What can be done?

How we keep employees safe

Workplace violence is recognized as an occupational hazard in some industries and environments that, like other safety issues, can be mitigated if employers take appropriate protective measures. This has been seen by the different initiatives and systems introduced over the years in an attempt to increase the safety of Home Care workers. To help keep these lone workers safe and allow employers to monitor their locations, mobile applications have been developed that enhance safety and offer increased protection.

Discreet Options

For increased safety OK Alone allows employees
to activate help alerts discreetly without raising
suspicion by either shaking the handset (Android)
or multiple taps on the back of an iPhone.

In high-risk or unpredictable situations, workers may not have time to call for help. The Panic Button gives them a simple, fast way to alert someone and get assistance without needing to explain their situation, potentially saving lives in the process.

Real Life Use Case: While seeing a paient, Charles feels increasingly unsafe due to their behavior. He discreetly taps the back of his phone triggering the Panic
Button within OK Alone. His supervisor is notified immediately and sees in the notes Charles's cubical's location. His Shift Manager calls security and sends them to assist him right away.

Frequent Check-ins

A flexible countdown timer for check-ins can be
set by a Monitor to suit the risk level of the work
being carried out. A missed check-in will
automatically trigger an alarm and escalation to
the monitor who can send help. The worker is
reminded to check in through app notifications, text messages, or phone calls depending on their preferences. Each check-in is logged, providing a clear record of activity and compliance with safety procedures.

Real Life Use Case: Emily, a community nurse, is scheduled to visit several patients alone throughout the day. She enables the check-in feature in the OK Alone app, with a 45-minute interval set by her supervisor. During her rounds, she becomes delayed at a visit and forgets to check in. The missed check-in triggers an alert to her monitor, who sees her last known location and contacts her to ensure she is safe.

High-Risk Settings

Nurses can personally assess each situation
and activate a high-risk check-in timer when
they feel additional support is needed. This
timer, set in ten-minute increments, overrides their normal pre-set check-in schedule, giving them full control based on the level of risk they perceive.

A missed high-risk check-in will automatically trigger an alarm and escalate to monitors who can send help. This flexibility allows nurses to respond to changing environments in real time, without needing to contact a supervisor. It ensures their safety protocol is as dynamic as the work they do, offering peace of mind in higher-risk situations.

Real Life Use Case: Mark, a mental health support worker, is visiting a new patient in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Before entering the home, he activates the high-risk check-in timer
on his OK Alone app, setting it for 20 minutes. As the timer runs out, Mark is prompted to confirm his safety. When he doesn’t respond, his monitor is alerted
and quickly follows the escalation
process to check on his wellbeing.

Timed Activity

Home aides can set a timed activity for each
individual home visit adding information about
their location, patient history or whatever they
deem necessary. A missed check-in will automatically trigger an alarm and escalation to the monitor or the Safety Monitoring Centre who can send help.

Certain tasks carry more risk, even if only for a short period. Timed Activity ensures that higher-risk moments are monitored more closely, reducing the chance that incidents go unnoticed and due to the additional notes section enabling faster, more focused emergency response.

Real Life Use Case: Leah, a home care nurse, sets a timed activity in her OK Alone app before starting a visit with a patient who has a history of aggressive behavior. She includes notes about the patient's condition and address. The visit takes longer than expected, so Leah extends the activity timer by another 10 minutes. When the visit is over, she marks the task as complete, and the app returns to her normal check-in schedule.

Satellite Communications

Partnering with ZOLEO, and compatible with
SPOT and many other systems OK Alone
offers satellite device connectivity to ensure
employee safety for those visiting homes in remote locations without cell coverage.

For healthcare staff working in remote or rural areas, cell service can be unreliable or nonexistent. Using Ok Alone with a satellite device ensures that safety check-ins, alerts, and emergency signals can still be sent and received without mobile coverage.

Real Life Use Case: Dr. Harper, a rural physician, is conducting a post-op check-up at a farm located well outside of mobile signal range. She pairs her Ok Alone app with a satellite device before the visit, allowing her to stay in
contact with her monitoring team. When the patient develops unexpected complications, Dr. Harper triggers the
panic alarm through her satellite- connected device to request immediate help.

App Connectivity

App Connectivity is an advanced feature that
gives real-time insight into a worker’s signal
strength, battery level, and connection frequency.
It allows monitors and safety teams to see device health in real-time and make better, faster decisions, especially when check-ins are missed.

Not all missed check-ins are emergencies. App Connectivity helps teams understand why a worker didn’t check in, whether it’s a low battery, poor signal, or a real issue, eliminating guesswork and reducing unnecessary escalations.

Real Life Use Case: Angela, a home care nurse, sends a Help Alert during a visit with a new client, but her signal drops before further details come through. Her supervisor checks App Connectivity and sees her last known location, strong battery level, and recent connection loss. Emergency services are dispatched quickly, knowing it’s not just a technical issue, it’s a real request for help.

This video shows a day in the life of Sam, a healthcare worker, doing home visits during a typical shift. The demonstration shows the actions of both Sam, and her supervisor Jane, throughout an incident.