Choosing the Right Lone Worker Safety Solution
Table of Contents
Discover the Unique Features of SafetyLine Lone Worker
Definition of lone workers and their unique risks
Common challenges of lone worker safety
Compliance with safety regulations
The need for an effective lone worker safety solution
Critical Features of SafetyLine Lone Worker App
Benefits of the SafetyLine Lone Worker App
Case studies and success stories
How the SafetyLine Lone Worker app stands out from competitors
Prioritize your lone worker safety
Discover the Unique Features of SafetyLine Lone Worker
In 1999, BC entrepreneur Thomas Touhey was contacted by one of his previous clients, who needed help with a significant problem. This client was BC Gas (now Fortis BC Energy Inc.), and the major utility struggled to ensure the safety of their many workers out in the field by themselves, often in vulnerable situations. Tom was a passionate believer that innovation and technology had the power to solve significant, real-world problems. After he was approached, he immediately recognized not only a serious need to protect these people in the energy industry and beyond, but he also saw an opportunity to start a company that would help protect lone and remote workers everywhere so that they could return to safely to their families at the end of the day.
More than 20 years later, a growing number of lone worker apps and platforms make up the industry that SafetyLine helped build. Following SafetyLine’s lead, more and more OHS solutions are being developed for lone workers who are more vulnerable and face more safety risks than those working in pairs or teams.
As you will read below, SafetyLine provides a comprehensive suite of safety features that help mitigate lone worker safety challenges and several other hazards. This article will look at these valuable safety features and how they benefit lone workers, providing you with enough background information to make an informed decision when looking for safety solutions for your team.
Definition of lone workers and their unique risks
So, what do lone workers look like? They look like you and I, regardless of the industry or position. Lone workers are employed in every sector and are defined by their circumstances of working in employment conditions where help is not accessible or available in an emergency and/or accident. A lone worker refers to an individual who operates independently, often in isolation, without immediate supervision or colleagues nearby, making their safety and well-being a primary concern in such scenarios.
Common challenges of lone worker safety
Let’s look at the unique, overall challenges of protecting lone workers. Generally, people working alone face a higher number of occupational hazards as well as higher risks of these hazards because reliable communication with their employer or safety monitor can be limited or entirely non-existent. Robust and regular communication with lone workers is a challenge; therefore, so is immediate support when they’re experiencing an emergency and need help immediately.
Lack of immediate support in case of emergencies
Due to the secluded nature of their job, lone workers do not have as much access to immediate help as pairs and teams who always have another qualified person watching their back – quite literally in some cases. This immediately puts lone workers at a safety disadvantage, requiring the employer to provide and the employee to use occupational health and safety devices and other practical safety measures and practices.
Additionally, due to the communication challenges mentioned before, some existing safety hazards may be more dangerous with increased risk because they are alone. For example, there is an increased safety risk of using heavy equipment because a coworker is not present to get help if an accident happens with the employee operating the equipment.
Trips and falls
The first significant occupational hazards that lone workers face are trips and falls. Most of the time, tripping and falling at work can be relatively harmless. However, working alone can be fatal if the employee experiences a head injury or falls from a dangerous height. But even at a low altitude and level, lone workers can experience serious injury on slippery surfaces (ice, chemicals, water) and with tripping hazards (electrical cords, loose mats, general debris, and objects in walkways).
Workplace violence
When working with clients, patients, and customers, multiple employees are usually around or at least have access to a coworker if they need help. That’s why working with members of the public is potentially more dangerous for lone workers as they do not have the support and help of coworkers should they need it in an emergency.
Heavy machinery and equipment
Specific industries, such as agriculture and energy, require their employees to use heavy machinery and equipment. Even when used properly, accidents occur with these necessities, resulting in significant injuries such as limb entanglement that can immobilize the lone worker, preventing them from getting emergency help.
Difficulty in communication and monitoring
If injured and disabled or unconscious, lone workers need a robust and accessible communication channel to request help. However, even uninjured and conscious, it can be challenging for lone workers to maintain communication with their employer due to remote locations with limited access to cellular or Wi-Fi networks.
Extreme weather and temperatures
When working in remote locations (as well as local job sites), extreme weather and temperatures are becoming increasingly severe OHS issues for employees and their employers. In the summer, workers everywhere (particularly those working outside) face disproportionate heat levels and the resulting heat illnesses and injuries. In the winter, lone workers face higher risks of slips and falls and dangerous, cold temperatures.
Compliance with safety regulations
Work safety legislation, regulations, guidelines, and industry standards can change or receive updates anytime. Maintaining compliance can be difficult, especially with large lone-worker teams or dangerous industries where legal amendments/new requirements and updates may be frequent. Keeping compliance as a top priority and on top of everyone’s mind is even more challenging with the special consideration possibly needed for your people working alone.
Supporting blog article
Read more on Staying Compliant with Lone Worker Safety Legislation, Regulations, and Industry Standards.
Staying Compliant with Lone Worker Safety Legislation, Regulations, and Industry Standards – Part 1
Staying Compliant with Lone Worker Safety Legislation, Regulations, and Industry Standards – Part 2
The need for an effective lone worker safety solution
With this list of serious hazards will also come additional dangers that will reveal themselves through accidents – but can be prevented through proactive measures, including hazard assessments of the work environment and quality safety training and education.
Critical Features of SafetyLine Lone Worker App
Real-time, work-only monitoring and location tracking
SafetyLine can track lone workers' locations, ensuring the employer or emergency responder can send help to the proper location so that precious seconds and minutes are not wasted trying to find them. Workers are only monitored during work hours and after checking in when using the system.
Automated check-in feature for regular updates
To complete the safety-monitoring picture, SafetyLine also has automated safety check-ins requiring the employee to "check in" with the employer through its app at intervals and times previously agreed upon between the two parties. If a check-in is missed, an alert will be sent to employers and/or emergency contacts.
Panic button and emergency alert system
SafetyLine also has a discreet, in-app panic button that, when pressed, will send an instant notification to designated contacts and request immediate emergency help for that location. The panic button and emergency alert system can provide valuable peace of mind and security to employers and lone workers working with potentially violent/abusive customers and clients. In high-risk situations, discreet alerts will empower the employee to request help without anyone knowing.
Employee communication
SafetyLine enables reliable communication between the lone worker and a monitor or management in remote locations or structures. The communication options are not limited to one channel but rather an ensemble of different communication vehicles that include:
Voice and text messaging
Device integration with Garmin and Globalstar
Information such as location coordinates sent during check-ins
Additionally, the data collected and documented during this communication can be precious and insightful when preventing future accidents. By referencing past conversations and exchanges during notable work events or emergencies/crises, employers can take proactive steps to avoid specific OHS issues from occurring and hurting people down the road.
Compliance and reporting tools
Employers can ensure that current safety practices and protocols satisfy applicable OHS legislation and regulations through these safety reporting and documentation features. Furthermore, any documentation or safety data required to prove regulatory compliance can be created easily and quickly on the SafetyLine app.
Benefits of the SafetyLine Lone Worker App
Through this comprehensive selection of worker-protection features, the company and its lone workers can benefit in several significant, lasting ways.
Enhanced safety and emergency response: Once they check in with SafetyLine and their employer, the lone worker’s safety immediately improves, providing a constant line to help if needed. Because they are connected, their location monitored, and engaged with their safety, the emergency response will be faster and, as a result, successful because the employer has the required information to send the best help.
Increased peace of mind for lone workers and their families: Knowing that your safety is essential at work can significantly reduce stress levels in isolated and remote staff who might feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Additionally, and even more importantly, families of lone workers can have peace of mind knowing that their loved one will come home after the shift or workday.
Improved communication and collaboration: Improved communication and collaboration also come from cooperation amongst employees – remote and otherwise. Even brief moments of communication can enhance collaboration throughout the day, resulting in higher-quality work and more alignment within the company’s operations.
Effective communication between lone workers and supervisors: Internal communication benefits, particularly between lone workers and their supervisors and managers whom they may not see regularly. In jobs where minute details are essential, dependable channels for communication are crucial.
Enhanced teamwork and coordination: Through the various online channels and collaborative tools/platforms available these days, the ability to coordinate remote operations and activities has always been challenging. Teamwork needs not only to be facilitated in a physical setting anymore – it can be accomplished online and with current technologies like SafetyLine.
Streamlined compliance and reporting: With its powerful reporting features, employers can maintain compliance easier, with less work required. If safety compliance needs to be established, SafetyLine can provide the necessary documentation and customized data required.
Simplified documentation and reporting processes: Improved compliance is achievable through SafetyLine’s simplified documentation tool that provides quantifiable data for compliance, human resources, and operations.
Meeting legal and regulatory requirements: Through SafetyLine’s compliance maintenance and management benefits, the lone worker apps help ensure your organization meets any legal and regulatory requirements in your state/province and industry.
Supporting blog article
Case studies and success stories
Over the years, thousands of lone and vulnerable workers have experienced these benefits and more, finding SafetyLine an ideal lone-worker solution for their team and safety needs.
One of those long-time users is Seasons Health Therapies in Kamloops, BC, which delivers essential rehabilitation services to the surrounding communities. Their lone workers include occupational therapists, kinesiologists, clinical counselors, vocational rehabilitation, and return-to-work specialists who travel to private homes, providing home healthcare services alone with the patient.
“We didn’t have to buy anything new,” says Dawn MacKenzie, Clinical Director for Seasons Health Therapies. “We’re ensuring our workers know we care about their safety and feel safe.”
When their employees would provide care in a patient’s home, Seasons needed a reliable, automated lone-worker monitoring system that would prompt workers to check in and send emergency notifications to monitors if a check-in is missed or there is a confirmed emergency.
In Saskatchewan, Windsor Salt employees will be required to work alone occasionally. EHS Supervisor Robert Engel says it was reasonably simple to implement into the team; he was impressed by how fast they could begin using the lone worker system.
“If you require a program to monitor lone workers, this is the app to choose,” he says. “It has an easy interface for workers of all levels of experience, is non-biased, and is very affordable.”
Windsor Salt wanted a lone worker monitoring solution that would not be at risk of human error and mistakes – such as forgetting to check in or missing an emergency notification. Additionally, they found SafetyLine easy to integrate into existing safety policies and devices like smartphones.
“The program integrated seamlessly into our safety policies and procedures since it is a complimentary step for our staff working alone Engel explains. “Staff are already familiar with mobile devices; this was the next logical step.”
A community nurse, Michelle checks into SafetyLine before visiting clients’ homes to monitor her well-being when performing her job alone with the client or patient.
“I have the comfort of knowing someone will be looking for me if I don't ‘check out’ (end monitoring) after I visit with clients,’ she wrote on Capterra.ca.
On G2.com, Kristina, a forest technician, says using SafetyLine in the woods provides her with “peace of mind.”
“It provides a ‘safety line’ for you when working in remote areas,” she said. “[It’s] a great addition to any organization that sends its workers out to remote areas- streamlined and effective. It provides peace of mind to workers, supervisors, and their families, knowing someone is there to respond in an emergency.”
How the SafetyLine Lone Worker app stands out from competitors
In addition to many continuing positive customer success stories and experiences, SafetyLine has established its credibility over the years, building a reputation for reliability and exceptional customer service as innovative solutions that address OHS challenges in your workplace.
In 2022 and 2023, SafetyLine Lone Worker was recognized as a top lone worker monitoring solution by Canadian Occupational Safety (more than 12,000 occupational safety professionals voted). Additionally, SafetyLine was recently featured on an OH&S podcast as an authority on lone worker safety, and it has established itself as a thought leader in the field with several articles in OHS and industry publications such as ISHN, EHS Today, Security Magazine, OH&S, OHS Canada, Water World, HRMorning.com as well as Water Canada.
SafetyLine is used across North America, and clients include multiple provincial standing offers in Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, and hundreds of other municipalities in Canada and the United States. Over more than two decades, SafetyLine has developed a comprehensive understanding of each industry and what safety hazards its lone workers face. With this strong foundation of knowledge and experience, SafetyLine provides a range of innovative features that address the big picture of people’s safety.
Its consultative approach and 24 years of work-safety experience have helped set up some of Canada’s most robust and successful lone-worker safety programs.
In a growing lone worker app market and industry, SafetyLine also stands out with its incredibly user-friendly interface, creating minimum disruption to the workday while providing maximum protection with its automated safety check-ins and motion features to detect dangerous falls.
Prioritize your lone worker safety
For more than two decades, SafetyLine has protected lone and remote workers through its evolving selection of safety features:
Real-time monitoring and location tracking
Automated safety check-ins
Discreet in-app panic button
Reliable two-way communication
Safety compliance and reporting
And via these features, lone workers have experienced benefits such as:
Overall safety
Improved emergency response
Peace of mind for the lone workers and their families
Improved company communication and collaboration
Teamwork and internal coordination
Compliance management
Improved OHS data documentation and reporting
Because lone workers voluntarily put themselves in higher-risk environments for their work, employers have an automatic moral responsibility to protect these people and their well-being.
If you have people working alone, in isolation, or potentially dangerous circumstances, try using SafetyLine for free to see how it protects your team members.