Connexion2’s Identicom lone worker device with man-down detection is now a ‘vital member of the team’ with the Porters managing the security at the world-renowned Churchill College, Cambridge. Procured specifically to reduce environmental risks faced by lone working staff, the product is now being used by a number of Porters as part of their dynamic risk assessment.
Supplied as part of Connexion2’s SoloProtect package, a fully managed solution for lone workers, Connexion2’s award-winning Identicom with man-down detection also includes SIM, Airtime, 24/7 monitoring, Training and Customer Support. Head Porter, Simon Orr, selected the solution, as porters have to work alone routinely as part of their role on campus.
Churchill College is one of the largest colleges in Cambridge occupying a 42-acre site. The College Archive Centre houses the papers of Sir Winston Churchill, Baroness Thatcher and over 600 of their contemporaries and is one of the most important repositories in the world for the research of recent history. The team of nine Porters work shifts on a 24/7 basis throughout the year, with two Porters on duty at any one time providing security to the College, its grounds and the 600 students and the faculty.
“We have had instances of burglary and car and cycle theft on campus. Therefore we felt it was important that our Porters had back up in case they have to approach intruders,” said Simon Orr. “Identicom is providing the College a cost-effective solution and is ensuring that we fulfil a duty of care to our employees who feel much safer knowing that they can open up a connection to the monitoring centre for escalation involving the police if necessary, or that if incapacitated for any reason the identicom will automatically raise an alarm for them”.
Identicom allows a user to carry out an array of functions to help them reduce risk as part of their job role. The product’s form factor enables easy wear and discreet use to open audio-calls if required through opening a ‘Red Alert’. The unit also has an ‘Amber Alert’ voice message function which is used as part of the process of assessing risks dynamically. Users leave messages regularly to give a context of where they are and what they are doing for use only if their device goes into a subsequent red alert. A complete service is provided through SoloProtect where fixed billing across a contract term to suit an organisation with provision of inclusive SIM, Network usage and reporting as standard.
“Initially the Porters were a little suspicious about Identicom tracking their movements, but were quickly reassured that they were in control”, concluded Simon Orr. “Now Identicom is a vital member of the team”. The Identicom in use by the college is the i777 model with automatic man-down alarm. Whilst the units are GPS enabled a user defines when location data is communicated, and only the most current data is communicated – therefore a user cannot be tracked over a defined period of time and as such location data is used to improve the safety of users.
As manufacturers of Identicom, Connexion2 supply solutions direct to market through the SoloProtect brand while supplying indirectly through a number of authorised reseller partners. Connexion2 is fully approved against BS8484 through audit and as such all Solutions through SoloProtect are guaranteed an escalation to Police level where appropriate.
