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Lone Worker


Keep your team safe – wherever they might be

Introduction

It is increasingly common for businesses to integrate lone worker services with their health and safety, security or governance, risk and compliance (GRC) policies to reduce risk to their organization and to their lone-working staff. The generally accepted view is that taking this step leads to an enhanced reputation for corporate social responsibility and better all-round stakeholder engagement.

Compliance with published standards provides an effective way to go about integrating lone worker services, optimising the use of resources while maintaining a good level of support for lone workers.

Statement of Conformity

For each LWD available to a business, the team at Airsys.Cloud can provide a Statement of Conformity (SoC) evidencing that the LWD/LWA and ARC software meet the recommendations of the relevant sections of the standard and detail how each these recommendations are met.  This SoC can be revised and updated if changes occur that affect conformity.  Such self-certification by Airsys.Cloud is permitted under the standard and can be used by businesses with relevant stakeholders e.g. investors, insurers, employees etc.

Essential Functionality

The standard requires that all types of LWD/LWA should, as a minimum, possess the following functionality:

  • Ability to transmit the current or last known accurate location, including the time and date of when the location was captured, as well as the LWD/LWA identity;
  • Audio facility to aid the operator when determining the nature of the LW’s situation;
  • Communication network signal strength and battery indicator;
  • Battery life to meet the user’s anticipated usage;
  • Low battery warning both from the LWD/LWA and any associated apparatus to be available to both the LW and the ARC;
  • Capability to communicate a pre-activation message/call;
  • Capability to communicate an activation message/call;
  • Capability to initiate an audio connection to the ARC and the capability to retry an agreed number of times;
  • Capability to be remotely accessed by the ARC operator to establish/request a location in the event of an incident or an authorized request from the business. Any remote access messages/calls should be in accordance with an authenticated procedure, e.g. receiving messages/calls from a pre-registered number. Where this functionality is included, the LWD/LWA should include a security feature to prevent unauthorized requests;
  • Capability for the ARC operator to initiate a message/call and listen discreetly in the event that a message/call from the LWD/LWA is prematurely terminated or there is an authorized request from the user. Any remote access messages/calls should be in accordance with an authenticated procedure, e.g. receiving messages/calls from a pre-registered number. Where this functionality is included, the LWD/LWA should include a security feature to prevent unauthorized requests;
  • Means to minimize accidental activation.

Environmental Risk

The standard requires that where an LWD/LWA is to be used by an LW who has a risk profile that includes environmental risk, the following additional device features should be included:

  • Ability to raise an activation message/call on the LWs behalf if the device senses the LW has become incapacitated;
  • Ability to carry out an audible/visual/vibration pre-alert to the LW for a defined period of time before an activation message/call sent to enable the LW to cancel the activation; and
  • Capability to initiate an indication (e.g. vibration) to the LW to confirm that the activation message/call has been connected to the ARC.

People Risk

The standard requires that where an LWD/LWA is to be used by an LW who has a risk profile that includes people risk, the following additional device features should be included:

  • An LWD/LWA that is appropriate to the LW and the tasks they carry out, i.e. form function and usability;
  • An ability to discreetly raise an activation message/call; and
  • A capability to initiate a discreet indication (e.g. vibration) to the LW to confirm that the activation message/call has been connected to the ARC.

Additional Functionality

The standard requires that the following additional functionality of an LWD or LWA should be provided where appropriate.

  • Where two-way voice communication is included, it should have the capability for the LW to hear operator comments, enabling the operator to provide reassurance and updates on response progress and orally request information from the LW where appropriate.
  • Where a timer is included, for example, on occasions where restrictions on position or the communications network are expected, or times when the LW is unable to activate the LWD, unless the timer is cancelled, an activation message/call should be presented to the operator.
  • Where geographical risk has been identified and geo-fenced areas are in use, an automatic notification indicating entry or exit should be sent to a business nominated point, e.g. to the LW, manager or the ARC.
  • Where a need to monitor battery capacity and mobile network signal strength has been identified, the device should be able to transmit this information to the ARC.

Conclusion

For those who work alone, communication and safety are critically important.

Lone Worker Protection is a bolt-on application for Airsys.Cloud BBPTT solution that allows integration of lone worker services with health and safety, risk management and compliance policies to help mitigate the risk to lone-working staff.

With alerting capability driven by:

  • Emergencies;
  • Man down;
  • Impact;
  • Lack of movement;
  • Periodic checks;
  • Connection & battery status; &

With protection against false alarms & an ability to immediately assemble Emergency Teams, any number of configurable outcomes can be triggered by the lone worker device.

Such outcomes include:

  • Instant alerting;
  • Full duplex audio or visual communications; &
  • Archived alerts and recordings for later examination

In use with compatible Lone Worker Devices, Airsys.Cloud’s Lone Worker Protection application conforms to accepted international Standards for Lone Worker Services and keeps your team safe – wherever they might be.