The accreditation comes just months after BSI published the standard in September 2009, the full title of which is the Code of practice for the provision of lone worker devices.
A fundamental aspect of gaining accreditation for the company is the assurance that SitexOrbis operators will, where necessary, continue to be able to escalate lone worker related emergencies to the police, fire and ambulance services.
Partly to reduce false alarms, police authorities have signalled their intention to respond only to lone worker emergencies reported by organisations accredited to BS8484 and the lower level BS5979 for alarm receiving centres. SitexOrbis is among the few to be accredited to both.
Chief executive David Walker said: “BS8484 is hugely important to us and our customers. More than 10,000 workers rely on us for their safety. Business partners such as Vodafone and BlackBerry maker RIM can pass assurance on to their customers that we will continue to offer a best in class service. This has been a very positive exercise for everyone involved. The outcome is the culmination of the years we have spent developing lone worker protection in that we are able to meet and often exceed the standard’s portfolio of recommendations.
“Our service also dovetails well with the police. Lone workers can proactively manage risk at work in the knowledge that should a situation escalate, we have the ability to contact the emergency services on their behalf.”
SitexOrbis lone worker protection is able to be activated discretely via dedicated mobile devices and, more frequently, via customers’ existing devices such as their mobile phones, PDAs and BlackBerry smartphones. Service options include bespoke packages, implementation management and training.
More than six million people in the UK work in isolation or without direct supervision. Many of them as a consequence will face greater safety risks and will therefore be equipped with lone worker devices to protect them and fulfil duty of care obligations set out in health and safety legislation. The aim of the new standard is to enable the providers of such devices to maintain a good level of support.