Insurance agents and adjusters are often away from their desksattending to customer needs and inquiries in the field. While thisis a required function of business, it also creates risks for employee safety.

Managing the security of mobile workforces is not unique to theinsurance industry. According to IDC Research, 72% of the U.S. workforce is expected tocomprise mobile workers by 2020. When employees are not operatingin an office or controlled environment, it makes it more difficultfor businesses to manage the risks those workers invariablyencounter. Further, it becomes increasingly more difficult to knowwhen a worker needs emergency assistance.

Organizations with employees that operate outside of traditionalworkplace settings have a need to develop safety protocols andinvest in different technologies that secure the safety of mobileworkers.

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Insurance adjusters and risk managers venture into dangerousand unique settings that pose a variety of risks to their personalsafety. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Field safety

Typically, property insurance adjusters are some of the first onthe scene after a natural disaster or personal property emergency.Conditions on the ground are often less than ideal. Damagedstructures, flood waters, violent weather, can all threaten thesafety of adjusters as they work to help customers file claims.

While proper training in safety procedures remains crucial,providing mobile workers with the right tools to request andreceive help in an emergency situation is critical. According tothe Pew Research Center, approximately 95% of Americans now ownsome type of cell phone and more than one-third own a smartphone.While these devices provide many conveniences, in emergencysituations they remain highly limited, especially in environmentsthat have poor reception or that limit a user's ability to reachand operate the device.

For example, a cell phone is not able to detect if someoneslipped and fell, was trapped by falling debris, or experienced oneof the thousands of other emergencies that can occur on the job.With a cell phone the user is still required to be conscious andwithin range of the phone to be able to make a call for help.

In the case of mobile workers and lone workers, cell phones arenot the most reliable or function-rich options for tracking andmonitoring employee safety and health. Additionally, in the casewhere a lone worker is confronted by a hostile third party, thecell phone is the first item often taken so as to prevent a callfor help.

Related: 5 things to do to keep employees safe whilecleaning up after a hurricane

A mobile personal emergency response system allows a workerin distress to activate it by simply pushing a button. (Photo:Shutterstock)

Monitoring technology

In emergency situations there is a better solution thantraditional cell phones or smartphones. These situations are goodcandidates for easily worn devices (i.e., wearables or wearabledevices) that automatically report changes that could indicate anemergency. Or, a device that a worker could easily utilize toexpress the need for help without having to speak or move much.

Already there are products like smart hard hats, smart safetyvests, smart eyewear and even stick-on patches that can monitoreverything from an employee's location to body temperature andpositioning. These devices eliminate the need for a worker toproactively report an emergency, but like cell phones they havesome limitations.

For example, while the devices are able to transmit certaininformation about a situation to a manager or human resourcesdepartment, they do not create a direct line of communicationbetween the worker and responder. If verbal communication ispossible in the emergency situation, the worker would still need toplace a call on a phone.

Another option could be Mobile Personal Emergency ResponseSystem (mPERS) devices similar to those used by seniors for years.Essentially, a help button that can be pressed after a fall toalert emergency responders that assistance is needed. These typesof technologies have become more beneficial because they no longerrequire a base station device to place calls, limiting their rangeof use.

Like other wearables, mPERS devices are small and lightweight.They provide state-of-the-art location technologies, and also offerbuilt-in fall advisory capabilities. Wearables with this type offunctionality are able to detect horizontal and vertical movement.But, they take safety a step further than simply reporting a fallon the job via a text message or red flag in a software system.These devices can also eliminate the need for the worker toinitiate a call for help, since they can trigger one automatically.And cloud-based technologies make it possible for central stationsto immediately respond to the call for help. 

These devices have a longer battery life because unlike phonesthat sometimes have to be charged multiple times a day, mPERSdevices have fewer functions and do not need to be fully functionalat all times. They can be left off or essentially in a hibernationmode until the SOS button on the device is pressed. Once thisaction occurs, location information can be sent to a centralreporting destination and an emergency call can be placed. Thisenables the devices to run on a single charge between two and 30days, depending upon the configuration and use of the device.

Whatever wearable device makes the most sense for a particularcompany, the most important factor is that business owners andmanagers take advantage of these new technologies that could savelives and improve the safety and health of their lone worker andmobile employees.

Chris Holbert ([email protected]) is the CEO SecuraTrac.

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