Radius Housing
Radius Housing has been a registered Housing Association in Northern Ireland for over 40 years. Radius is one of the most significant associations in Northern Ireland with over 5,600 homes and a wide range of community services offered.
Like many Housing Associations, Radius employs a range of community-based staff across the region, often carrying out work independently. Depending on many factors, such as who they’re visiting, location, and reason for visit, exposure to varying degrees of risk is an employer’s responsibility to lessen. Lone workers can be an easy target for verbal and physical abuse and in the event of an incident, may not be able to call for help easily.
Needing to provide adequate lone worker protection to over 70 of their community-based staff, Radius turned to Peoplesafe. With a proven track record second to none, Peoplesafe is fully qualified to ensure Radius’s lone workers have a means for calling for help in any emergency.
The MySOS is a discreet, easy-to-use personal safety device that allows users to activate an alarm at the press of a button. Within seconds, users are connected to Peoplesafe’s dedicated, UK-based Alarm Receiving Centre where trained Alarm Controllers are on hand, 24/7 to help.
Should a lone worker find themselves in difficulty for whatever reason, Peoplesafe’s Alarm Controllers will handle the situation, ensuring the right course of action is taken – including summoning the police should the need arise. Peoplesafe have direct access to police control rooms, bypassing the 999 system and guaranteeing a faster response.
Raymond Phillips, Facilities Manager and Health and Safety Officer for Radius Housing commented on the reasons why they chose Peoplesafe, “at Radius Housing, the health and safety of our staff is of utmost importance. Any system or device that can help protect our team when they are on site, particularly where they may be at risk, is always welcomed.”
Raymond was also impressed with the ability to leave a ‘voice memo’ – a feature that enables users to leave voice messages specific to their situation, such as who they are meeting and how long they expect to be. This helps provide vital additional information in an emergency. The message is immediately available to Peoplesafe Alarm Controllers if an alarm is activated. Coupled with the device’s GPS locating ability, lone workers in distress can be quickly found by the attending emergency services if required.
Raymond concludes, “we have been using Peoplesafe now for some months and the feedback from our end users have been very positive.”
