Employees in the oil and gas, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries often work in hazardous areas. To ensure the safety of lone workers in these environments, companies rely on solutions that speed up emergency response times. The Pepperl+Fuchs brand ecom has partnered with Swissphone to incorporate emergency response software into its portfolio of intrinsically safe mobile devices.
Using the App
The SOS Mobile app demo from Swissphone can be downloaded from the ecom App Library and is designed to monitor lone workers and notify headquarters in the event of an emergency. The complete solution triggers an emergency call and sends out the employee's positional data in hazardous situations. If the worker still capable of doing so, he or she must simply press an emergency button to trigger an emergency call. In cases where the employee is unable to trigger an alarm, the app automatically informs a predefined emergency center by email, SMS, or phone call.
In situations with extreme temperatures or toxic gases, a timer can be set to trigger a pre-alarm notification after a set period of time. This is a way to notify the worker of the time that has elapsed. If the employee does not deactivate the pre-alarm notification, another alarm will be triggered. The device can also detect rapid acceleration, which guarantees quick reporting in the case of a fall.
Emergency Portal
The web-based SOS Portal is the reporting, localization, and escalation component of the SOS system. The emergency call system is accessible from ecom's explosion protected tablet and provides an overview of devices and the workers assigned to them. When a worker is in need of emergency assistance, the system displays an associated action plan. The portal can be paired with data from Bluetooth® beacons so devices can be localized with an accuracy of up to one meter indoors. The complete solution is certified by the German Social Accident Insurance according to BGR 139 and DIN VDE V 0825.