What is a ‘panic button’ for lone workers?

You might not consider yourself a lone worker, but if you find yourself working alone out of sight and earshot of another person, then you’re technically a lone worker.

Not every lone worker has a job that is considered hazardous. For example, you might be a real estate agent meeting a client at a house, an Uber driver, or find yourself alone at a front office desk on weekends. Cashiers, lab technicians, custodians, home care workers, and many other jobs experience being alone at some points during the work day.

If you’re ever completely alone or by yourself with clients, you’ll benefit from lone worker safety solutions.

What is a lone worker personal alarm?

Think of your alarm as a panic button. Except, instead of being a big red button on the wall, it’s a small handheld device or an application on your smartphone.

Your dedicated device should have GPS positioning and someone monitoring it, so they’ll know your exact location when you hit the button. Then, if you suddenly find yourself injured or in potential danger, you can hit the button, and your monitor will start a call-out procedure to ensure your safety.

Who monitors the alarm?

The CommAlert Group is a call centre specializing in emergency communications and lone worker safety solutions. We act as a third-party monitor for our lone worker clients. Our services operate 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

You can customize your lone worker monitoring according to your specific needs. For example, some workers prefer to check-in at the start and end of their shift, with one or two check-in prompts during the day. Or, you can have us on standby during your workday. Then, if you run into trouble, you can hit the button on your dedicated device. This will alert our agents that you need help.

Who gets the call when I hit the panic button?

When you hit the button, a live agent and your dedicated lone worker monitor will be alerted. Our call centre offers work alone monitoring around the clock and will be there when you need us.

When we set up your work alone monitoring, we’ll create an emergency communications response plan. This plan will include a contact list and a call-out procedure. If you miss a check-in or hit the panic button, we will contact the people on your list. If need be, or if it’s part of your response plan, we can call emergency services.

What if I can’t alert the call centre?

Lone worker monitoring applications can have a feature triggered by verbal commands if you cannot physically send the alert. To reduce risk, we recommend setting up check-ins at regular intervals during the day. Then, if you miss a check-in, we know something is wrong, and you might need help. Because your device shows us your physical location, we can send help if there is no movement from an injury, loss of consciousness, or another hazardous issue.

If you work alone or have employees that work alone, ensure safety with lone worker monitoring. Contact us to learn more.