Suddenly, society came to a standstill. We were asked to work from home as much as possible, shopping streets became deserted, and sports clubs had to close their doors. Fortunately, the number of COVID-19 infections and deaths has since decreased, and the strict measures are gradually being eased. We are moving from an Intelligent Lockdown to an Intelligent Unlock. However, we will still face restrictions for a longer time and will need to work differently than before. But how will you manage this in your organization or institution?

In this unique situation, we are using our expertise to make working and living easier, better, and safer. Through a series of short articles, we provide examples of how you can use (your existing) security technology to address this. In this article, we focus on working safely alone.

One of the recommendations we’ve been given is to work from home as much as possible, and we are doing so en masse. The largest remote working experiment ever conducted seems to be successful, and it is expected that the way we work will permanently change. For now, at least, there are far fewer people in the office, which increases the risk of people working alone in parts of a building. This brings new safety risks and responsibilities. Fortunately, there are smart, user-friendly solutions, such as
Symphia NowForce to protect your employees.

With Symphia NowForce, you can confidently allow your employees to work alone; your so-called lone workers are safe and feel secure. This solution stands out from the usual emergency call systems, as it not only includes an emergency button but also has a “reverse” function, allowing employees to regularly confirm that they are still safe. Symphia NowForce works via an app that your employees can install on their smartphones. It’s practical and user-friendly; no additional alarm devices are needed. The only thing the lone worker has to do upon arriving at the location is activate the Symphia NowForce app. No local infrastructure is required.

Emergency button in case of an emergency

Depending on your business activities, various things can go wrong on-site, from an accident or threat to someone becoming unwell. If the employee has activated the Symphia NowForce app, they can immediately press the emergency button, after which they will be connected to the control room or a member of your in-house emergency response team, and the appropriate help can be called immediately.

Escort-me function

If your organization deals with specific risks, such as kidnapping or severe accidents due to working with certain machinery, it’s not always realistic to expect that your employee will be able to press the emergency button in a crisis. In such situations, it’s better for your employee to check in periodically to confirm they are still safe. With the Escort-Me function, you can set the app to send a signal at regular intervals (this is adjustable). The lone worker must then confirm that everything is still okay by clicking a button in the app. If the employee fails to do so—even after receiving reminders—a distress signal will be sent to the control room or the emergency response team.

There are also risks when your employee is en route. In such cases, the Escort-Me function offers a solution. Once your employee departs, they can activate this function and indicate how long they expect to be traveling. A timer will then start for the specified duration, during which the control room can track the employee’s location in real-time. In case of an emergency, the employee can press the emergency button. When the timer is about to expire, the employee receives a notification and must confirm whether they have arrived safely or need to extend the escort time. If no response is given, an emergency protocol is automatically activated.

A future-proof investment

With a solution like this, your employees will feel safe when working alone. How long this temporary “new normal” will last is hard to predict. We believe it’s important that the investments organizations make remain profitable in the long term. Symphia NowForce is more than just a standard emergency response app. You can easily expand the software into an innovative and user-friendly incident response management system, enabling you and all your employees to respond efficiently to incidents.

We are happy to help you!

Do you have questions or would you like to explore these types of solutions with us? We offer you the opportunity to have a free, non-binding one-hour conversation with one of our specialists. Remotely, of course. Our specialists can tell you exactly what solution best fits your situation and challenge.

Call for an introductory conversation: (026) 479 22 33, mail to sales@mactwin.nl or visit our contact page.