En route to their next job, one of your workers gets lost in an unfamiliar, high-crime neighborhood. All of a sudden, they could find themselves becoming part of the 1.3 million workers who are victims of workplace violence each year.
What if there was a way to warn workers when entering a high-risk zone or ensure workers stay within designated routes? The answer—geofencing.
For organizations managing lone or at-risk workers, geofencing provides an important layer of oversight, allowing real-time movement monitoring within designated areas. This not only helps monitor workers' locations but also enables swift responses to potential safety risks, improving operational efficiency and, most importantly, keeping workers safe.
Geofencing is a location-based tool that sets virtual boundaries around specific areas. When a lone worker crosses these boundaries, alerts are sent to the appropriate people. This is especially helpful for workers in remote or dangerous areas, as it allows for real-time monitoring without constant manual check-ins.
Geofencing is a key feature of our SafetyAware solution.
Employers create virtual zones, known as geofences, around specific areas. These could be hazardous zones, work sites, or safe zones. Geofencing then uses GPS or satellite technology to monitor the worker’s location within these boundaries.
The lone worker’s device (a smartphone app, or GPS-enabled device) sends signals in real-time to monitor their movement. The system constantly checks if the worker is inside or outside the geofence.
If the worker enters or leaves a geofenced area, the system sends an automatic alert to both the worker and the monitoring team. These alerts inform supervisors if a worker is in a restricted or hazardous area, or has exited a safe zone.
If a worker crosses a geofence and doesn’t check in or respond, an escalation plan can be triggered. This ensures that the appropriate personnel are notified and can respond if the worker is in danger.
Once you’ve set up a geofence, you can use it to indicate three levels of severity.
The first severity of geofencing is for information gathering. Our system can clock when any worker has entered and exited the delimited location with a timestamp. If you have workers visiting client sites on a recurrent basis, for example, you can use geofences to gain insight on when they arrive and how long they are there for, as well as give their monitor a heads up that they are at an appointment.
You can also use geofencing for safety notifications. If a worker enters a high-risk area, such as a hazardous gas zone, the system can send a real-time safety alert, like “High risk of gas. Don’t forget your gas detector.” This ensures that workers are aware of potential dangers before they begin a task.
Finally, geofences can be set up for no-go zones. For example, in a mining site with areas that are extremely dangerous, such as tailings ponds, crossing the geofence triggers an immediate SOS alert. This sets off an emergency response, focusing on removing the worker from harm as quickly as possible.
Geofencing offers several benefits for organizations looking to protect lone workers. First, it enhances real-time lone worker monitoring by setting up virtual boundaries around specific areas. When a worker enters or leaves these zones, the system records the movement and provides essential data about worker activity, improving accountability and time management.
Second, geofencing boosts safety by sending automated notifications when workers cross into hazardous areas. This helps prevent accidents and ensures that workers are alerted to dangers in real time.
Third, geofencing enables swift emergency responses. This prompts an escalation plan designed to get the worker out of danger as quickly as possible, potentially saving lives in critical situations.
What sets Aware360’s geofencing feature apart is its flexibility and speed. In just one to three minutes, you can set up a dynamic geofence, allowing for real-time monitoring of lone workers in hazardous or sensitive areas. Unlike traditional systems, Aware360’s solution offers three levels of geofence functionality: information gathering, safety notifications, and critical emergency response.
The first level logs entry and exit data, providing accurate timestamps and locations. This is especially useful for service companies looking to improve transparency and efficiency.
The second level pushes out safety-centric notifications when a worker enters a high-risk zone. For example, in industries like energy, geofencing can remind workers to carry necessary safety equipment, such as a gas detector, based on the hazards of the location.
The third level is designed for emergency situations, triggering an SOS alert when someone enters a no-go zone. This feature is essential for high-risk environments like electrical transmission stations, where crossing certain boundaries could mean life-threatening danger.
Aware360’s geofencing is unique in its ability to not only monitor worker movements but also improve safety through customizable alerts and automated responses that can save lives.
Aware360’s geofencing feature is designed to keep workers safe by preventing them from unknowingly entering hazardous areas. Whether it’s logging time spent on-site or triggering an emergency response, geofencing helps ensure workers stay aware of potential risks. Even in routine tasks, the technology provides an extra layer of oversight, preventing complacency and keeping safety top of mind.
By integrating Aware360’s SafetyAware into your safety protocols, you reduce the risk of accidents and ensure that employees are consistently monitored, especially in high-risk environments. With Aware360’s geofencing, you can keep workers out of danger and maintain a proactive approach to safety.
Discover the benefits of integrating Aware360’s hazard timer into your safety protocols and how they improve lone worker safety.
Keep lone workers safe. Learn how panic buttons empower employees & ensure safety. Discover Aware360's solution.
Achieve a safer workplace by following Aware360’s 6 best practices for lone worker safety programs in 2024.