Health and Safety for Beginners

by **Leevis1** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:42 am

Hi
Anyone here use a lone working solution that is dependent on GSM? I am looking to purchase such a system. Basically the way it operates is the Lone Worker will send a text message to a number indicating when they want to be called back (30mins for example) and where they are. This system will then call them at the call back time and the Lone Worker will enter a PIN number to confirm. This basically goes on and on until the Lone Worker has finished and a text message is sent to cancel.

The problem i have is that some of my guys might be working in an area where there is no mobile coverage.

The question i have is, does anyone else use a system like this and what happens in these cases. My thoughts would be that the whole 'man down' escalation would begin which isnt particularly good to be honest. Obviously the first thing to do would be to do a check of the exact areas where there is no coverage and work around that but sometimes this is not going to be possible.

Need some thoughts/advice on this one.

Thanks

Lee

by **Reddwarf** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 11:48 am

What kind of work are they doing that is high risk? and what are the risks that they are facing being assaulted, risk from injury from work carried out working remote locations.

If they did need assistance would it arrive in time if they had just entered their pin number on the handset then suffered an injury it could 20 odd minutes before the system flags up an issue then time delay in some one making a decision to send assistance then delay in finding the person at the location it could be 40-50 minutes from time of incident to help arriving.

Red

edit is the system to be used on one site or when guys are working around the country

by **redsquirrel** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:09 pm

Have you considered a Rocksure system? We use these for our workers and they seem to do the job. Basically looks like a credit card, but if you are in trouble, you press a button and an alert goes to a call centre, then they alert your line manager. The line manager knows the whereabouts of the staff as everything is recorded in diaries etc.

Could this work for your lone workers? I would try to avoid GSM because of the coverage issues.

by **Ashanti** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:13 pm

We use a mobile phone based lone working system. In the areas where our normal supplier's coverage does not operate we hand out PAYG phones that use another network that does cover the area. In the few locations where there is no cover at all it is a case of people being aware of that before they go in to the area and taking account when logging calls to leave enough time for them to be closed. The time for emergency services reaching remote locations is always going to be an issue. Your alternative to a mobile phone network based system is sattelite technology but that can be expensive.

by **Keith1983** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 12:59 pm

It doesn't solve the coverage issue but you can get motion detector units which send a distress message out if they don't detect movement for a predetermined time. This went wron gwhen we used it though as an individual spent rather a long time sat on the loo!

by **Leevis1** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:14 pm

This is going to be used in multiple sites and multiple countries. Trying to get a 'one size fits all' type of solution. Any High Risk tasks will not be tackled alone. This system is more going to be used as thing a worker would activate when they arrrive at a site and then deactivate when they leave.

Still not convinced i am not over-engineering this one. Problem i have is that the workers are 100% alone when they are working out of hours and this is about the only solution i can come up with.

Interesting point about the coverage PAYG option, i hadnt thought about that one.

Thanks

Lee

by **Keith1983** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:21 pm

I think it is certainly a difficult one especially to get one solution to fit all. Maybe there is a combination of solutions and the operators could use whichever is most suitable. Is it likely that there would always be a terrestrial phone where they work?

by **Leevis1** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 2:46 pm

On the terrestrial phone thing, yes and no. Working on getting a list of sites that are known 'no coverage areas' and areas within sites that have no cover. Secondly, looking at what sites have and do not have normal landlines. Once i have that i should be able to work out what system needs to be used and where. Hopefully the GSM solution can work 'from' a landline

by **Reddwarf** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 3:28 pm

This system is more going to be used as thing a worker would activate when they arrrive at a site and then deactivate when they leave.

Why do you need to have constant contact with everyone on site if the work is not high risk especially abroad surely ensuring employees have a local contact at the site they are working on would be suitable for looking after their safety.

I'm a bit lost of what risks the system you are looking at installing is looking to cover them for. As surely once they have left site Travelling home or hotel they are just as at risk as they would be travelling alone.

Red

by **Leevis1** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 3:49 pm

Hi Red, for sites where there is a contact, this will not be used as they will be talking between themselves. In the majority of cases though, the sites that these guys are at are in the middle of nowhere and they are totally alone. This is predominantly aimed at out of hours working as during the normal working day there will be others around and awake.

by **Leevis1** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 4:13 pm

Heres my solution so far.
I have a multitude of classifications of workers, these are:
1. Office workers - my solution to this is to make each person aware of when they are lone workers (hardly ever) and to provide to them contacts in the security group so they can contact them should they feel vulnerable.
2. Gateway workers (During Work Hours)- these are people who work in a large building hosting peoples services (internet etc). my solution to this one is to again make them aware when they are lone workers and ensure that someone knows where they are when they leave thier normal workplace ie desk and between them they can ensure they stay safe.
3. Gateway workers (Outside Work Hours) - normally these would be lone workers as they would be in a facility on thier own. In this case the GSM device would be used.
4. Outside workers (During Work Hours) - these are sometimes alone, sometimes not depending on the task. My Solution would be to ensure they know when they are lone workers and use a combination of the buddy system ie liaise with someone in Section 2 or use the GSM system.
5. Outside workers (Ouside Work Hours) - solution to use the GSM system.

I have no people to manage calling/receiving alerts which i why i am interested in the GSM solution. Doing it this way means that the people that i do have only have to spend time dealing with 'proper' alerts.

Am i over-engineering this? I want to be compliant and offer some sort of protection to my staff (obviously this isnt really protecting them but kind of makes me compliant). Any task that is classed as High Risk WILL have more than one worker and therefore a non lone worker exercise.

Thoughts appreceiated, this one becoming a bit of a pain now.

Lee

by **Reddwarf** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 5:00 pm

I guess the next step is what if the system then alerts that someone has not reported in (not sure what GSM system is)who is alerted what response or aid do they send to the person (ambulance police) how will you know exactly where the person is (pinpoint) their location on a site (1st floor building A or somewhere on site). i'm sure the system will alert you when something is wrong but how do you find that person. The system would appear to rely on the employee entering information on the system as to their location and remember to operate the system correctly (6 months down the line will everyone still be using it all will it be left in the office and or car)

If you do get a false alarm and have sent half the police force on a wild goose chase you might find the system gets dropped very quickly and what do you do if they are on a site in Germany who goes looking for the missing person now.

To me it sounds as if a lot can go wrong to cause the system not to work and maybe over the top solution to what is a low risk situation that employees are working in. Security at my old company would dial into a call centre every 30 mins during the night if they failed then the security company would send a nearby guard to investigate but even then they always had 2 guards on the site and in radio contact with each other.

i think you can get the equipment to work OK but it's the procedures around what to do if the system does trigger an issue.

Red