The Importance of Alert Contacts (and how to ensure they are up-to-date!)

CheckMate’s lone worker monitoring and safety check system is backed by our 24/7 monitoring service, delivering a professionally trained live operator response to missed check-ins and emergencies.

What happens when our monitoring center identifies a worker who may potentially be experiencing an emergency?

If a lone worker misses a safety check or taps the ‘Emergency’ button in their Safe Alone app, an alarm is generated in the ProTELEC Emergency Response Centre. An operator will respond by calling the lone worker. If the operator’s call goes unanswered, the operator will begin calling the Alert Contact List so that appropriate steps can be taken to locate and assist the worker.

Alert contacts are often an employee’s department manager or the safety director at their organization. An alert contact should:

1. Be aware of the CheckMate service and know what to do if they receive a call.
2. Be able and willing to take the appropriate steps based on an employer’s instructions.

When an alert contact receives a call from ProTELEC operators, it is important that all pertinent information is identified to assist in locating the lone worker. An alert contact can gather these details by recording facts communicated by the operator, and should include some key pieces of information:

1. An alert contact should confirm any known details of the lone worker’s location. Our Safe Alone app provides a GPS record of last known location 10 minutes ahead of a scheduled Safety Check. If the check-in is missed, this information allows our operators and the worker’s alert contacts to quickly narrow the search.
2. An alert contact should confirm the lone worker’s phone number with ProTELEC operators, to aid in making contact.
3. An alert contact should confirm the type of alarm detected by the ProTELEC operators. For example, it is important to know whether it is a missed safety check or a user-generated emergency alarm, as this may help to determine the most appropriate next steps.

Additional information may also be gathered by listening to the user’s most recent voice recording or reading their most recent text if they provided one during their last completed safety check.

With these details, an alert contact can proceed to:

1. Call the lone worker, making at least two attempts
2. Text the user, if possible
3. Escalate the alarm according to the employer’s instructions. This may include contacting other personnel who may be nearby and able to assist or may require contacting emergency services. Appropriate escalation will also be determined by the lone worker’s role, and the risks and hazards they may encounter when on the job.

While the responsibilities of an alert contact can be summed up in these very simple steps, it is important to remember that in some situations these steps can be the difference between life and death.

Keeping alert contact information current is a critical component of this process.

To update alert contacts for CheckMate Working Alone users contact your CheckMate representative directly or click here to send an email requesting an alert contacts update. Please include the Lone Worker’s name, and the new alert contact information.

To learn more about CheckMate Working Alone or any of our other safety solutions, you can contact us through our easy webform here.