Workplace Violence Blog: Precision Notification and Meeting the Gold Standard of Emergency Notification
Guest Blog from Timothy Means, Director of Product Management, Metis Secure Solutions
Everyone has a rightful expectation to be safe in the workplace. Even if the job has an element of danger, operating heavy machinery for example, providing a safe place in which to work is an obligation every employer must meet. This includes notifying employees of dangerous events such as workplace violence threats from a co-worker or stranger or severe weather conditions.
New standards such as NFPA 72 and OSHA 1910.165 define how emergency communication systems should function in the workplace. Today, there are more tools for emergency notification that ever before. Yet, many corporations and employers are behind the times when it comes to getting the word out during a crisis. Try using the fire alarm to get people to shelter in place.
The Gold Standard in emergency notification is to get the right message to the right place at the right time. And the best way to meet that Gold Standard is with a precision notification system (PNS)
What is Precision Notification?
Mass notification systems blast out thousands of calls, emails and text messages hoping to cover everyone. This is successful to the degree that:
• People have subscribed to the system. On average, about 40% of students on a college campus subscribe to the mass warning system
• They are in the location of the emergency event.
• Their phone or computer is turned on and they look for the message.
Also messages sent from a mass notification system can take from 5 minutes to over an hour to be received. On the other hand, a precision notification system targets detailed instructions, to specific locations, in seconds.
This is done by activating alerting devices that have been mounted in buildings and outdoors. These warnings take the form of sirens, lights and voice announcements. Therefore, it doesn’t matter who is in the area, they will get the message. This also approach reaches visitors, non-subscribers and those who are hard of hearing and vision impaired.
An effective command center:
One critical component is a central command software platform that integrates systems and shares information. A good precision notification system uses maps and floor plans to make selection of locations fast and intuitive.
Floor plans contain a wealth of information such as the location of:
• Fire extinguishers
• AED devices
• Areas of safe refuge
• Elevators
• Stairwells
• Hazardous materials storage
In placing this information at the fingertips of a security dispatcher, notification and response efforts can be much more effective.
Two-way communications
Because of the communications architecture used in precision notification systems, some systems provide "Request for Help Buttons" which tie directly back to the central command interface. When sent along a local area network (LAN) or wireless mesh network, this return path operates independently of cellular networks and is not affected by the spike in demand of person-to-person communications during emergencies.
Conclusion
A well-developed precision notification command center provides enough information to help reduce notification time, activate and manage multiple systems and assist in efforts to respond more effectively. If you are investigating how to notify in the workplace, be sure to explore the benefits of a precision notification system.
Timothy Means is the Director of Product Management and co-founder of Metis Secure Solutions, the leader in precision notification. Metis Secure’s triple redundant communications architecture ensures that detailed voice announcements are delivered to specific locations in seconds. To learn more about Metis Secure’s precision notification system visit www.metissecure.com