7 Apps, Gadgets to Enhance Offsite Worker Safety

For social workers, real estate agents and others who work in remote locations, personal safety apps and gear can help ensure their safety.

The MobileDefender Model S is a small, two-ounce device that can clip on a worker’s belt or be carried in a pocket to provide emergency help when needed. The module is a two-way communications device that operates on 3G mobile networks and via GPS satellite networks to maintain a user’s location in more than 120 countries around the world. When a user activates the push button on the unit, SecuraTrac’s 24-hour emergency monitoring center is called and a live operator can find out about the user’s emergency and get help to them immediately, according to the company. The suggested price of the device is $219, plus $49.99 a month for 24-hour monitoring.

An optional pendant can be purchased for $15 that is aimed more for use in an office or home so a user doesn’t have to carry the button-equipped device. Instead, the pendant connects wirelessly to the SecuraTrac MobileDefender Model S using Bluetooth. Users can push the button on the pendant to seek help, just as they would with the larger device, essentially turning the pendant into a remote SOS button.

The Sidekick Panic Button from React Mobile is a $79.99 personal panic button that can be employed to get emergency help quickly when used with a compatible free React safety app for Android or iOS. The button pairs with a smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0 and can get help quickly, even when a user’s phone screen is locked or if the phone is out of reach, according to the company. The React Sidekick can connect users with a wide network of friends or family members so they can know where a user is and that help is needed through the app’s “follow-me” feature.

The Red Panic Button app is a consumer-based iOS app that lets users set an unlimited number of emergency phone numbers or email addresses for contacts, who can then be automatically alerted if the user presses the panic button on the app on an iPhone. The alert sends the emergency contacts a message containing the user’s address and location using GPS or cellular GSM-based location information. The panic button text messages work only with iPhones and iPads using 3G.

Guardly is an enterprise-aimed app that can send a silent emergency alert from an offsite employee back to corporate safety officials to get help from police. Also included is integrated secure chat that gives the affected workers the ability to discreetly communicate directly with corporate safety officials to inform them about their conditions and concerns. The corporate safety officials can then communicate with local law enforcement officials.

SafeSignal, offered by AlertMedia, is a smartphone app that also includes a tether that wraps around a user’s wrist. The other end of the tether is plugged into the speaker jack of their smartphone and sets off an alarm when the tether’s plug is pulled out of the phone jack by a wearer in an emergency. The alert goes directly to a SafeSignal 24-hour monitoring center, which immediately notifies local law enforcement agencies wherever the wearer is located. The notification is done even if the worker’s smartphone is password-protected. The app and monitoring keep track of the employee’s name, location, the company they work for and other information that police may need to know in an emergency. If the tether is pulled out of the phone jack, an audible alarm and verbal warning also are activated in the user’s smartphone to advise attackers that the police have been called and are on their way.

StaySafe Personal Safety is an iOS or Android app that uses GPS tracking to automatically email or text a user’s exact location to their personal emergency contacts if they don’t check in safely after a work appointment or other event. The app includes a timer that counts down from when the user expects to be back in touch with their emergency contacts, and if he or she isn’t back in touch in time, the app automatically triggers an SMS text or email to be sent instantly to the emergency contacts with details about the user’s location. The smartphone will then flash orange to notify a user when an alert has been sent.