Smartphones have changed our lives in ways we never imagined possible. We have instant access to seemingly endless information. We have directions to wherever we need to go. We can share everything about our lives with our friends, family and the entire online world. All of this in a handheld device that fits in your pocket. It’s truly amazing.
But when it comes to employee safety, it’s not enough. Smartphones can do many things, but they are limited in ways that can be the difference between tragedy and safety for employee safety. While many believe they can easily use their phone to call for help, this seemingly simple step just won’t cut it in a true emergency. Here’s why smartphones are a false sense of security in these situations:
While your smartphone is almost always with you, it may not be in reach in an emergency—even if it’s in your pocket. Incidents can happen in the blink of an eye and reaching for your phone may not be an option. And while most people carry their phones with them most of the time, they are not tethered to your person in any way. The phone may be in a purse, on a desk, left in the car or knocked away. When it comes to employee safety, hoping a phone is nearby and immediately accessible is not enough. Wearable safety technology, like a wearable panic button on a necklace or belt loop, is a much better option. A wearable panic button is on your person 100% of the time and requires only the push of a button to do its job.
While a wearable panic button requires only a single push with your finger, there are multiple steps to execute the same function on a smartphone. You must find the phone, unlock it, open the phone app, then scroll through a list to find the person you want to text or call. While that process might only take less than 20 seconds if done perfectly, in an emergency situation, 20 seconds can be an eternity. While a smartphone can perform a wide variety of functions, you only need one function in an emergency—and you need to execute it in a split second.
Those who are looking to commit an assault are well aware that most of their victims will probably have a smartphone on them, and they will make every effort to take that phone out of play by knocking it away or taking it from their victim. What they won’t be looking for is wearable safety technology. Similarly, if an employee is having a medical emergency, they may be too incapacitated to reach for their phone. Wearable panic buttons are easily within reach, giving victims of either a crime or a medical emergency a better chance of getting help quickly.
Smartphones are decidedly not discreet. Everyone has one, and everyone knows that fact. The phone is the first thing an attacker will look to eliminate. Wearable panic buttons, on the other hand, are discreet. They are designed to look like jewelry or key fobs—general items that people would wear or carry, but not recognizable as a safety device. If the assailant isn’t looking for it, you will have a much better chance of sending out an alarm.
Let’s say you’re in an emergency situation, and you manage to find your phone, unlock it and place a call for help. What if no one answers? Will you have time to leave a message? When will that message be heard? If you’re using a smartphone to manage emergencies and employee safety, you’re making a wager that everything will go right. In life, that’s rarely the case.
Wearable panic buttons eliminate the cumbersome steps needed to call for help. When paired with a safety platform like the one offered by SolusGuard, the emergency signal goes to an entire list of people, then makes a backup call to 911 if contacts don’t respond immediately, so you’ll never have to worry about someone not picking up the phone. The system also locates the user via GPS, letting help know where to find you even if you can’t talk.
In today’s day and age, employee safety is paramount, and businesses should take their responsibility for employee safety very seriously. There are no shortcuts to stopping a tragedy but there are a lot of smart ways to do it. A wearable panic button is a great option for businesses who are serious about employee safety.
Interested in wearable safety technology for your workforce? Contact SolusGuard today for a complimentary consultation and demo.