Protecting Lone Workers with Mobile Risk Intelligence

Protecting Lone Workers with Mobile Risk Intelligence
Resources

September 14, 2021

Resource: Blog Industry: AEC, Commercial Enterprise, Facilities Management
Tags: Risk Management, Vector LiveSafe

Lone workers face a variety of unique and heightened occupational risks, such as workplace accidents and injuries, physical violence and assault, mental health concerns, and more. Mobile risk intelligence communications platforms such as Vector LiveSafe are a valuable tool for protecting and communicating with these employees and preventing safety and security incidents.

Scientific Games, a world leader in gaming and entertainment, has deployed Vector LiveSafe’s communications and risk management capabilities primarily to facilitate safety for their lone workers. Here, we discuss Scientific Games’ experience with Vector LiveSafe and feature insights from Christopher Dott, their Senior Direct of Global Global EHS, who was interviewed during our recent webinar, Lone Worker Safety: Risks, Considerations & Solutions.

Watch Webinar Recording

Scientific Games Overview

Scientific Games is a global leader in the social and online gaming and lottery industry. They are based in Las Vegas, Nevada, and have approximately 150 locations and nearly 10,000 employees worldwide.

In order to conduct repairs for various terminals, slot machines, lottery systems, etc., Scientific Games employs many Field Service Technicians that work across the United States. Depending on the location, some of these technicians work alone while completing tasks such as lifting and moving materials, commuting to field sites, and working in public areas. This can put them at risk for injury, theft, assault, and more.

Scientific Games is dedicated to workplace safety, so they deployed the Vector LiveSafe platform in 2018, primarily to protect workers that perform job duties alone or in small groups. Regardless of the work environment, LiveSafe ensures that lone workers are able to access support and guidance.

“We found that the LiveSafe platform really was a good way for us to connect with our teams, make sure we have a check-in capability, and be able to push resources to them,” said Christopher Dott. With this insight in mind, let’s dive into the ways that mobile risk intelligence communications platforms can promote safety and communication for lone workers, as well as share tips for mobile app deployment and engagement.

Using Vector LiveSafe for Lone Workers

Mobile risk intelligence communications such as Vector LiveSafe are a valuable component to well-rounded prevention, communication, and incident response strategies for lone workers. Three of the key ways that Scientific Games uses Vector LiveSafe to protect lone workers are by sending routine safety alerts, dispatching geofenced check-in messages, and providing an easily-accessible repository of safety training.

Routine Safety Communications

Emergency mass notification system (EMNS) capabilities are a key feature of mobile risk management platforms. With the Vector LiveSafe platform, these messages can be sent to all employees or specified subsets of employees, such as those in certain departments or job roles. At Scientific Games, one way that they use LifeSafe’s EMNS functionality is for routine safety communications.

“We've started using [Vector LiveSafe] for push notifications for safety messages,” Christopher Dott said, “since most of our teams that work remote do not attend group meetings or things where otherwise we'd be driving those safety messages.” 

These routine safety messages can include weather alerts, information about nearby protests, and guidance during drills or lockdowns. These notifications keep workers informed while also increasing their understanding and trust with the mobile platform.

Geofenced Check-In Messages

Some mobile risk management platforms, including Vector LiveSafe, enable organizations to send geographically-specific mass notifications. This is valuable for companies with employees in different locations (such as those with several office buildings or some remote employees) and those who have lone workers who perform tasks at off-site locations.

In addition to targeting these mass notifications, organizations can also include a Check-In. Broadcast Check-Ins prompt employees to respond to a multiple-choice safety question, typically by answering “I am safe” or “I need assistance.”

Scientific Games has found geofencing and Check-In to be particularly useful for severe weather events and location-specific safety events, such as the Capitol Riots on January 6, 2021.

“[There are] various natural disasters and things we've used [Vector LiveSafe] for,” Christopher Dott said, “[Such as] lockdowns, we've had active shooters around some of our locations, [and on] January 6 at the US Capitol [there were] a lot of employees working close to there. And then recently, the hurricane that came through Louisiana through the East Coast.” During these safety events, Vector LiveSafe allowed Scientific Games to inform employees of the situation and check whether they were safe.

Safety Training Repository

The Resources section of Vector LiveSafe is another valuable feature for lone workers. Organizations can customize this section to include PDFs and URLs to information that they want to put at their employees’ fingertips. 

This may include health and safety policies, staff directories, workplace procedures, risk assessment guidance, links to company intranet sites, and more. For example, Scientific Games has used the Resources section to provide an extensive repository of safety information for lone workers.

“Recently, we've actually started uploading our safety presentation materials [to the Resource section],” Christopher Dott explained. “At a click of a click of the app, our team members can access that information very quickly, they can use it as a reference and resource, and they can hopefully adapt that into whatever they’re working with during the day.” Since uploading these materials, Scientific Games’ resources section has been viewed over 3,000 times.

Tips for Vector LiveSafe Deployment and Engagement

In order for mobile risk management platforms to be effective, it’s important that organizations have a dedicated process for garnering community engagement. For example, since deploying the Vector LiveSafe Mobile App, Scientific Games has had thousands of workers sign up for the platform and use it to read alerts, access resources, and submit reports. Some of their engagement strategies include:

  • Having a dedicated process for using/incorporating Vector LiveSafe into existing management systems
  • Investing the time to learn the system and its functionality
  • Using the platform regularly to build a culture of safety and communication
  • Acting fast on incoming communications (i.e. employee reports)

“My advice for anyone looking to use [a mobile risk management platform] would be to sit down in advance and work with a team to have a dedicated process for how you're going to use it, who's going to use it, and who's going to manage it,” Christopher Dott said. “Also investing the time to learn the system [and] making sure that you touch base periodically, [especially] if you haven't used a particular function [recently], because when a hurricane hits or a wildfire hits, you need to really be able to do that very quickly.”

Christopher also recommends taking the time to ensure that employees only receive pertinent messaging. “[Early on], we had a lot of feedback to make sure that we tailor the messages that really meet the needs of our team members without overdoing it. You want to make sure that you really have useful materials that you can drive to your teams on a cadence that that really keeps it fresh.”

Responding quickly to incoming communications is another way to build platform trust, improve reporting regularity, and keep workers safe.

Engaging Mobile Solutions for Traveling Lone Workers

Mobile risk management platforms are a valuable addition to any organization’s workplace safety and prevention plans. In addition to sending mass notifications and providing safety training presentations, other ways to use Vector LiveSafe for lone workers include customizing the mobile app’s Safety Map, providing resources for dynamic risk assessments, and enabling workers to report confirmed or potential hazards.

There is also a new panic button feature, called Panic Alarm, that enables workers to silently request help in the event of an emergency when they are unable to speak. 

If you want to learn more about Vector LiveSafe’s safety solutions, visit our website or request a demo. To learn more about the risks and considerations of lone work, consider our recent downloadable guide, Lone Worker Safety: Risks, Considerations & Solutions, and watch our recent lone worker webinar.

ALEXANDRA BRUNJES

Alexandra Brunjes has a B.S. in Neurobiology from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. with minors in Creative Writing and French. She is a published journalist and experienced health and science writer. Her expertise includes risk intelligence, healthcare and neuroscience, and technology.

Want to Know More?

Reach out and a Vector Solutions representative will respond back to help answer any questions you might have.

Contact Us