Lone workers are particularly vulnerable when it comes to working environments and using a walkie talkie system is just one simple thing that can be used to offer some protection for those workers.
There are many industries which require lone working personnel such as the manufacturing, security, chemical plants, mining, transport and farming industry to name but a few. Many of those industries may require covering a large area, areas that are remote or that are highly hazardous, so having some protection/added safety measures in place is highly recommended.
Walkie talkies for lone workers
In the case of lone workers, there are walkie talkies designed with specific features that can be triggered in the case of an emergency. Features such as ‘man down’ are vital in case of emergencies where a worker needs some help assistance ASAP. Health and safety need to be considered in all aspects of employment, but for lone working environments it’s a must, especially when you think the dangers of some industries such as oil rigs, security, engineering and health workers where personnel are vulnerable to hazards or at risk of coming across anti-social or violent behaviour.
Trigger the alarm
Emergency situations trigger an alarm which transmits a message across a whole radio system. It can send an alarm sound, text or voice message, and ideally, this can also be connected to other means of communication such as directly to mobile phones, email or a central security system. The system can be arranged and filtered to suit what is considered ideal for your working situations.
The way the alarm is triggered is relatively simple; there are many ways to set off the alarm, but the most common ones are as follows;
- Lack of response.
- Man down, no movement or placed in one position (example side) for a prolonged time.
- Panic button is triggered.
- Inactive use for a prolonged time.
- Out of range or specific boundary.
Man down – this feature is triggered when a device has fallen into a position (usually an angle not natural so on its side, upside down etc.) following an incident where a worker has perhaps fallen and become injured or unconscious. Once the user is sent a warning and failed to respond, the alarm is automatically triggered at that point.
Lone worker – The respondent must address an alert within a set time barrier, and if the alert is not responded to and the inactivity has surpassed a specific set time, the alarm is triggered.
Panic button – Emergency panic buttons are generally noticeable as most devices have the same mechanism consisting of an orange panic button situated at the top of a device. It can be set to send an alarm to other radios of the base enabling the identity of the user who sends the alert.
In the situation of working in hazardous & potentially explosive environments, where combustible dust or explosive gas threaten the worker’s safety, then you are required to use ATEX certified licensed digital & analogue two-way radio equipment.
