Lone Worker Protection: What is it?

Working in isolation increases the dangers. No-one else is around to quickly alert emergency services in the event of an emergency. If the employee feels unwell, for example, he or she has little chance of being spotted and rescued as quickly as possible. There are also risks related to the working environment. Isolated workers may be confronted with accidents, aggression or incivilities. According to the Labour Code, all these risks must be identified and listed by the employer in a reference document.

The lone worker alert device (DATI) is the most widespread solution for protecting lone workers. The purpose of this type of electronic device is to enable the lone worker to trigger an alarm voluntarily or automatically. These devices are sometimes identified under the term PTI DATI. They are equipped with fall or mobility detectors, are geolocated and connected to a 24/7 remote monitoring centre. These systems enable employers to guarantee the safety and assistance of isolated employees at all times, and to cover all types of risk. They come in a variety of forms (watch, case, badge holder, smartphone application, etc.), so it's important to choose the device that's best suited to the employee's activity, so that it doesn't become a constraint.

An employer may decide to provide lone worker protection itself and monitor itself. However, it must be able to provide the lone worker with the same level of protection offered by professionals in the sector. In this case, the employer is liable in the event of an incident, not the professional. The employee in charge of lone worker protection must be qualified to deal with alerts very quickly (professionals are required to have a response time of less than 60 seconds) and remove any doubt to identify the emergency and alert the appropriate emergency services.

In the event of incidents occurring at night or at weekends, the people in charge of responding to alerts must have a paid on-call clause in their employment contract. Case law has ruled in this direction when employees performing unpaid on-call duties have sued their employer.
Taking responsibility for monitoring PTI DATI devices by a professional therefore makes it easier to manage the emergency chain for the whole company.

Lone worker protection solutions include the supply of DATIs as well as remote surveillance services. To ensure you choose the best partner and the best protection for your employees, you need to make sure that the remote surveillance services meet APSAD P3 or APSAD P5 standards. These certifications guarantee that your employees' alerts are dealt with quickly, regardless of their location, and that continuity of service is guaranteed thanks to two stations operating in "mirror" mode. Scutum Premium Services is APSAD P5 certified, the highest level of certification for remote monitoring stations in France. At European level, the EN 50518 standard defines the standards on which remote monitoring centres must operate.

Scutum Premium Services is certified to the APSAD P5 standard, the highest level of certification for remote monitoring stations in France.