The Definition and Function of Lone Worker Panic Buttons

As workplaces recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, employers are wondering whether it would be wise to equip their staff with personal alarm panic buttons. Lone worker alarms may prove beneficial for employees who spend an extended amount of time alone but would benefit from having an instant means of calling for assistance should an emergency or accident occur; it is however essential that employers understand the definition and function of a lone worker panic button before investing in one.

Lone worker devices, apps or safety apps work by sending signals to an Alarm Receiving Center (ARC), when an individual presses a panic button on the device. Once received by an ARC, these alerts can then be forwarded onto appropriate people or services as quickly as possible. This approach to protection provides greater reliability than text messages or hourly phone calls alone as there will always be someone available to respond and escalate a situation as needed.

Ideal devices should also offer GPS tracking so the employee's location can be sent directly to the ARC for tracking purposes, especially in remote working environments where cell signals or WIFI may not reach them. Furthermore, devices should be simple to activate with one action such as pushing or pulling to send out sustained signal transmission - this makes using it under pressure easy when seconds and minutes count!





An additional advantage of having a lone worker panic button is preventing aggressive or threatening behavior from customers and other employees in healthcare or hospitality environments where risk levels are high. Some cities have even passed laws mandating that hotels and other businesses provide workers with panic buttons as part of staff safety requirements.

Lone worker New Zealand Your legal obligations regarding providing panic buttons for lone workers depend on their workplace and environment; however, research indicates that risks to these employees are real; research also demonstrates that chances of adverse outcome in an emergency double every eight minutes. Employers should therefore prioritize providing employees with access to appropriate tools for the task at hand and communicate to them that safety should always come first. To address this, the best approach is to conduct a risk analysis and then inform staff of the benefits of using a lone worker panic alarm device or app before starting work alone. If they are comfortable using such devices, using them may help ease anxieties while creating an organisation-wide culture of safety.