture of where the worker is located and their circumstances.
Additionally, being connected benefits the worker’s mental health as they feel their safety is a priority, and they can request help even when physically unable to do so. Having a monitor or emergency contact to connect with helps the lone worker feel less alone and vulnerable in stressful, dangerous situations. These benefits alone are legitimate reasons to adopt an automated OHS system.
Check-in timers
Lone worker systems like SafetyLine provide reliable check-in timers, which will signal an alarm when the worker does not check back in at the pre-determined interval or time. This safety tool’s power is in its simplicity: the lone worker checks in before their shift or day, checks in throughout their shift, and checks in again before the timer expires, confirming their safety. SafetyLine’s check-ins are conveniently automated with 24/7 coverage and service.
Every time a worker checks in, essential details such as their location are sent to the monitor. These check-ins are also opportunities to touch base with the lone worker and vice versa, providing information like location, work/weather circumstances, as well as emotional and physical state. This information could be incredibly valuable in an emergency when the responder needs to know the exact location and any other details provided during earlier communication via text or voice memo that could aid the emergency response.
Panic buttons and emergency triggers
We’re sure you’ve heard of a panic button before, and that’s because it can be used in so many types of emergencies in a range of industries. A panic button can be an additional device and wearable or, with SafetyLine, is a simple download onto devices you’re currently using such as smartphones.
Suppose a lone worker feels threatened or their well-being could be compromised. In that case, all they need to do is press the panic button, and the monitor(s) will be immediately notified and sent the accurate information needed to send help to the right place. Panic buttons are typically used in work environments where violence and assault with members of the public are likelier to take place. These include the hotel and hospitality, healthcare, public works, and security industries where their job is work with the public, or amongst the public, like repairing a traffic light.
SafetyLine users can also declare a panic emergency through a specific command through the app or automated telephone system, as well as fall detection and the high-risk check-in, which can be set for 15 minutes or less in high-risk situations.
Motion features
Some say the future of worker safety is in wearable technologies which are becoming increasingly more compact and less noticeable. However, with SafetyLine, you don’t need to purchase any additional wearable devices to gain similar safety benefits. Once downloaded on your smartphone, SafetyLine leverages the phone’s motion sensors to protect the lone worker.
For example, if the worker has fallen and is hurt, SafetyLine will detect the impact and request help, signaling a panic emergency. Additionally, suppose the worker is unconscious and has not moved for a certain amount of time. In that case, an emergency alert will be sent with their information like their location and past communication. Motion sensors are also used for a shake-for-emergency feature, which the lone worker can request by vigorously shaking their phone.
The number one safety hazard across most industries is the incidence of slips, trips, and falls. Some of us work high up on poles and roofs and are hopefully taking the necessary steps with harnesses, lanyards, and head protection. However, falls can occur at any elevation. In the winter, a slippery walkway can be a major occupational safety hazard. Or an innocent power cord in a work area can trip a walking, resulting in potentially serious limb and head injuries.
Why would you want an automated occupational safety system over a phone-based system?
So why would you choose an automated system over a phone-based one? Why would you allocate valuable budget for such a lone worker system? Put simply, your employees are your most important resources and you cannot afford not to invest in a reliable system and technology that will increase their safety and well-being.
We kind of covered this earlier, but here’s why employers should be considering (if not already using) an automated lone worker system:
More dependable occupational safety monitoring for lone and vulnerable workers
Regardless of industry, the number one priority for an employer should be the safety of its employees. An automated lone worker system is more reliable and easier to implement and use, reducing the amount of human error as well as the emergency response time.
High return on investment
Whenever making a company decision that will require funding, the return on investment or ROI must be considered. The ROI of an automated lone worker system can be calculated in several ways including the amount of work time lost from work injuries, impact on operations and timelines, insurance premiums, as well as the emotional health of the workers.
Compliance with local lone worker OHS legislation and regulations
A tool like SafetyLine can protect your organization from expensive litigation and OHS fines. Depending on the OHS legislation and regulations in your area, an automated lone worker system may protect you from damaging fines and lawsuits which can close a company permanently. Lone worker safety legislation is slightly different here in Canada, than the United States and internationally.
Constant communication
As emphasized above, automated systems like SafetyLine will provide dependable, constant communication that could be integral to a successful response in a work-related emergency. Effective internal communication between the lone worker and monitor can provide incredibly important details that could speed up the response in an emergency.
What workers can be protected by an automated lone worker system?
So who would benefit most from an automated lone worker system? Well, quite simple, no matter what industry it is, if you’re working alone, away from other employees, and/or in circumstances where help is not readily available if needed, then you are a lone worker.
Lone worker has classified lone workers into six major categories:
Workers who perform their jobs away from the public (i.e, field service operatives)
Workers who travel alone and do not interact with customers (i.e, truck drivers)
Workers who travel alone and interact with customers and clients (i.e, home healthcare workers)
Workers who work remotely (i.e, teleworkers and those who work from home)
Workers working at an isolated site (i.e, security guards)
Workers who may handle cash (i.e, nighttime gas attendants)
Proactive safety and planning
Whether you use a phone-based lone worker system or an automated lone worker system, they are both proactive safety strategies that will improve the safety of your people working alone. However, an automated lone worker system is essential to a successful OHS program to truly have peace of mind that their people are being protected and for lone workers that their well-being is cared for.
If you are currently using a lone worker solution, maybe it’s time to see how effective it is. Pay particular attention to how your policies align with local legislation and OHS requirements and how they benefit your lone and remote workers.
No crystal ball will tell us what accident may lie down the road, but there are measures that can taken now to prevent the accident from taking place at all. The employer has the capability - and responsibility - to protect their lone employees, and the first step is to implement an automated lone worker system.