AUTOMATED EMPLOYEE CHECK-IN TECHNOLOGY
If one of your lone workers fails to check in, how long will it take to find your employee and deliver help—potentially hours after the incident occurred??
In our last few posts we have explored the benefits of three important lone worker monitoring features—Blackline’s True Fall Detection® technology, our man down / no-motion detection technology and SureSafe™ and LiveResponse™ technology.
Our suite of Loner® work-alone devices have an additional, automated feature: automated employee check-in capability. Many of our customers use check-in technology as an additional layer of automation to support fall detection and man-down alert capability in some work-alone scenarios.
But aren’t employee check-ins passé? The quick answer is yes and no. Read on to learn how a modern check-in product feature can differ from old-school processes and increase the value to your organization.
OLD-SCHOOL, MANUAL CHECK-INS ARE COSTLY
Traditional check-in processes require all lone workers to periodically cease their work and manage a check-in. Your businesses must balance the scheduled interruption with the need for productivity.
These check-ins require the employee to call a co-worker, colleague who is on call, supervisor and even a call center or automated phone system. Regardless of who performs the monitoring function, your business is losing valuable productivity during the time it takes for the employee to check in—both the lone worker and the other party receiving the call. Such manual processes are not acceptable in our Information Age where businesses are required to ‘do more with less.’
One of the more dangerous activities that your lone workers may face is pulling over on a busy road to check in.
MANUAL CHECK-INS ARE INEFFECTIVE
Compounding the situation, manual check-in systems are limited in their capability to efficiently detect an incident. A two-hour check-in respects your business’s bottom line with less frequent interruption but also leaves a large window for risk for lone workers.
An employee working alone—who needs help—may go unnoticed for up to two hours. Your employee could be virtually anywhere on your site or between sites during this two-hour period. How long then will it take to find the employee to deliver needed assistance? When the employee is found, it may only be a false alarm, but then even more productivity is lost.
MODERN CHECK-INS
Lone worker-worn technology eliminates the drain on value delivered by your lone workers and and supervisors while dramatically increasing capability for rapid incident detection, employee locating and response management.
Blackline’s lone worker monitoring devices and iOS / Android smartphone safety app provide a configurable check-in timer that confirms the employee’s well-being according to a regular schedule—and without degrading worker and supervisor productivity.
CHECKING IN
Blackline’s work-alone devices offer employees a couple of options to check in. The first is responding to a check-in request—the Loner device uses an audible, visual and tactile local alarm to call for the employee to check in. Checking in easy and quick—with the simple press inward of the red emergency latch—an action that can be performed confidently without looking.
The second option of checking in can be performed proactively, before a scheduled check-in request occurs. Some tasks require full attention. With an early check-in, the employee resets the check-in timer, providing the full amount of time to perform duties without the audible, visual and tactile request occurring until the next scheduled interval.
FAILING TO CHECK IN
A visual, audible and tactile local alarm requests the employee to check in. The default check-in request period provides 30 seconds for the employee to check in. This timer can be configured over-the-air through an update to the device configuration profile within the monitoring account.
If the lone worker is unable to check in before the end of the check-in request period, a missed check-in alert is communicated through wireless communications to the Blackline Safety Network. This alert is distributed to specified individuals within the organization according to the alert profile and the alert is managed by monitoring personnel through to resolution.
AVOIDING TIME-WASTING FALSE ALARMS
We have recently discussed our new Loner M6 Series’ two-way voice communications capability that enables monitoring personnel to communicate with the lone worker directly. This functionality eliminates the expense related to sending out the search team to find a lone worker who has failed to check in manually.
Similarly, our Loner Bridge System for remote lone worker monitoring features two-way text messaging that allows monitoring personnel to communicate directly with lone workers.
SERVER SYNCHRONIZED CHECK-INS
Blackline’s lone worker devices, the Loner M6 Series and Loner Bridge System, each incorporate server-synchronized check-ins. Awareness of the next scheduled check-in exists both within the lone worker device and within the Blackline Safety Network—our core safety monitoring infrastructure.
If an employee’s Loner device is damaged, the battery drains or the device moves beyond wireless coverage, safety monitoring personnel are notified when the employee fails to check in next.
MORE FREQUENT CHECK-INS ARE VIABLE
Some work alone scenarios feature increased risk and for these situations a more frequent check-in interval may be warranted. But more frequent manual checkins may result in too much of a productivity drain for the lone worker and supervisor.
Blackline’s lone worker devices provide the option of a more frequent check-in without impacting productivity. A check-in interval of 15 minutes is viable, requiring only a momentary button-press to check in.
AROUND-THE-CLOCK SAFETY MONITORING
Blackline’s in-house Safety Operations Centre, and our Alarm Receiving Centre partners in the United Kingdom and Pacific, delivers 24/7 live monitoring of lone workers Worldwide.
CONTACT US
Do you have the right program in place to deliver a real-time, location-based emergency response for your lone workers when a slip, trip or fall occurs?
Let’s talk about how we can help elevate your current safety monitoring program. Connect with us today to book your free demonstration.
POSTED BY BRENDON COOK | APRIL 12, 2016 | BLACKLINE SAFETY