The use of GPS Fleet Management (also known as Vehicle Tracking or Vehicle Telematics) is increasingly common in today’s business environment, both in the private and public sectors.
As the use of GPS Location technology has developed and become more widespread, so has the scope of its use widened. Once the domain of the Fleet Manager, GPS Location technology has now extended beyond the fleet department and into the hands, literally, of non-vehicle based staff.
Many organisations with a reliance on a vehicle based workforce have invested in GPS Location and Tracking technology. It helps organisations administer a number of fleet management functions, including; Vehicle journey time calculations, mileage monitoring, route planning, Driver behaviour analysis and fuel usage reporting.
Being able to monitor the real-time location of vehicles across a fleet, means organisations are now more able to respond dynamically to changing events and meet the increased expectations of their customers, while reducing unnecessary fuel costs.
The advent of person based GPS Location and Tracking technology, such as the Solo device from Trackitnow, means that non-vehicle based mobile personnel or Lone Workers, such as Street Cleaners, Park Rangers or Community Support Officers, can now also be deployed with increased efficiency.
Increasing defined rules and guidelines pertaining to employers’ responsibilities under Health and Safety at Work and Duty of Care legislation, means this technology is being seen as much more than just a productivity tool.
Advice published by both the HSE and Business link says that “If you employ lone workers, you have the same responsibilities for their health and safety as for any other employees. You may, however, need to take extra precautions to ensure lone workers are at no greater risk than your other employees. Duty of care and traceability must become a priority to senior managers in any organisation both in the public and private sector.
To quote advice published by the Ministry of Justice; The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 sets out a new offence for convicting an organisation where a gross failure in the way activities were managed or organised results in a person’s death. This will apply to a wide range of organisations across the public and private sectors. In England and Wales and Northern Ireland, the new offence will be called corporate manslaughter. It will be called corporate homicide in Scotland. Under a new approach, courts will look at management systems and practices across the organisation, providing a more effective means for prosecuting the worst corporate failures to manage health and safety properly.
What is a Lone Worker? A lone worker is anybody who works alone. The term itself makes it quite clear. The HSE advice continues; A Lone Worker can include; Employees who work away from their business’ base. This occurs in a wide range of business activities, such as transport, construction, maintenance and repair. The term Lone Worker will also include many personnel employed in the Public Sector such as Community Care Workers, Social Workers, Home Helpers and Probation Officers etc.
Incidents of assaults on Public Sector employees have been widely reported, Lone Workers being especially vulnerable. In addition to being a tool that provides a precise, real-time location and journey history, some Lone Worker GPS Location devices, now also serve as personal security devices and inlcude;
· The ability to make and receive voice calls, including Silent Calling feature.
· A Panic Alarm which, when pressed, transmits an Alarm message with the precise location of the device carrier.
· A Motion Sensor which, when activated, transmits an alert location. This is especially useful for Lone Workers who could suffer a fall requiring emergency assistance.
In summary, businesses and organisations, who initially introduced GPS Location technology as a tool, primarily to maximise the efficient use of assets such as vehicles and drivers, are now finding that GPS Location and Tracking technology can also help them meet their other duties and responsibilities.
Regular topic and contents updates available here or shown now in full over at What are Vehicle Telematics and Vehicle Tracking?. on the UK Telematics Online website
