Founded in 1970, RPS is a leading global professional services firm of 5,000 consultants and service providers. Operating in 125 countries across six continents, RPS offers a wide range of services in the environmental planning and sustainability space, including project and programme management, water services, exploration and development, planning, approvals and training.
Workplace safety firm StaySafe has launched a unique way of helping organisations and lone, remote workers check in during crisis events or emergencies, all through the use of three simple words.
StaySafe partnered with location technology company what3words to design a method of locating workers and sending immediate help.
The location tracking does not work through standard GPS coordinates. Instead, what3words has categorised the entire world into 3x3m squares. Each square has been assigned three words from the dictionary.
For example, a specific spot in Singapore’s Silver Gardens is called ///hint.sculpture.tester, while ///homes.like.tiles is a spot directly outside the Sydney Town Hall.
If an organisation needs to quickly locate lone workers in an emergency, they or the employee can use the app to send help. Furthermore, if an employee does not check in safely or raises a panic alert within the app, monitoring agents at the organisation or an external monitoring firm can be notified. These monitoring agents can verify the alert and dispatch assistance.
what3words CEO Chris Sheldrick explains, “Growing up on a farm, the fact that we had no way to describe an exact location troubles me to this day. What if a fire had broken out in a barn or if someone was caught in running machinery? With what3words now available in the StaySafe app, it’s extremely reassuring to know that people working alone or in remote locations can tell emergency services exactly where help is needed fast enough to prevent extensive damage or avoidable injury.”
Ambulance Tasmania used what3words to rescue a hiker in April last year. Now, what3words is included in the Australian emergency services app, Emergency+.
The company explains, “ Emergency+, which helps people to call the right emergency number and confirm their location. With what3words now available in the app, people can tell Triple Zero (000) exactly where they need help with just three words and officers on the ground and first responders can use the free what3words app to get directions straight to their precise 3m location.”
In New Zealand, emergency services can deploy the free what3words app onto team devices so agents and first responders can use it to find a person easily.
StaySafe CEO Don Cameron says the low signal move can provide more coverage than similar apps on the market so employers can be confident their employees are protected.
“Adding the what3words functionality simplifies getting responders to the exact location of an incident quickly.”
As technology is rapidly advancing, health and safety challenges are increasingly being solved with the assistance of smartphone apps. From providing quick information on the go to reliable monitoring, the ability of smartphones to harness new technologies allows businesses to access low cost, effective safety solutions.
For those working alone, this is particularly valuable as support from colleagues is not always readily available. Yet with 85% of adults in the UK owning a smartphone, support from a mobile device is.
So in what ways can advancements in mobile technology aid the safety of lone workers? Read more
Garmin inReach mini offers a smaller, lighter satellite communication device with 100% global coverage through Iridium’s satellite network.
The new mini device offers much of the same functionality as the larger Garmin inReach and provides all of the core functionality of the StaySafe app. It will even allow a lone worker to trigger a panic alarm from a connected Garmin watch, and to exchange messages with a monitor using their watch too.
Accurate location tracking allows remote workers to be monitored from the StaySafe Hub, while an SOS panic allows them to signal for help in an emergency. If a panic alert is triggered on the device, StaySafe will notify a monitor immediately, allowing an organisation to take action.
Ericsson uses StaySafe to protect field service engineers working alone, out of hours and in areas of low signal.
Ericsson is a leading provider of technology, infrastructure and services to telecommunications operators around the world. As the world’s largest supplier of mobile networks, Ericsson provides mobile and broadband connections to more than 2 billion people globally.
In the UK, Ericsson has a team of over 500 lone workers who carry out maintenance services across the country. Working around the clock and in remote locations, lone working engineers use StaySafe to check-in with their supervisors while they work.
Ericsson has always recognised the importance of monitoring the safety of their lone workers and staying connected whenever they are out in the field. The business has its own in-house response team but needed a more reliable way for their employees to alert them in an emergency.
StaySafe monitors the location and safety status of lone working staff whenever they begin a timed session via the app. Missed check-in and session expiry alerts automatically alert the employer even when they are unable to do so, while a panic button can be used immediately to request emergency assistance. Beginning a session or triggering an alert, allows an external monitor at Ericsson to view an accurate location of the employee through the StaySafe Hub.
Due to the simplicity of the StaySafe solution, Ericsson employees were up and running with StaySafe in just two weeks. Training was rolled out to the team of lone workers online; through videos and digital user guides. StaySafe continued to support Ericsson following the initial rollout by working closely with the business to develop and customise the solution to fit their individual lone worker needs.
Leading renewable energy company, BeBa Energy, have implemented the StaySafe app to protect their lone workers who operate remotely on solar farms.
Working over a large worksite and facing a range of environmental risks, the company found that monitoring the safety and whereabouts of their employees, was proving difficult. By switching from a buddy system to a reliable mobile app, Beba Energy is able to ensure that their renewable energy specialists can be monitored while they work and always have a way to signal for help when in need of assistance.
Clinton Devon Estates is a rural estate comprising 10,000 hectares across East and North Devon and in addition to farming and forestry, operates a range of rural businesses and a portfolio of residential and commercial property.
The company’s lone workers are required to perform off-site duties, which range from independent site visits to using heavy machinery and working at height. Workers are also at risk when travelling between locations (as driving is reportedly the largest killer in the world) whilst staff who are obligated to enter tenant’s houses could be at risk of verbal or physical assault.
Being based in the rural countryside also poses its own safety challenges, due to limited data connection and signal.
Not-for-profit organisation, CUPS, use StaySafe on Cat® rugged smartphones for a robust, reliable way to protect their community workers.
Calgary Urban Project Society (CUPS) are a non-profit organisation working to support individuals and families in overcoming the challenges of poverty. CU
PS provide the resources needed for individuals to get their lives on track and achieve their full potential through three main services; housing, education and health care.
CUPS were previously using a different service to monitor staff safety but felt that it wasn’t enough to carry out their duty of care. While it provided a rough idea of where staff were located, it was not enough to locate them quickly in an emergency. They also found that it wasn’t suitable for all of their lone workers and so only a couple of teams were able to use it. Read more
Leading forestry contractor Coombes use the StaySafe app downloaded onto their smartphones to monitor employee safety via GPS and alerts.
Employees at Coombes, who work on arboricultural projects for organisations including the Forestry Commission and Crown Estates, are often required to undertake work at height and use potentially dangerous machinery. To better meet their duty of care to their employees and accurately monitor their safety whilst they work, Coombes have launched BS8484* accredited lone worker safety solution StaySafe. Read more