Send For Help, a lone worker protection provider, is one of the first companies to be successfully audited against the latest version of BS 8484:2016—the standard for the provision of lone worker device services.
Lone worker protection
Following the rigorous audit, the award certifies that Send For Help’s subsidiaries—Skyguard and Guardian24, are working to the very highest standards of both product and service provision. Both subsidiaries were already accredited to the previous version of the standard—BS 8484:2011 having passed annual audits conducted by UKAS accredited body, the National Security Inspectorate (NSI). Subsequently, Send For Help’s subsidiaries have already been awarded NSI Guarding Gold and ARC Gold standards—the highest available.
BS8484:2016 sets the standard to which UK lone worker device service suppliers should achieve and can be measured against. It is important as a benchmark for employers sourcing a credible provider, as it enables the highest level of police response to an alarm.
Escalating emergency alarms
Organisations certified to BS 8484:2016 through a UKAS accreditation have the ability to escalate lone worker alarms directly to local Police control rooms (via the use of URNs), bypassing the 999 service which can save vital minutes in an emergency.
BS 8484:2016 is the most complete version of the lone working standard to date. It supersedes the previous standard, published in 2011 which will be withdrawn at the end of February 2017. As such, only organisations fully accredited to BS 8484:2016 will be able to guarantee the highest level of response from the Police.
Offering greater transparency
"We’re delighted to offer the most complete personal safety service for lone workers and at-risk individuals" |
Published at the end of last year, the new standard now comprehensively covers lone worker Smartphone applications, reflecting technological improvements made within the last five years. As such, Skyguard and Guardian24’s Smartphone apps are certified to BS 8484:2016.
The standard offers greater transparency to customers in all aspects of service delivery, especially upon reporting statistical information to their clients—something that both Skyguard and Guardian24 are already at the forefront of. It tightens key performance indicators for Alarm Receiving Centre response times and there’s a greater emphasis upon end-to-end solutions such as those provided by Send For Help. Ultimately, it offers clear and concise parameters for clients to judge the performance on all aspects of a lone worker solution.
Alarm Receiving Centre
The certification, coupled with Send For Help’s dedicated Alarm Receiving Centre which is accredited to BS 5979 (Category II) and NPCC’s Secured by Design accolade, means there’s no higher certified lone worker safety service in the UK and Ireland.
James Murray, CEO of Send For Help commented, "At Send For Help, we continually strive for excellence and being one the first providers to gain certification to the latest BS 8484:2016 standard with flying colours once again proves this.”
“We’re delighted to offer the most complete personal safety service for lone workers and at-risk individuals. Those seeking to protect their lone workers need look no further than a service which has full up-to-date certification to the highest standards.”
