Ideagen announces acquisition of WorkSafe Guardian
Ideagen, a global leader in health, safety and risk management software, has announced the acquisition of WorkSafe Guardian (WSG), an Australian-based provider of lone worker safety solutions.
It wasn’t that long ago when you found a good job out of high school or university. Went to the office 9 to 5, Monday to Friday and worked for the same company for 40 years.
That’s very rarely the case now. We job hop. We take breaks from work. We work remotely. That’s the world we live in now.
As the way we work continues to evolve, the way we support the safety of team members has to evolve with it. More people than ever are considered lone workers, or sometimes remote workers. Whatever you call them, the fact is, lone workers face unique risks and challenges that you need to consider.
WorkSafe Guardian has been a leading provider of lone worker safety solutions in Australia for the past decade. One of the things we’ve learnt during this journey is the importance of having an escalation pathway. In this post, we’ll explore why escalation pathways are so important, and how they improve the safety for lone workers.
An escalation pathway is a step-by-step process for what to do in a potential emergency. It could be that a lone worker hasn’t checked-in, or it could be that an emergency alert has been activated. Each business is different. Each potential situation is different. WorkSafe Guardian works through these possible situations with you. Procedures are then designed to make sure everyone is clear on their roles. There is a simple roadmap for the appropriate response.
This is one of the most important parts of any comprehensive lone worker safety procedure. Because the truth is, the best plans are a boring. They’re simple, predictable, and repeatable. Because in an emergency, you don’t want people wasting time “figuring it out.”
As we change the way we work and more employees are working remotely or in isolation, regulations change. It’s a natural process. The governing bodies take notice and adjust. One of the growing trends in workplace safety regulations is to look more closely at the needs and risks of lone workers.
With regulations more fluid, you can no longer rely on outdated processes. It’s more important than ever to have an actionable lone worker safety process. But it cannot be a living, breathing, usable process without escalation pathways.
A complete lone worker safety solution not only protects your employees, but it also helps with compliance. While compliance isn’t the top priority when it comes to lone worker safety. It is important in a world with shifting regulations.
Rapid response:
It might be a cliché, but it’s also true, in an emergency, every second counts. A well-defined escalation pathway saves valuable time. It ensures help is on the way quickly, potentially saving lives.
Clarity in Crisis:
When stress levels are high, having a clear process to follow takes away the confusion. There’s no delay why someone “figures out” what to do. And, it ensures that all the correct steps are taken.
Accountability:
Escalation pathways make everyone’s roles and responsibilities clear. No critical steps get missed because everyone understands exactly what their role is.
Peace of Mind:
Knowing that a usable system is in place provides reassurance to both lone workers, their employers, and their families.
For an escalation pathway to be activated, there needs to be an appropriate trigger. It’s a really important step in designing your lone worker safety procedure. You need to stop and think about the types of events that will activate the escalation process.
Make sure you have clear check-in procedure for lone workers. Ideally, this is an automated reminder to check-in. Automating the check-in solves two problems. First, it reduces the chances of avoidable escalations. But, more importantly, it makes sure the escalation pathway is activated as soon as necessary. The WSG App has a welfare check-in timer. Lone workers can set the time between check-ins, the escalation only begins once a check-in is missed, or an alert is activated.
Once an escalation pathway is activated, it doesn’t have to go straight to emergency services. Sometimes, the most appropriate response is to start with an attempt to contact the loner worker. This is where having a multi-level response system is valuable.
You start by attempting to contact the lone worker after a missed check-in. If they are contact and confirm they are safe, no problem. That’s the end of the escalation.
If the lone worker can’t be contacted, that’s when the escalation progresses to management and/or emergency services if needed.
Make sure that management and other team members are aware of their role in a potential emergency. The truth is, 99 out of 100 times, everything is fine. But you don’t want to waste valuable seconds if it’s not.
That’s also why you need to include clear guidelines for when and how to involve emergency services. No matter how hard we try, there are always going to be risks. The key is to have the processes in place to react quickly in a genuine emergency.
So, how does partnering with WorkSafe Guardian help? Our app-based lone worker safety solution does make setting up and managing escalation pathways easier.
Easy Creation of Escalation Groups:
The WSG App also has a management portal. It’s intuitive and allows for quick set up of groups for escalation. Because a lone worker safety process should never be a static document, it’s also easy to change these groups. With the ability to easily assign team members to the escalation process, the right people are notified at the right time.
Customisable Response Instructions:
Every organisation is different and has their own unique needs. That’s why WorkSafe Guardian offers the flexibility to use fixed response instructions or tailor them specifically for your business. This way your escalation pathway stays aligned with your organisation’s protocols and risk assessment.
Automated Alerts:
Our system automatically triggers alerts based on missed check-ins or when an alert is activated in the app. This acts as the automatic trigger for the escalation process. Reducing the mental load on managers and other team members.
Detailed Reporting and Analytics:
The WorkSafe Guardian management portal does more than just allow you to set up your escalation groups. It offers detailed reporting and analytics, so you can refine and improve your escalation procedures.
As regulations evolve to better protect lone workers, having a system like WorkSafe Guardian in place becomes increasingly important. Our solution helps you:
By combining clear procedures with lone worker safety technology, you can create a safety net that provides peace of mind and rapid response when it’s needed.
WorkSafe Guardian makes it easy to create, implement, and manage these escalation pathways. Our user-friendly platform, powerful app features, and tailored response instructions, provides a complete solution that adapts to your needs.
Don’t leave the safety of your lone workers to chance or risk non-compliance. Implement WorkSafe Guardian today and take a proactive step towards a safer, more compliant work environment for all your employees. No matter how or where they work.
Ideagen, a global leader in health, safety and risk management software, has announced the acquisition of WorkSafe Guardian (WSG), an Australian-based provider of lone worker safety solutions.
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