Veolia Picks StaySafe For Solo Workers In Remote Locations

With workers often performing tasks in remote and unmanned locations, Veolia has turned to StaySafe technology for better visibility of its employee’s location while alone. Veolia’s Water Division, situated across Australia and New Zealand, now also adheres to Section 48 of the NSW Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017.

StaySafe is a smartphone app and cloud-based monitoring hub which gives visibility of an employee’s location whilst they work alone. In an emergency, employees can use the app to raise a variety of alerts to ensure that help is sent immediately to the right location.

Workers are often situated at remote locations or unmanned sites where they are out of contact with other workers or members of the public for extended periods. In addition, poor phone reception in these locations can make it difficult to notify emergency services if there is an issue while the staff is alone in the field.

In late 2020, Veolia decided to review and standardize their lone worker solution. Before deciding on a new solution, Veolia first trialed the StaySafe app to assess its suitability. The free trial allowed their lone workers to use the system during their normal workday and when responding to call-outs after hours. It also enabled users and managers to test several different scenarios to check the app’s usability, functionality, and response process.

At the end of the trial, over 92 percent of Veolia’s trial participants said they would prefer to use the StaySafe app compared to our old system

explains Scott Murphy, Manager Operational Excellence at Veolia Australia – New Zealand.

Following the successful trial, Veolia switched the 60 operators and maintenance staff across its 25 Hunter region sites to StaySafe. Since that time, Veolia has moved an additional 20 staff across three sites in the Illawarra Region to StaySafe.

Part of the value provided to Veolia and our employees is the ability to easily raise an alarm and get help, or, if an incident occurs, be easily located by emergency services,

said Karen Arkinstall, Compliance Manager for Veolia’s Hunter Water contract.

The StaySafe app is linked to a secure cloud-based hub that provides businesses with real-time updates on the safety status of their lone workers. In an emergency, employers can accurately locate their staff on a map and send immediate assistance to them. The hub is customizable and allows employers to create tailored reporting lines and escalation procedures to ensure lone workers get the help they need in an emergency.

Health and Safety Legislation in New Zealand makes it clear that the risks to lone workers, who can be particularly vulnerable if an accident or incident occurs, are adequately managed. StaySafe helps companies keep in regular communication with staff, in a way that can be managed and monitored carefully by the company. Not only does it provide a robust way to ensure staff gets help if they need it, but it also provides an audit trail to show that safety measures have been put in place should an incident occur.

said Don Cameron, CEO at StaySafe.