How Lone Worker Apps Enhance Safety in Rural Water Inspections
Table of Contents
The risks of lone workers in rural water inspections
How satellite monitoring enhances worker safety
Key features of SafetyLine’s lone worker app for rural areas
Ensuring compliance and safety standards
Provides peace of mind
FAQs
More than 20 million homes in the U.S. depend on private wells for their water supply. In Canada, nearly 4 million people rely on wells as their primary source of drinking water. That’s a significant portion of the population.
But who ensures that this water is safe to drink? The answer lies with the many dedicated rural water inspectors who travel to remote locations and private homes, often alone, to test millions of gallons of water each year.
Due to the nature of their work in remote areas, these inspectors face unique occupational hazards. Limited cellular connectivity can lead to communication challenges and hinder accurate location tracking during emergencies. Isolation only compounds the risks, making safety a critical concern for these workers.
A lone worker safety app can be a game-changer, seamlessly integrating into their existing workflow by downloading it onto smartphones. In regions where cellular service is unreliable, pairing the app with a satellite communication device ensures that inspectors remain connected and protected, no matter how remote the location. This combination provides peace of mind, enabling real-time check-ins, emergency alerts, and precise location tracking, even in the most isolated areas.
By leveraging this technology, rural water inspectors can focus on their vital work more confidently and safely.
The risks of lone workers in rural water inspections
The potential safety hazards and risks that these people can face while at work encompass the full range of definitions, including biological hazards and waterborne diseases, toxic chemicals, hazardous plants, and animals, travel and vehicle accidents, confined spaces, ergonomic and physical injuries, psychosocial and emotional well-being, workplace violence, and of course, dangerous slips, trips and falls. Depending on the specific well-site, there are a number of lone worker hazards in water and wastewater treatment such as equipment failure and other resulting accidents that the employer and employee need to be prepared for. However, when working alone and in isolation, the worker’s risk increases significantly due to their limited access to emergency help if needed.
Researchers found that rural injuries are more likely to involve multiple injuries, with injury rates also increasing with rurality. They found that factors including the type of work, dangerous work environments, and long travel distances contribute to the high injury rates compared to those in urban areas. Additionally, these areas experience significant issues with access to emergency services. According to a Dallas Morning News article that says “rapid access to care after a major injury is often out of reach” in rural areas, about a quarter of all Americans live more than a 30-minute drive from a trauma center.
How satellite monitoring enhances worker safety
However, one way to stay connected in rural areas, no matter how remote, is to use satellite devices to help maintain communication between the water inspector and their manager. Satellite monitoring devices can monitor lone rural water inspectors in geographic areas outside of cellular reception.
Garmin’s inReach or Globalstar Spot satellite communicator can help employers and managers monitor their team members in real-time, empowering them to react quickly in an emergency. Additionally, this technology provides highly accurate location tracking, which is incredibly valuable when sending immediate help to the proper place in an accident, significantly enhancing emergency response protocols.
Key features of SafetyLine’s lone worker app for rural areas
When used with complementary devices like satellite monitoring, a lone worker app will help improve the safety of water inspectors in remote areas without any interruption to their work routine. To choose a lone worker app that will result in fast and efficient onboarding, look for the following key safety features:
GPS tracking and satellite device compatibility
Not all lone worker apps are compatible with satellite devices, but SafetyLine can easily be integrated with global satellite brands and devices, including Garmin and Globalstar, allowing lone workers to be protected under SafetyLine in any remote location.
In-app panic button
A feature often never considered is an in-app panic, which can be privately and quietly pressed on the employee’s phone. When visiting private wells and homes, lone workers may face the risk of violence and harassment, requiring accessible and instant emergency communications such as an in-app panic button device.
Automated check-ins and emergency alerts
When making a scheduled visit to a specific well and rural location, water inspectors should perform safety check-ins with their employer to confirm their safety during and following the work at this location. Look for options that allow automated check-ins, providing reminders and emergency alerts when check-ins are missed.
Two-way communication
A key element to secure safety for water inspectors in rural areas is dependable two-way communication for constant connectivity, which has several benefits. A lone worker app that provides communication features such as voice and text messaging can communicate important context about the worker’s circumstances that could expedite emergency response. This is in addition to the mental health benefits of remaining connected when working alone.
Fall detection and motion features
Another app feature to help these workers stay connected is fall detection, which requests immediate emergency help when it detects a dangerous fall or impact. Lone worker apps like SafetyLine utilize the motion features and technology in workers’ smartphones to detect dangerous accidents, like slips and falls, calling for medical help if the employee is unconscious and unable to. Additionally, the SafetyLine app will request help with man-down and shake-for-emergency features.
Ensuring compliance and safety standards
Lone worker safety apps can significantly enhance the safety and regulatory compliance of rural water inspectors by addressing the unique challenges of working alone in remote locations. There are several specific areas in which lone worker safety apps are particularly beneficial for compliance and maintaining safety standards:
Real-time monitoring and automated check-ins
Many safety regulations require employers to ensure the well-being of employees working alone or in hazardous conditions. Lone worker safety apps allow inspectors to check in regularly or confirm their safety after work, fulfilling legal obligations for active monitoring.
Emergency alerts and response
In compliance with standard regulatory/industry requirements, these apps provide in-app SOS buttons or automatic alerts triggered by inactivity, falls, or panic. This ensures an immediate response to emergencies, a critical requirement for adequate lone-worker safety.
Digital documentation for compliance
Lone worker safety apps such as SafetyLine maintain logs of safety check-ins, communications, accidents, specific data, and custom reports that can serve as evidence of regulatory compliance during audits or investigations. This can meet documentation standards set by local workplace safety laws.
Not only does this compliance enhance the safety of rural inspectors, but it also promotes an increasingly positive, productive working environment where the employees are more aware of their work environment and its potential safety risks. Regardless of whether specific lone worker safety legislation exists in your jurisdiction or industry, every employer and manager has a fundamental, moral responsibility to take steps that will boost the safety of their water inspectors in rural locations.
Provides peace of mind
Working alone in remote locations can take a toll and that is why it is important to remain connected with your employer, a coworker or safety monitor. Occupational safety technologies like lone worker safety apps will ensure connection through features such as GPS and satellite tracking, in-app panic buttons, automated check-ins and emergency alerts, two-way communication, and fall detection and motion features.
By providing multiple means to request help as well as stay connected to an emergency contact, lone worker safety apps provide literal peace of mind for the employer and remote employee, allowing them to focus on their job. As stated earlier, there are mental health benefits to using a lone worker safety app because these people do not need to worry about their safety when they go to work; they know the automated technology will reliably monitor their well-being they entire time. When they drive far out to a well outside of the city, having a lone worker safety app won’t make the work feel so remote.
Sources
https://www.epa.gov/privatewells
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environment/drinking-water/well.html
FAQs:
How does satellite tracking work in rural areas for lone workers?
Satellite tracking utilizes GPS technology, which relies on signals from satellites orbiting Earth. For water worker safety in remote locations, a satellite-enabled app or device can track their movements and provide real-time location data. This technology ensures accurate positioning, even when workers are far from cell towers or traditional network coverage.
Can the app function without cell service in remote locations?
SafetyLine’s lone worker app can function without cell service in remote locations. SafetyLine can integrate with various satellite devices, like Garmin and Globalstar, to provide full coverage when out of range.
What safety features does the app offer for rural water inspections?
The SafetyLine lone worker app offers several key safety features for rural water inspections including real-time GPS tracking, automated safety check-ins and man-down alerts, in-app panic button/SOS alerts, and automatic fall detection and man-down alerts.
How does the app help ensure compliance with industry safety regulations?
The SafetyLine app can help ensure compliance with common industry safety regulations by monitoring lone workers’ safety, providing automated incident reporting, safety activities/events documentation, and regular risk assessments.
How does SafetyLine improve emergency response times for lone workers in rural areas?
The SafetyLine app will improve emergency response times in rural areas by sending instant SOS and panic alerts, providing accurate, real-time location tracking, and automatic emergency requests using the features listed above.