CENTRIC-developed BEACON introduced for lone worker protection

Today in the UK, we are very much in the smart phone era, with almost every member of the adult population owning a smart phone. The benefits of that ownership include quick and easy access to social media, unlimited knowledge at your fingertips and the ability to recording memories.

In truth, there are further advantages to be gained from such widespread adoption of the smart phone. One of them focuses on organisations’ Duty of Care when it comes to their members of staff.

Laws and regulations mean that companies must do everything to ensure the safety, health and welfare of the workforce. A variety of procedures are established to protect individuals when things do go wrong. While professionals who find themselves in more regular danger are presented with expensive technical solutions, there are those – among them lone workers, healthcare specialists, journalists and event staff – who are often in vulnerable situations, but perhaps miss the peace of mind they require in terms of support.

Extra level of protection 

That’s where BEACON plays its part. Tried and tested, BEACON is underpinned by years of academic research in crisis management. The technology behind BEACON initially formed from the outputs of the ATHENA EU Project and is currently being used internationally by UK and UN organisations.

Thanks to BEACON, today’s organisations can equip their members of staff with that extra level of protection through a variety of features:

*The front and centre panic putton that provides staff and users with the quick and stealthy capacity to raise an alert and request immediate assistance

*Push out real-time targeted situational information based on the workforce’s current location with advisories

*Request a headcount from members of staff during an incident, thereby rapidly determining their status when things go wrong

*An in-built secure, real-time and two-way messaging capability facilitating direct communication between staff and the organisation’s security team

*The ability to submit reports that enhance situational awareness and provide vital details and critical information directly from members of staff

*Closely monitor critical and high value convoy movements comprised of vehicles and staff 

*Geolocation to pinpoint the team’s location(s), assess risks and co-ordinate responses

*Quick-to-access contacts that staff can access during any emergency

Operations dashboard 

While the Staff Mobile App lives on staff members’ smart phones, the BEACON Operations Dashboard is a web-based application that allows companies to monitor events closely and fits into organisations’ existing security protocols.

With the Government’s introduction of Martyn’s Law placing the proportional responsibility on venue management teams to protect members of the public from the threat of terrorism, not to mention the priorities for Safer Streets and increased awareness around combating Violence against Women and Girls, the time to leverage the advent of smart phones is now.

By incorporating a solution using a device that almost everyone has, the cost to help deliver on Duty of Care can be significantly reduced.

Critical and unplanned events happen. That’s a fact of life. It’s an organisation’s response – and the readiness to respond – that determines the impact on operations. BEACON readily assists with that response.

*Further information is available via e-mail at [email protected] and online at https://centric-research.co.uk

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