How does a duress alarm work?
How does a duress alarm work?
What is a duress alarm?
A duress alarm is a small alarm, often the size of a pendant or ID tag, which can be carried at all times by at-risk persons to provide immediate assistance in the event of an emergency.
Duress alarms are designed for discreet use and come equipped with features to call for help in an instant; offering both individuals and organisations peace of mind.
What is a duress alarm used for?
Personal duress alarms are used to monitor at-risk individuals and create a means of instant communication with support systems.
In hazardous environments like construction and security, duress alarms provide an invaluable layer of protection. But, we are also seeing them becoming more prevalent in low risk surroundings, such as offices, schools and homes as well.
A duress alarm should always remain within easy reach of the person it protects, whilst being out of easy reach of others. To ensure maximum protection, a duress alarm should be worn by the one it is to protect so wearing the alarm around the neck, belt or wrist ideally to ensure easy accessibility.
How does a duress alarm work?
If the button on the duress alarms if pushed, a discreet alert will be sent to a nominated carer or monitoring centre. When the nominated person is alerted, they can make contact with you and/or the emergency services.
When using the Solosafe duress alarm, the person raising the alarm can have 2-way communication with the nominated contact to allow for details of the emergency to be relayed and advice on what steps to take.
Duress alarms typically follow this process:
- Duress alarm is activated by the at-risk person
- Alert is sent to nominated contact or monitoring centre
- If possible, a 2-way dialogue is initiated with at-risk person to determine the situation
- Decision is made whether the contact goes to assist or emergency services are despatched
Who uses duress or personal alarms?
At-risk persons could be the elderly, medically at risk, lone workers, or employees working in dangerous situations.
Whether it’s for elder mistreatment prevention or to safeguard workers on the job, duress alarms offer discreet emergency calling capabilities, which is a lifesaving resource when danger is near.
Security and healthcare professionals rely heavily upon these devices as safeguards against potential harm; no matter the risk level at hand, their presence can bring peace of mind during otherwise uncertain times.
Duress alarms are seen by many as an essential component of workplace safety equipment and procedures. Remote or isolated work situations can produce high risk situations due to the isolation of help from others or the time and place of the lone worker; therefore it is essential that a duress alarm is worn. Whether lone workers are isolated in remote locations on their own, for a matter of hours, days or even weeks, communication with a nominated contact and emergency services is critical.
Where can they be used?
Personal duress alarms can be used just about anywhere!
The elderly could utilise a personal alarm in their home, aged care facility, or assisted living estate to gain assistance or alert health support services if an accident or illness which requires immediate attention occurs.
Workers who spend much of their day working by themselves, such as community health nurses or meter readers, can use a duress alarm to notify an employer or emergency services in the event of an accident or dangerous situation.
Duress alarms are also highly beneficial for visitors to your workplace, or temporary workers, that are unfamiliar with not only the location but also the emergency action plans. For example, temporary workers may not know where the fire exits are or be lost in the building and need assistance getting out during a fire alarm.
Examples of isolated work includes:
- Independent health and community workers working with the public
- Long haul train and truck freight drivers
- Lone sales people
- Farm hands, park rangers, site inspectors
- Service station attendant, night office cleaners, warehouse or factory workers
What happens when the duress alarm is activated?
Each situation will vary as to the procedure following a personal alarm activation. During the setup of the alarm, procedures will need to be set in place which will provide specific support or emergency assistance for the individual. Careful consideration needs to be taken to determine what these actions are for the individual's particular circumstances.
This can vary from the notification of a neighbour or family member to contacting emergency services or medical support personnel, depending on the precise needs of the individual.
In an emergency a duress alarm can very quickly action a pre-arranged set of procedures, providing a fast response to potentially dangerous or life threatening situations.
The Solosafe duress alarm also emits a GPS location allowing emergency responders and carers to locate the person with the alarm.
Find out more about personal alarms
Want to know more about how a personal duress alarm can help a family member, staff or at-risk workers? Contact Alltronic Security's friendly team on 07 3353 3248 or complete our quote request form today.