Will GPS Technology Keep Your Lone Workers Safe? Think Again
Satellite technologies have evolved to the point that nearly every smart device comes equipped with the ability to track and report GPS location. The workforce has picked up on this trend, and many employers today use satellite devices to track their workers and assets in remote areas.GPS is a powerful tool that can help businesses improve communication within a mobile workforce, but where GPS often fails is in providing a complete safety monitoring system. Read on for the top 5 reasons that GPS alone isn’t enough when it comes to safety for your workers.
#5 GPS devices may not meet an employer’s legal obligation to their employees
Depending on where your workers are located, GPS alone may not be enough to comply with lone worker safety legislation. Several Canadian provinces require regular communication with remote workers that includes a system for timed check-ins.
#4 GPS gives you the position of a device, not a person
Employers relying on the position reported by their equipment or vehicles to monitor remote workers depend on those employees being located near that equipment during an emergency. By the time someone responds to the employee’s emergency, that individual could be far from help.
#3 GPS technology can be unreliable
GPS accuracy relies on many factors that are often out of your control. The GPS chipset of a device, the presence of tall trees and buildings, and the availability of cell towers can all cause an employee’s position to be misreported or not reported at all.
#2 Location only tells half the story
Once you’ve established the location of an employee, how much do you really know? Without communication between a remote worker and those responsible for their safety, it’s impossible to plan an appropriate emergency response.
#1 GPS technology relies on employees being proactive
Unless your employees have a way of communicating with you while working remotely, you won’t know when someone in distress is unable to call for help. Even if a worker is tracked in real-time, by the time an emergency response is mounted it could be too late.
Implementing a complete monitoring solution
GPS tracking can be an important part of your emergency response protocols, but it shouldn’t be the only method of communicating with your employees. By connecting your GPS-capable devices with a lone worker monitoring service like SafetyLine, you can make sure that your employees get help when they need it, even when they’re not able to able to call for help themselves.For more information about how SafetyLine can give you a complete safety monitoring system, GPS included, call 1-888-WRK-ALNE or contact us here.