We now live in a high-tech world, and many companies are investing in advanced devices for lone worker safety to help make sure that their workers are safe.
It’s a sensible investment for any company, because the use of such devices helps boost morale and improve efficiency. Also, the cost of these safety devices doesn’t compare to what a company will suffer financially if an employee gets hurt or injured in the workplace. The worker can sue the company, and your financial woes won’t end there. Even without the lawsuit, the accompanying negative publicity that can spread in social media can have a deleterious effect on the company’s reputation and sales.
Here are devices that can aid in keeping your workers safe.
- The most obvious device that can immediately improve worker safety is the ubiquitous smartphone. Communication is crucial for every worker who works alone. There should be periodic checks and the worker should call in whenever they encounter something unusual.
- Panic alarms. This is a simple device that you activate to send an emergency message to a superior or to a monitoring center. Usually they’re designed to look innocuous, and some IDs have them so you can activate the alarm even in front of a criminal.
- No movement alarm. This is a device that’s based on GPS systems to track your movements and locations. It works when you’re not tied down to a desk, and instead you’re supposed to move around constantly. The device tracks your movements, and if you don’t move from a certain spot (like if you suddenly lost consciousness) then it will trigger an alarm that will reach others.
Of course, these devices aren’t really helpful for lazy workers, who just sit around at a single spot when they’re supposed to move around instead.
- Horizontal position alarms. Some devices can even tell when you’re standing or lying down on the floor by checking the horizontal or vertical position of the device. With these devices, anytime you fall down and don’t stand up, an alarm can be sent to your monitors so that they can send help to your location.
- Automatic distress message systems. These can be prerecorded messages that are set to be sent to others if you’re unable to prevent the message from being sent. Basically, you have to periodically check in to stop the device from activating. However, if you’re unconscious, restrained, or unable to stop the device at a certain time, then the message will be sent automatically.
- Recording devices. These can record sounds through more advanced devices can even record videos. Usually, the recording happens when you activate an alarm. The recording may then be saved so that evidence can be gathered to prove what really happened to you when you were working alone. If there were trespassers or criminals, then a record can be kept of what they said and did. A video can also help identify them if they committed a criminal act.
The main issue with these devices is that some manufacturers are better than others. The device you want should be durable and reliable, so they just won’t break down. Usually batteries power them, but they should work long enough so that they will last until you stop working alone.
Some GPS devices aren’t very accurate at all, and they may not even establish communications with the GPS satellites. They should be tough too so that if you do fall down and the device hits the floor hard, it will continue working.