Due to social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s created major changes to how people work. Never before has there been such an increased need for people to work alone in remote arrangements.
While this means spreading the virus is less likely, more people working alone in the community means more lone workers in need of new safety protection.
Luckily with the emergence of new technology, wearable devices are able to help our lone workers. A duress safety watch is one device that can give protection to lone workers and let them get on with their job.
Challenges faced by lone workers
Unfortunately, many lone workers experience challenging situations in their day-to-day work. This can range from accidents to themselves or clients to environmental hazards (such as broken equipment or cords on the ground) to even physical or verbal abuse.
Lone healthcare workers can face other challenges such as a patient experiencing a medical emergency. In situations such as these, time is of the essence as it could mean the difference between the person receiving medical attention or not making it.
Council workers often travel between suburbs to visit clients at all hours of the day or night, which is why keeping them safe should be an organisation’s top priority.
Why a duress safety watch is beneficial to lone workers
Wearing a duress safety watch is one way for employers to keep their lone workers safe while they’re out in the community. If people are constantly worried about their safety while they’re at work, this can cause long-lasting impacts on their mental health and wellbeing. Protecting lone workers and making them feel that help isn’t far away will not only increase their sense of loyalty to an employer, but they’ll feel less apprehensive about going to work.
Employers may even find that they see an improvement in the attitude of their staff members when supplied with duress safety watches. For many lone workers, getting back-up isn’t always an option, so a duress watch can be a much faster way than running for help or calling a colleague who may not answer the phone.
How a duress safety watch works
A duress safety watch works much like a normal smartwatch. You can check the time, and count your steps, but the main difference is that it can connect you with a response centre when you need help quickly. For example, the MePACS Solo is a duress watch that allows you to tap an ‘alert’ icon or double tap on the ‘home key’ to signal that you require help. This will connect you directly with a trained professional at the response centre within two minutes.
Once they have determined what your situation is, they will then either contact your nominated person or emergency services if the situation has escalated. Duress watches can be used in case of an accident, a client experiencing a medical emergency or a situation that may endanger lives.
Other applications for a duress safety watch
There are other benefits that a duress safety watch can provide including:
Contact tracing
Geofencing technology means that businesses can trace where their employers have been and who they have come into contact with. This can be a particularly useful tool for those working in healthcare or aged care.
Check-in function
A lone worker can set a check-in time on their watch for when they are scheduled to arrive at a destination, such as a client’s house. If the wearer doesn’t update that the check-in occurred, then an alert will be sent to a response centre to see if the person is safe.
GPS tracking
This can be useful if someone is trying to get in contact with the wearer, but they are unable to respond due to the situation. The person can easily be located using the built-in GPS on the duress watch to determine where they are.
