Enhancing Safety in Hazardous Workplaces
Safety in high-risk workplaces is not a luxury; it's a necessity. Safety conscious businesses operating in the construction industry - such as developers, builders, electricians, and other specifiers - are constantly on the lookout for ways to minimise risks and safeguard their workforce. As we dive into the realm of advanced technology, we find several tools designed specifically to mitigate some of the industry's most fatal hazards.
The 'Fatal Four' — falls, struck by object, electrocutions, and caught-in/between — are the leading causes of worker deaths in construction. Despite stringent safety protocols, culture, and proactive measures, these accidents still occur due to human error, sudden changes in environmental conditions, and medical conditions. Businesses need to be in a position to address emergencies to achieve the best possible outcomes for workers, business, and the wider community.
Falls can be prevented by wearing and maintaining your fall protection equipment, ladders and scaffolding should be inspected and deemed safe, perimeter protection should be successfully installed and monitored closely, and floor openings should be covered with secure materials and labeled. In the event of a fall, safety personnel should be notified immediately.
Prevent overcrowding around the casualty; make space so that he or she can breathe better. Do NOT move the casualty unless there are life-threatening hazards; he or she may have suffered a neck or spinal injury from the fall. Advise the casualty to remain in a laying position until help arrives.
Workers at all levels need to understand how to avoid getting struck by objects and to identify these potential situations before they’re in motion. If they’re in motion, your workers must realise how to mitigate risk of injury by making sure they're visible to others, and don't place themselves between a fixed object and a moving (or potentially moving) object. Daily site inspections should take place to ensure there's no materials that aren't stored or fixed properly into place.
If a worker is struck by an object, a nurse call should be triggered so a medical response can be coordinated. There's many injuries that can be caused by an object and your site's emergency personnel are in the best position to advise on what action to take next.
The risk of electrocutions is present and by understanding locations of utilities and looking around for risks - like overhead power lines - you can do much to protect yourself and your coworkers. Ensure usage of all electric tools are in conjunction with on site safety requirements and guidelines particularly when atop scaffolding, ladders, or other raised platforms.
If you suspect someone has been electrocuted, trigger a nurse call alarm then reassure the worker that help is coming. Check for danger to yourself and bystanders, switch off the power, and if possible remove the casualty from the electrical supply without directly touching them.
If a worker has been caught between two or more objects, it's imperative to trigger an evacuation emergency or nurse call alert and wait for advice from emergency responders.
Communication Is Key
An emergency alert system is one of the best way to notify everyone of the emergency. Unlike an air horn or megaphone, an emergency alert system can offer insightful information about the type of emergency, location of the emergency, and who is responding to the emergency. The purpose for using a smart system is that the speed with which the business coordinates a response is much faster because there's more useful event information supplied.
A Hardware + Software Solution
Many emergency alert systems use either hardware (evacuation triggers, evacuation sirens, nurse call triggers, control panels) or software (smartphones). A hardware only solution relies on a worker (or workers) to trigger an alert on a physical device, which then uses audio cues to notify personnel en masse. In an evacuation emergency, audio cues can include evac sirens, strobe lights, and intercom messages. In a medical emergency, audio cues can include nurse call lights and intercom messages.
Vanguard Wireless hardware only evacuation systems utilise a radio frequency module to establish a wireless network between emergency triggers and sirens. A Vanguard Wireless control panel (TCU) can also be added which makes it a hardware + software solution.
A software only solution generally uses an app on a worker's smartphone. Without hardware, the business is relying on workers who are near the emergency to have their phones charged, their app open, and an understanding of how to use the app. This can lead to a loss of precious response time if the worker struggles with this. But it can be extremely effective in an emergency, particularly if the app can share GPS coordinates.
Many of Vanguard Wireless' customers utilise a hardware + software solution. The hardware - in particular evacuation triggers or nurse call triggers - offer workers a simple method for raising an emergency alert. All they need to press is the EVACUATE or CALL button. The alert is transmitted to the rest of the system via a radio frequency or cellular signal. Vanguard Wireless' smartphone app ensures nominated personnel receive an alert directly, both via app notification and SMS. They can view important information such as what the event is, when it was triggered, and where it was triggered to coordinate a response in conjunction with their workplace emergency plan.
Ideal For All Kinds Of Workplaces
Emergency alert systems are ideal for large worksites where traditional alert methods - which can't alert the workforce at mass - may fail. Coupled with a evacuation sirens, , these systems can help ensure workers can safely exit the site in case of an emergency, mitigating risks associated with not communicating quickly if a worker has suffered an injury from the 'Fatal Four.'
But they're also ideal for small worksites who are seeking a simple solution for workers to trigger and respond to an evacuation or nurse call event. The benefit of Vanguard Wireless' systems is that there's multiple ways in which the system can be tailored for the site. It can be temporary or permanent, comprised on one device or 1000, evacuation or nurse call or both, and feature hardware or software or both. Our sales team will design to your workplace's emergency system needs.
It's all about accessing the right technology and enhancing how your workplace fosters a safety-first culture. Install systems that are designed for fast, efficient evacuation; alarms that can pierce the ambient noise of a busy construction site or calmly guide employees in an office setting; nurse call systems that enhance patient-staff communication. Understand what the use case is and how your workforce needs to trigger or respond to an emergency.
Request a quote today and make the smart choice for a safer workplace.