Housing association swap to smartphone app to monitor employee safety
Aspire Housing are using a smartphone app to monitor the safety of their lone workers when visiting potentially dangerous neighborhoods and properties.
The StaySafe app will replace the dedicated safety devices which Aspire had been using previously. Aspire decided to replace the devices with an app as they wanted a more up to date solution that employees could access via their smartphones, which employees already carry every day. They also wanted to ability to prompt workers to check in safely at regular intervals – something which the StaySafe app provides.
StaySafe is an app and surrounding cloud-based monitoring service which tracks a lone workers location on a real-time map and alerts their manager if they do not check-in within a specified time. The app works on iOS and Android and offers a wide range of functions including a panic button, working session expiry and low battery warnings, GPS tracking, inactivity and duress alerts. If an employee activates the app’s panic button or fails to check in, alerts are automatically triggered on screen and via text and email, allowing Aspire Housing to take immediate action.
HR Business Partner at Aspire, Clare Godbold comments: “StaySafe has been very well received by our staff and has proven to be excellent value for money. Our employees already carry smartphones for work, so they have found the app easy and convenient to use. StaySafe appealed to us as the app has a huge range of features and offers all the functionality we need in one place. As we have multiple workers visiting many properties and client’s homes being able to see their location on a live map is imperative and the ability to prompt staff to check in safely at regular intervals means we get positive affirmation they are safe throughout the day”.
Don Cameron, CEO, StaySafe adds “Employees in the housing and property sectors can be extremely vulnerable as they are required to visit building sites and empty properties, carry out maintenance work and meet with buyers and tenants, often by themselves. Lone workers can be seen as an easy target - in fact research has shown that in the UK an assault occurs every 35 working minutes. StaySafe helps to ensure that any employees who find themselves in danger are able to discreetly signal for help and be found quickly, before a situation has the chance to escalate”.