A Northern Ireland based charity, Addiction NI, have chosen to protect their staff who work alone by equipping them with a lone working personal safety smartphone application.
The app lets the user log in and out of daily tasks and allows them to raise a panic alarm should their safety be compromised.
Addiction NI is an alcohol and drug treatment charity providing treatment for people with drug or alcohol problems. They also give confidential support for people affected by someone else’s drinking or drug use.
Addiction NI provide outreach services in clients’ homes. These appointments are often carried out by a single worker and hence they are open to the risks associated with lone working. Alan Coleman, Project Manager at Addiction NI said: “Staff often work alone and can operate several miles from their office base. In addition to the risk of physical and verbal abuse presented by clients who may be intoxicated, there is also the risk presented by others who may be in the home when staff call.”
The charity decided they needed extra support to safeguard their workers. Guardian24 was chosen as the lone worker safety protection used via Blackberry smartphones, without the cost of purchasing extra devices. With the ability to log in and out of daily tasks and by having the ability to raise a panic alarm should an issue occur where safety is compromised, Addiction NI are meeting their duty of care, says Belfast-based Guardian24.
Addiction NI have found that the app has provided reassurance and peace of mind to their staff by allowing them to carry out their jobs with the knowledge that they have protection should they find themselves in exposed to risk. Alan Coleman adds: “The Guardian24 service has greatly enhanced our lone working policy and procedures. The system is easy to operate and provides staff with the reassurance that if a situation arose in which they felt they were at risk, they have immediate access to a panic alarm to summon help.”
A further reassurance for charity staff is that if their session with a client exceeds the estimated duration of the activity that they logged, Guardian24 will instigate an escalating response to check on their safety. Alan adds: “Our managerial staff make full use of the Guardian24 reports such as the monitoring reports allowing managers the ability to immediately pinpoint staff’s location in the event of an alarm being raised.”
Guardian24’s Marketing Manager, Leona Mills said, “Addiction NI join our ever growing list of charities who use our invaluable service to protect their lone workers. With over 33,000 users throughout the UK and Ireland, our award winning technology continues to protect the vulnerable lone workers in this sector.”
For more on Guardian24 visit http://www.guardian24.co.uk.
About Guardian24
The Guardian24 subscriber base now exceeds 33,000 UK users; with about 400 public and private sector organisations. Among customers are local authorities, healthcare services, housing associations, central government bodies, educational institutions, charities, banks, insurance and construction firms. Guardian24 services are used via a range of devices including Blackberry, Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, feature phone or specialist Lone Worker devices. Visit www.guardian24.co.uk.
