Notes

Types of Lone Worker Panic Buttons
Employers have a duty of care for their staff, and providing them with access to a panic button shows that they value their safety. Many cities and states have passed staff safety laws that require employers to provide lone worker panic buttons for healthcare and hotel workers.

Personal panic alarms go by many names including duress alarms, emergency signal, SOS alarms and personal safety devices. Regardless of the name, they all serve one purpose: to raise an alert when employees need help.
1. Wireless

Whether workers are at their desk, on the shop floor or in a remote location, lone worker panic buttons allow them to alert monitoring professionals to a potential threat. The device can be worn around the neck or wrist and will connect to a mobile phone via Bluetooth or wifi to communicate with the monitoring center, which can then send law enforcement to the worker’s exact location using GPS.

Lone Worker Panic Buttons can be triggered either discreetly or loudly depending on the worker’s needs and the situation. For instance, if they are in the middle of a riot, blatantly calling 911 will only provoke the crowd and may lead to greater harm. However, a discreet panic alarm enables them to send an emergency signal without raising suspicion or attracting attention.

While there is no nationwide Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH) standard that requires employers to provide their employees with a panic button, many companies do offer them. It is recommended that all businesses create a lone worker policy to assess their risk of violence or unattended incidents and ensure that employees who operate alone are equipped with a panic button.

A panic button can be a lifesaver for hotel workers, healthcare staff and those who travel for work. It is also a great way to show employees that their safety is a priority for the company and will be responded to in an emergency.

The most common types of lone worker panic buttons include duress alarms, man-down alarms and general personal alarms. A duress alarm will send a text or voice call to a 24/7 monitoring center and will notify the authorities of any threatening behavior, while a man-down alarm is used for medical emergencies such as a heart attack.

Other options include a discreet alarm that will sync with an app and send a silent message to the monitoring centre in case of a threatening situation. This is ideal for car refuelling staff, delivery drivers and those who have limited access to their phones. Another option is a lone worker device with built-in panic alarm that can be activated by pushing the power button on the device 4 times or the app’s panic button.
2. Bluetooth

A personal panic button is a small device that lone workers wear or keep with them in case they feel threatened, witness inappropriate behavior, or suffer from an accident or medical emergency while working alone. These devices can be as simple as a pendant-shaped button that can be worn around the neck or wrist, or as sophisticated as a safety app. The former provides protection for workers who don’t need to carry around extra equipment, while the latter offers a range of security features that can also include real-time location tracking and two-way communication.

Regardless of the type of panic button chosen, they all have one thing in common: the ability to send a duress alert to a monitoring center. This is often done via a wireless system, such as LPWAN technology (Low Power Wide Area Network) that uses access point devices to relay data between the button and a central hub or server. This type of solution is more expensive than a system that uses cellular technology, but it can be more reliable and easier to install.

In addition to a panic button, some lone worker safety solutions feature a duress button that can be triggered by pressing the power button on the device four times. This allows workers to alert a monitoring centre even if the phone is in airplane mode or the screen is locked, reducing the risk of false alarms.

The number of workplace violence incidents is on the rise in the United States, and this is a major concern for employers who employ lone workers. Many employees feel that they would be more safe in the event of a robbery or assault if they were equipped with a way to call for help. A panic button can also be helpful for workers in high-risk environments such as construction sites, as they can signal an incident to nearby personnel before it escalates.

The best way to determine whether your staff need a panic button is to perform a thorough risk assessment and consult them on the matter. However, it’s important to note that lone work safety solutions like the ones offered by SafetyLine are designed to be more comprehensive than standalone panic buttons.
3. Lanyard

As a workplace safety solution, panic buttons provide a vital tool for protecting employees who may find themselves in a dangerous situation. They allow lone workers to discreetly call for help without raising suspicion or aggravating the situation. Oftentimes, this is especially useful in volatile environments like banks, jewellery stores, hotels and restaurants where staff can be at risk for assault and intimidation by guests or customers.

A lanyard type of lone worker panic button is worn around an employee’s neck or clipped to the front of their clothing and is accessible at all times. The device is programmed to send an emergency alert to a central monitoring station if the employee presses the button. If an alert is triggered, it immediately enables security or management to talk to the worker, follow their escalation procedure and dispatch police or other help to the location of the employee.

Many different US states and cities have unique safety legislation that requires employers to give their lone workers portable panic buttons. These include laws that require healthcare workers and hotel staff to have a device for contacting assistance in the event of a threatening or violent situation. The devices are also recommended by OSHA for social service and healthcare workers, who can be exposed to physical aggression, threats or other unwanted behaviours at work.

When an alert is triggered, the employee’s monitor will notify security and staff members who have been identified in the system as associates to be contacted by SMS or email. The monitor will also automatically update the GPS location of the employee to let the monitoring centre know where the worker is.

Personal Alarms The lone worker panic button alarm will sound at a loud enough volume to deter the threatening or aggressive person and make them aware that their location has been signalled to law enforcement. The worker can also tamper with the button to cause an audible alarm to activate and scare away the person or deter them from continuing the threat.

While panic buttons are essential in the fight against workplace violence, a lone worker safety solution like SafetyLine offers a more comprehensive approach to employee safety. Its real-time monitoring, GPS tracking and automated check-ins ensure that employees are protected at all times.
4. Wifi

A wifi lone worker panic button is an option that requires no additional hardware and works via a mobile phone’s internet connection. This type of lone worker solution can be especially useful for employees who do not have the ability to carry or wear devices like lanyards or bluetooth buttons, as well as those who work in environments with poor cell signal or are constantly moving between locations and may struggle to keep up with charging their device.

When the lone worker app is activated, it sends an alert to designated contact(s), including GPS location details. It’s also possible for the lone worker app to send pre-programmed messages, such as “Working alone check in” or “I need help now”. This helps to ensure that all relevant parties are aware of the individual’s status and can respond accordingly.

Some lone worker apps also have a man-down or fall detection feature, which will trigger an alarm if the user hasn’t checked in for a specified period of time. Combined with the emergency alert functionality, this makes these types of apps particularly effective at providing peace of mind to employees who work in remote or isolated environments.

While a wifi lone worker panic button can be an excellent option, it’s important to remember that any lone worker safety device will only be effective if the employee uses it regularly. This is why it’s essential to find a lone worker solution that works with the employee’s existing technology.

Many lone workers already have a mobile phone that can act as a panic button. This means that, in addition to offering a cost-effective way of protecting lone workers, the use of a lone worker app will increase employee buy-in and usage. The convenience and simplicity of a lone worker app will make it far more likely that employees will actually use it in the event of an emergency, compared to a device that must be physically carried with them or accessed on a computer. As a result, this type of lone worker panic button is becoming increasingly popular.
Read More: https://loneworkerdevices.com/personal-alarm/