Medical manufacturer Siemens Healthineers has partnered with StaySafe, the innovative lone working solution, to help protect their on-call engineers. The organisation provides diagnostic, imaging and advanced therapy equipment to hospitals and other healthcare facilities. StaySafe’s lone worker app has been designed specifically for staff that work alone or in dangerous environments.
Siemens Healthineers employs engineers that oversee different sites and maintain and repair medical devices within a hospital setting. Unfortunately, those that work in or for the healthcare sector are often at higher risk from violence when carrying out their work. In the latest annual NHS staff survey, almost one in seven (14.9%) experienced physical violence.
As maintenance work is often reactive, engineers will typically be on call 24/7 and may have to work alone at times that are less sociable, such as bank holidays and evenings. Staff that work during these times are often at risk from violence and aggression from the public without the security of other people being present. There is also the risk that engineers could have an accident whilst carrying out repairs or servicing equipment without anyone being aware. Managers at Siemens Healthineers were concerned that if an engineer was injured or involved in confrontation, they may not be able to get assistance fast enough.
Before StaySafe, the organisation was using a different system to manage the safety of their employees but managers were keen to find something that was modern, easy to use and that had a more sophisticated interface. They were also keen to find a solution that had the ability to locate employees and could be tailored to their company structure and size. Siemens Healthineers decided to roll-out StaySafe to their lone working engineers after it was recommended by another division of the company.
Since partnering with StaySafe, engineers are now able to start timed sessions quickly and easily from their mobile phones whenever they are working alone. Once a session has been started, managers have a full overview of where their staff are. If an employee fails to check-in safely during a lone working session, has an accident or raises an alert, managers will be able to send help to their exact location.
For staff that find themselves working at times which are considered higher risk, StaySafe’s panic alert feature offers them the ability to notify a manager if they are in a dangerous situation or if they need assistance. The app also has a man down feature which sends an alert to managers if an employee has not moved for a certain period of time. This feature is particularly useful for staff that work alone or in areas which are isolated. Engineers now feel much safer knowing that they have the app with them whilst working alone.
Shaun Webb, MES Manager at Siemens Healthineers, comments: 'We’re pleased with how well the StaySafe app has integrated into our service delivery. It’s easy to use and the fact it's scalable means we have the ability to roll it out to other projects as they come onboard . The team were great in helping us get up and running and made sure the questions we had were answered. We’re confident that our staff have the protection they need when working alone.'
Don Cameron, CEO at StaySafe, comments: 'For larger organisations like Siemens, ensuring your entire workforce is safe can be a challenging task. With the British Crime Survey estimating that as many as 150 lone workers are physically or verbally attacked every day in the UK alone, we are glad to offer a solution that can be tailored to fit the needs of lone workers in both small and large corporations.'
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