Recent Developments in Personal Safety Technology
Recent advancements in personal safety technology have transformed how organisations protect their workforce, with business leaders increasingly recognising that safeguarding employees requires more than just traditional solutions.
Today, protecting the workforce goes beyond reactive safety processes; it requires proactive strategies that focus on prevention, real-time response, and seamless integration with everyday operations.
Travelsafe: Protecting Employees Beyond the Workplace
A major driver of this shift is the growing need to protect employees beyond traditional working hours. In the past, an employer's responsibility ended at the workplace doors, but the blurring of boundaries between work and personal life over recent years has reshaped employees' expectations around duty of care.
Today, 51% of workers believe their employer has a duty of care to them outside of working hours, particularly during their commute—a time when many feel most vulnerable.
Solutions like Travelsafe are addressing this need head-on, raising the standard for commuter safety. With instant access to the Peoplesafe ARC, employees can rest assured that if an emergency occurs, help is always available - ready to respond when it’s needed most.
This solution enables employees to input their journey details, such as destination and method of travel to receive an expected time of arrival. Throughout the journey, the user can receive welfare checks at set intervals (e.g. every 10 minutes) to ensure they still feel safe.
If they fail to arrive by the ETA, an automatic alert is triggered, connecting them to Peoplesafe’s 24/7 Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). From there, trained controllers can immediately take action, notifying escalation contacts and bypassing 999 to contact emergency services if needed. This ensures that support is just seconds away, offering peace of mind throughout their commute.
"We developed Travelsafe to address a critical gap in employee safety, recognising that travel is a source of fear and anxiety for many.By integrating real-time journey monitoring, welfare checks and instant access to professional support, we’ve created a tool that prioritises personal safety and provides peace of mind for employees, wherever they are.”
John Knowles, Head of Product, Peoplesafe
APIs: Integrating Safety Technology into Everyday Operations
As organisations increasingly adopt new technology, integration into existing systems is becoming essential.
The rise of APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) is enabling personal safety technology to seamlessly integrate into workplace systems, making it a natural part of everyday business operations.
Peoplesafe’s User Management API connects our management platform, Nexus, with HR platforms like Workday, Oracle HR and PeopleHR, streamlining administrative and operational tasks. This integration saves valuable time for health and safety administrators and team managers by eliminating the need to manually transport data between systems.
By automating these processes, organisations can actively manage employee safety at scale without adding extra effort to their existing workflows, freeing up time for more critical
tasks and reducing the pressure on safety teams.
Similarly, our Service API connects Nexus with workforce management systems so that workers only need to use their workforce management app. Checking in and out of shifts and setting timed activity alarms for jobs are automatically set using the information entered to the workforce management app, effectively embedding employee safety into existing processes.
Apple Watch: Enterprise Level Wearable Technology
As wearable technology becomes increasingly prominent in everyday life, some technology providers are integrating personal safety solutions into the devices people already use.
By leveraging the capabilities of smartphones and smartwatches, users can access essential safety features that enhance their sense of security without the need for additional tools.
The Peoplesafe Pro app stands out as the first enterprise-level personal safety app available on the Apple Watch. This innovative app empowers users to set and manage check-ins, raise alarms, and access emergency support directly from their wrists.
This integration is especially crucial in situations where an employee’s phone may not be easily accessible due to distress or injury.
With a direct link to Peoplesafe’s Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC), employees can rely on fast, discreet help whenever needed, making the Apple Watch an invaluable tool for both work and personal safety.
Embedding safety tools into everyday wearables means employees can feel more secure knowing that immediate assistance is within reach, whenever and wherever they need it, even if they don’t have their dedicated safety solution.
SureCam
The integration of personal safety technology with video telematics is creating new possibilities for protecting vulnerable employees, particularly those in high-risk roles such as driving vehicles.
An example of this innovation is the industry-first partnership between Peoplesafe and SureCam, which seamlessly combines lone worker protection with advanced video telematics, keeping drivers safe inside and outside their vehicle.
In the event of a road collision or other emergency, drivers can immediately request assistance through the Peoplesafe Pro App, which can be linked to SureCam's video telematics platform. This integration allows controllers at Peoplesafe’s Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) to access live footage from the cameras installed in the vehicle, providing real-time insights into the situation both inside and outside the vehicle. With this added context, controllers are better equipped to manage the situation and coordinate an appropriate response.
The captured footage can also serve as vital evidence in the event of legal proceedings, enhancing accountability and transparency, while better protecting drivers.
