Lone workers such as hotel employees and child welfare or healthcare workers often face unique safety risks. In fact, many cities have staff safety laws that require employers to provide their workers with panic buttons.In an emergency, a lone worker needs to be able to open their phone, find an app and send an alert in seconds. This requires fine motor skills which are unrealistic to execute during a heightened state of anxiety.Case Study 1: A Medical FacilityLone Workers are employees who work alone for a period of time, such as a medical or security worker. They are exposed to dangerous situations that aren’t always apparent. Therefore, they must be able to quickly send an emergency signal to get help in case of an attack or other danger.Some states and cities have passed staff safety laws requiring employers to provide panic buttons for healthcare workers, social service workers, child welfare and care providers, and hotel staff members. OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, also has resources that recommend panic buttons, cell phone applications, and GPS tracking or paging systems for employees working alone.The quickest way to send an emergency signal is to click a button on your lone worker monitoring system. A good system will allow your lone worker to send an SOS alert to the managing staff of the company / organization in real-time, without any more than 3 seconds delay.Case Study 2: A HospitalLone Worker Panic Buttons can be an excellent tool to use in the case of a workplace threat or violence.  Fall detection However, they should be used in conjunction with other safety measures, such as training programs and strict lone worker policies.Employers should review any legislation or regulations related to lone working, as well as any applicable industry standards. They should also be familiar with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance documents. However, OSHA guidelines are recommendations and not enforceable by law.To ensure compliance, businesses should consider piloting a new lone worker system in one location before rolling it out across the company. This can help them identify any technical issues and gain valuable learnings that they can then apply to their organization. This can help them ensure the best possible performance of their lone worker systems and avoid any risks. AlertMedia’s QR-Patrol lone worker safety app provides an ideal solution for this, as employees can easily send an alert to the monitoring center with just the click of a button.Case Study 3: A Retail StoreLone workers are a unique class of employees who have limited access to assistance from colleagues or coworkers. Panic buttons are a valuable tool that removes one of the biggest dangers that lone workers face, allowing them to signal for help from anywhere in their workspace.Employers have a legal responsibility to keep their employees safe. Depending on the industry, this may include providing protective equipment or running health and safety training programs. For lone workers who regularly work on their own, personal safety devices are the most effective solution.Many cities and states have staff safety laws that require employers to provide their employees with panic buttons. Other safety resources and Occupational Safety and Health Standards also recommend them for workers who often work alone or in isolated environments. These recommendations are not legally binding and employers should always consult with their legal counsel when deciding whether to implement them.Case Study 4: A BankLone workers who perform customer service jobs, such as bank employees or social workers, face a high level of risk. Employers must consider safety legal requirements and provide the necessary tools for employees who work alone such as PPE, panic buttons and health & safety training programs.Having a panic button on hand is often the most effective way for a lone worker to signal that they need help. If a lone worker feels threatened, they can press their device’s panic button or let the monitoring session expire, and law enforcement will be dispatched immediately.Mobile workers can also check-in to their job with a lone worker safety app, like the one included in AlertMedia’s MyMobileWorkers platform, at regular intervals during the day, and if they fail to do so or are in danger, an emergency signal is sent. This is much quicker than trying to call from a phone or trying to navigate a complicated mobile application in the middle of a crisis, where every second counts.