In accordance with the ‘Health and Safety at Work’ act of 1974, every UK-based employer is legally obliged to look out for their employees and not expose them to undue risks.
This is a good and noble law and one that has doubtless saved many lives since it was first passed almost 40 years ago. This law has also led to the development of many new technologies aimed at keeping workers safe…One tool that is completely indispensable to the lone worker is his or her two-way radio.
Today, many two-way radios come with a ‘Lone Worker’ function. This function sounds an alarm if the device has not been used within a set amount of time. Using this function, an employer can dispatch a worker into a potentially hazardous area, but still account for their safety to as great a degree as possible.
So, what sort of places might be hazardous to a lone worker? Workers who operate in and around chemical and manufacturing plants are a good example of lone workers who, using their two-way radios, can keep in constant, immediate contact with their control centre. Potential exposure to hazardous chemicals, dangerous machinery and so on can place these jobs in the ‘high risk’ category, making a walkie-talkie system a veritable necessity. After that, consider construction workers, taxi drivers and miners; people who need to be contactable every step of the way.
In addition to that, there are also security guards, policemen and bouncers to consider, all of whom risk running into potential violence, as well as scenarios that may require immediate assistance and/or rapid medical attention.
In recent years, there has been a steady growth in the amount of people operating as lone workers. Workforce reductions forced upon recession-hit businesses have caused some workers to operate alone, for example. However, there are also more care in the community groups (such as youth workers), late night deliveries being made, increased security/surveillance concerns and people taking on night work just to make ends meet. In order to keep these hard working professionals safe, companies are required to invest in the technology that can keep their workforce secure and looked after.
Two-way radios are durable, dependable and easy to operate. They are a proven and trusted technology and they save lives. These days, it would be positively unthinkable to send an employee into a potentially hazardous situation without first equipping them with the relevant safety gear and a two-way radio.
