Maintenance and Upkeep of Lone Worker Panic Buttons

Lone worker panic buttons allow employees to contact a monitoring service for help when they’re feeling threatened or unsafe. Providing a panic button is a part of an employer’s legal duty of care to their staff.

Discreet panic alarms are ideal for situations where an employee may be confronted with someone exhibiting threatening behaviour. Triggering an alert will send an SMS and/or email notification to designated monitors, who can follow a response plan to verify the alert and dispatch assistance.

Maintenance and Upkeep

Lone worker panic buttons offer a valuable tool to protect employees who work alone or are in potentially dangerous situations. They also help employers meet their duty of care obligations to ensure the safety of their employees.

While no Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) standards explicitly require that businesses provide lone workers with panic buttons, they can be an effective tool to reduce the risk of workplace violence or assaults. These devices can be worn discreetly on a belt, around the neck or clipped to clothing for easy access. If activated, the device sends a signal to the lone worker’s monitoring provider, who can then notify authorities and follow the appropriate emergency response procedure for the situation.

The panic button also has built-in features that can be used to detect the cause of an alarm. For example, a device with GPS tracking can immediately alert the monitoring team to the location of the user and help to identify a potential threat. In addition, some lone worker devices come with an Incapacitation Alarm that can be deployed automatically if the device senses that the user has fallen or become immobilised.

duress alarm Many lone worker devices also feature a check-in function, which allows the employee to record a voice note that describes their current status and location. This is especially useful if the employee has to travel to a location that they know presents a safety risk. This information is sent to the ARC and can be reviewed as part of the company’s escalation procedures.

If an employee feels they are in danger, they can signal for assistance by pressing the panic button or letting their monitoring session expire. The monitoring professionals at the ARC will contact authorities and follow the emergency response procedures outlined in the company’s escalation plan.

Another feature of some lone worker solutions is a man down alarm, which can be deployed by the device if it detects that the lone worker has fallen or is incapacitated. This can be particularly helpful for health care workers who often visit their patients in private homes, as they may not be able to get to the phone in time to call 911.

Troubleshooting

As the number of people working alone has increased, so has workplace violence. Lone worker safety devices enable employees who work in dangerous situations to summon help without having to leave their location. They can also be used in case of a medical emergency, fire or accident.

While it’s not clear whether or not the law requires companies to provide their lone workers with panic buttons, it is a sensible precaution to take in order to ensure that all staff members can get help when they need it. Employers who are concerned about the safety of their employees should consider implementing a comprehensive lone worker program, such as one that involves an app that allows for discreet panic button activation, GPS tracking and automatic fall detection.

In addition to providing a powerful deterrent to would-be attackers, the alarm system will send law enforcement directly to the employee’s exact location, saving time and increasing the likelihood of a successful response. The alarm can be activated by pressing the button or by allowing the timed session to expire. It can also be activated by a loud audible alert. This option will startle the aggressor, causing them to flee or to surrender and give the employee confidence that they can escape their situation.

If an employee’s health or well-being is at risk, they can also use the app to make a discreet distress call. This feature is useful for retail workers, such as those employed in banks and jewellery stores, who may face threatening or aggressive behaviour from customers. They can even press the panic button when they feel uncomfortable in a public space, such as a hotel or restaurant.

Panic buttons are an important tool for healthcare and social workers, child welfare workers, care providers and hotel employees who often find themselves in potentially dangerous situations. It is important to note that lone worker safety devices are not a substitute for training, a thorough risk assessment or a safe work policy. However, they can be a vital part of any security strategy and can be used to demonstrate that the company values the personal safety of its employees.

Repairs

For employees that work on their own or in remote locations, a panic button is vital to help ensure their safety. If a lone worker is unable to reach anyone for assistance, the device’s GPS location and duress alert will allow them to summon immediate aid from emergency responders or coworkers in their company’s management team.

A company should consider providing its lone workers with a device that can connect to multiple networks so that there are no dead spots or loss of signal. Some wearable devices offer cellular connectivity, while others use an internet connection with a self-healing network. Regardless of the system, the device should have a backup battery in case the user loses power. In addition, it should have a large speaker so that the lone worker can make a loud and clear call for help in an emergency.

Many states, cities and towns have passed staff safety laws requiring employers to provide their employees with panic buttons or other personal alarm systems to help them stay safe. These laws typically apply to healthcare and social service workers, child welfare employees, and hotel staff members. Despite these laws, there is no nationwide Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard that requires employers to provide their employees with a panic button or other safety device. However, OSHA often references these devices in its guidance documents and citations.

Whether your employees are real estate agents showing homes, utility workers in dangerous or remote locations, or health nurses visiting patients at their homes, they all need to be able to call for help in the event of an emergency. A simple panic button is not enough to safeguard these types of mobile employees in a variety of situations.

Instead, consider deploying a lone worker safety solution like SafetyLine, which provides comprehensive protection for employees that works alone or in potentially dangerous situations. With the ability to alert management of a threat via a man-down/fall detection feature and a timed monitoring session, plus GPS tracking, hazard reporting, safety checklists and audits, this system can save lives.

Replacements

Lone worker panic buttons can be a useful tool, but they are not necessarily the best solution for all situations. They require hardware which can be expensive to replace, and they have a limited functionality, allowing them to only activate the duress alarm and call for help. A software-based lone worker safety solution can offer greater value by providing an entire range of additional features.

A key feature is auditable recording. This allows organisations to meet their duty of care in a legally compliant way, by providing evidence of an effective lone worker protection program. The software also provides a variety of safety features including simple and discreet duress activation, activity countdown timers and GPS location sharing.

Many people working alone in potentially dangerous circumstances find it difficult or impossible to speak out for themselves, especially if they don’t have a phone signal or WIFI. This is why a lone worker monitoring service that enables workers to raise the alarm with the press of a button or even if they have not checked in within a certain period of time, can provide significant peace of mind.

In addition to providing a lone worker with a simple and discreet means of calling for assistance, a lone worker monitoring system should allow the user to provide a detailed description of their situation. Depending on the level of danger, this can be vital in helping emergency services respond appropriately.

An additional function that is often overlooked is the ability to send a message without pressing any buttons, even if the mobile device is locked. This is important because, in the event of an emergency, a lone worker may not have access to their phone or will be too stressed out or distressed to remember how to use it. A hands-free safety solution such as the lone worker app by AlertMedia is a powerful deterrent against unwanted or aggressive behaviour. Our software based lone worker monitoring solution is available for desktop and mobile devices, and when an audible alarm is activated or the timer expires, law enforcement are immediately sent to the device’s GPS coordinates.