Lone Worker Alarms

Lone worker alarms are crucial tools for protecting employees who work alone. Used together with risk assessments, these safety devices help ensure workers never find themselves exposed to unnecessary danger.
Calls for help can be made quickly without unlocking mobile phones or pressing buttons, while additional features like GPS monitoring help reduce response times.
1. panic button Discreet Panic Button
A discreet panic button allows lone workers to discreetly trigger alarms without unlocking their device or drawing attention. Also known as SOS buttons or emergency call buttons, these devices enable staff members to communicate with their supervisors during emergencies without further aggravating the situation. Commonly worn as wristbands, pendants or clips, they can be activated with just a single click or press-and-hold for maximum discretion and ease of use - they may even be programmed to send automatic man-down and check-in alerts upon activation.
Many lone worker safety devices feature an in-app panic button that connects directly with their company app over wifi, making this feature ideal for workers without additional devices to carry. Alarms with in-app panic buttons often include more advanced features such as two-way communication, GPS tracking and hazard reporting - making these alarms ideal for mobile workers without extra devices to wear.
Scatterling's more sophisticated lone worker safety devices integrate a bluetooth panic button that can be activated from any device - smartphones, laptops and pagers alike - with which users can activate it instantly to notify any emergency contacts as well as record voicemails that have been left with them or provide details of their work profile. When activated, these devices automatically notify emergency contacts along with any voicemails recorded and any details about work profile.
Lone workers can be vulnerable to various threats and incidents, from physical aggression to workplace bullying. Along with having a personal alarm for emergencies, lone workers should have a comprehensive lone working policy which includes risk assessments, training and supervision as part of its policies and protocols.
An employee lone worker alarm is an essential safety measure for any business. It helps safeguard employees and boost morale as they will know that their employer is committed to their safety and can respond swiftly in case an incident arises. An effective lone worker program should include a set budget for equipment purchases and maintenance as well as management's commitment to foster an environment of safety throughout their organization - this will reduce incidents while possibly avoiding legal liabilities from happening again in future.
2. App-Linked Devices
Employees in potentially unsafe environments need an easy-to-use safety device they can activate quickly if an emergency arises, such as a simple lone worker alarm or one with additional features like two-way communication and fall detection. Such devices can be worn on wristbands, pockets or bags, on lanyards or clipped onto keys - and linked via wifi either to an app running on mobile phones, or as independent units that enable users to trigger alarm without using a phone as trigger point.
Apps and devices designed for lone workers can be tailored to fit the unique needs of each worker. Monitoring centers may monitor them remotely or monitor company in-house staff to assess situations quickly and respond in accordance with company policies regarding lone worker situations; GPS monitoring systems may help speed response times as emergency services find employees more easily.
At one point in time, many lone workers used light and sounders that they activated when they needed assistance. Although this provided people with awareness of an incident, this kind of system wasn't very useful when someone's phone died or went dead suddenly; leaving them without an effective means to alert their employer of their plight.
Companies now provide various lone worker safety devices designed to be as discreet and user-friendly as possible, from small buttons or integrated parts of devices like cameras to intuitive interfaces that offer features like fall detection or automated check-ins that help reduce false alarms.
3. Two-Way Communication
Lone worker alarms are an invaluable safety tool for professionals working alone or remotely in certain sectors, such as construction, healthcare and law enforcement. These devices often come in the form of either a wearable button designed to resemble a watch or pendant or mobile app linked with it that allows workers to check-in via an app on their phone to report they're OK or request immediate help in an emergency situation; their live location may be shared to aid police and responders when responding.
Two-way communication systems offer many advantages for lone workers. Their central feature is being active 24/7 - even when their phone is set to silent mode - ensuring high attention value of notification alerts that don't get missed or ignored. Furthermore, such a system may also allow direct messaging between colleagues during incidents as well as alerting an external company monitoring centre depending on escalation procedures and policies specific to lone workers.
Employees working alone may not always have access to smartphones and may be working in areas with no connectivity such as tunnels or enclosed spaces where no connection exists, making a mobile emergency device unsuitable as it will not connect with servers. Instead, it's essential that an emergency solution can still be activated under these circumstances without needing SIM cards or WiFi connections - in such situations a dedicated wearable button designed to be operated handsfree is particularly useful.
Workers can press the lone worker button to check in and when pressed again within a set period to acknowledge they are still OK it automatically turns into an emergency alarm and alerts colleagues or controllers as well as sound an audible audio warning on radio to indicate they need to respond quickly. Or lone workers can choose to press and hold PTT for longer to notify colleagues and security centers directly of an emergency situation.
4. GPS Monitoring
Lone workers face unique challenges that require specific safety features to address them. While it's impossible for any single device to cover all possible emergency scenarios, an ideal lone worker alarm should include features such as hazard alerts, fall detection and manual/autonomous GPS monitoring alarms.
No matter whether your employees use smartphones or lone worker apps, GPS tracking ensures supervisors know where they are at all times. This feature is particularly beneficial if an attack or medical emergency requires assistance but the worker cannot manually trigger a panic alert; then this monitor displays a real-time map showing where their device is positioned so supervisors can dispatch assistance immediately.
Additionally, when the device of a lone worker receives a duress or man-down alert, the app will automatically relay their exact GPS location back to management. This function may also be manually activated by them in case they become unconscious, incapacitated, or require assistance in leaving their workplace site.
Home healthcare nurses frequently find themselves alone with patients who become verbally abusive or aggressive during visits, leading to emergency situations requiring alarm systems to alert supervisors to an impending crisis. The Teltonika GH5200 personal autonomous GPS tracker can automatically alert supervisors of an individual worker's exact location in an emergency situation, helping de-escalate and exit quickly from any dangerous environments.
At an unsafe jobsite, this same feature can also protect employees by enabling them to set a no motion alert and request help if their device hasn't moved for a set period of time - often an indicator that an employee has fallen ill or been injured.
Employers in most lone working situations must establish and communicate clear policies regarding how the information of lone workers is collected and utilized, to enable every lone worker to understand what data is shared, when it can be accessed and how this data will be utilized - thus alleviating concerns over privacy violations among their workforce.