Violence and Aggression in the Workplace: Understanding, Prevention, and Solutions
Using Technology to Respond to Duress Situations
In today’s rapidly evolving world, technology plays an increasingly vital role in enhancing safety and security, particularly in responding to duress situations. Duress, in this context, refers to scenarios where individuals face threats, such as physical harm, or robbery and other violent incidents. The rapid advancement of tech solutions has provided individuals, organisations, and law enforcement agencies with new tools to respond to these situations more effectively and efficiently.
- Personal Safety Apps
One of the most notable innovations in technology is the development of personal safety apps designed to help individuals. These apps provide real-time support in the form of alerts, GPS tracking, and emergency contacts, and are often equipped with one-touch panic buttons. Users can discreetly send distress signals to trusted contacts or emergency services without needing to make a phone call.
What happens if the personal threats occur at your facility. Whilst most of us would think, and hope that our facility would not be a target of aggression or violence, there are some situations where the risk of these is increased. Situations like when an employee may be experiencing mental health issues, experiencing family violence or your businesses handles cash.
What are the solutions?
Many facilities will have the push button hold up alarm, which requires a manual action to set off the alarm, which is great if the person subject to the threat has immediate access to the manual button. But what is the plan if they don’t? You can’t have a manual button in every room and scattered across the facility.
This is where technology steps in. There are several systems that can provide you, and your team with a great option to alert authorities to the immediate threat that your team member is facing.
Examples
- Worksafe Guardian: 24/7 monitoring with mobile device app and Bluetooth connected activation button, means your team member is never away from the ability to activate an emergency duress.
- SHeQSY by Safety Culture: Similarly to the Worksafe Guardian App, there are internal notification processes and/or call centre activation.
- Duress: Provides a suite of products and options that can be tailored to suit different business needs. The product range for searching is “Duress Pheonix”, “Duress Falcon” and “Duress Eagle”.
These apps enhance team security by providing quick and effective means of communication and location sharing, particularly for people who may be unable to make phone calls or openly request help.
- Smart Wearables
Wearable technology, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, can serve as crucial tools in duress situations. Many smartwatches are now equipped with emergency features, such as fall detection, heart rate monitoring, and the ability to send distress signals with a simple gesture. These wearables can automatically detect unusual activity (e.g., a fall or sudden change in heart rate) and alert emergency contacts or first responders.
Examples:
- Apple Watch: The latest models include an SOS feature that allows users to call emergency services by pressing and holding the side button. Additionally, the watch can send an alert to designated emergency contacts with the user’s location.
- Garmin Watches: Garmin’s “Assistance” feature sends an alert to selected emergency contacts with real-time GPS coordinates in case of a duress situation.
Wearable devices add a layer of protection for individuals who may not be able to access their phones or use them in certain threatening situations. Their discreet nature makes them ideal for people who need a silent or unobtrusive way to summon help.
- Smart Home Technology
For individuals in potentially vulnerable environments, such as the elderly or those living alone, smart home technology can be invaluable in responding to duress. Smart home systems can include sensors, cameras, alarms, and voice-activated assistants, all of which can be linked to emergency response systems or trusted contacts. These systems provide a way to ensure that assistance is available quickly in the event of an emergency.
Examples
- Amazon Alexa & Google Assistant: Both platforms allow users to create voice commands that can alert emergency contacts or trigger specific actions during an emergency. For example, users can say “Alexa, call 911” in an emergency, or set up routines that alert trusted individuals.
- Ring Video Doorbell: A video doorbell system like Ring can help monitor entryways and alert homeowners to suspicious activity. In the event of an intrusion, users can contact authorities through the app while continuing to observe the situation.
By connecting various devices in the home, such as lights, locks, and cameras, smart home technology makes it easier to secure one’s environment and respond rapidly to potential threats.
- Real-Time Surveillance
Many facilities have CCTV monitoring, with the ability to monitor in ‘real-time’. Additionally, police can utilise surveillance systems, to monitor real-time events. This not only helps in responding swiftly but also ensures that evidence is collected and documented for future investigation.
- AI and Machine Learning for Threat Detection
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies are revolutionising threat detection, particularly in high-risk environments such as airports, public spaces, and government buildings. Advanced AI systems can analyse patterns in data to detect unusual behaviours, identify potential threats, and even predict criminal activities before they happen.
Examples:
- Facial Recognition Technology: Used in conjunction with security cameras, facial recognition systems can help identify known criminals or unauthorized individuals, alerting security personnel in real time.
- Predictive Policing Algorithms: Some organisations use AI to analyse crime patterns and predict where crimes are most likely to occur, enabling law enforcement to respond proactively to potential threats.
AI-driven technologies not only improve the speed of response but also enhance the precision of threat detection, allowing for more informed decision-making in crisis situations.
- Emergency Communication Systems
In duress situations, knowing that you can summons assistance, wherever and whenever you need can provide strong psychological support to your team. The discrete availability means that you team can work in the confidence that your business is doing what it can to protect them.
Examples
- Domestic Family Violence: Staff are more likely to seek your assistance and thus, make you aware of a potential hazard or risk, if they think that you will be able to assist them. Knowing about a situation, means that you can support your team member(s) and will provide a happy and supported team.
- Lone Worker Support
Regardless of what industry you are in, there will be situations where a team member is working on their own. Think about when someone goes out to empty the bins, stays back late to do that critical task, or simply the work requires them to be on their own.
Technology can provide a great option to allow you to keep in contact with your team member, without needing to micromanage them. Apps with work-alone features give your team member the ability to set a timer and then report in at the end of that period. It is only if they don’t, then a duress activation would occur.
Some of the catches to using duress devices
Implementation
The major catch to implementing a technology driven solution simply comes down to implementation. By this, I am not talking about downloading the app and teaching someone how to press the button, but it is the “What to do when…?” processes kick in.
These items are significant hazard and risk mitigation steps and should be reflected in your emergency management plan or emergency response procedures. Ensuring that the technology is linked to business practice can be the difference between a great response or a poor outcome.
Privacy
A significant concern for many people is the ability of “big brother” to keep track or micromanage individuals. This is not the case; most apps only trigger the GPS location once a duress has been activated. This means that the privacy of your team is secure and only known when they really want you to know where they are.
Conclusion
As duress situations become more varied and complex, technology continues to evolve to provide a range of solutions to enhance personal, organisational, and community safety. From wearable devices and personal safety apps to AI-driven threat detection and real-time surveillance, technology empowers businesses to be able to react more quickly and effectively in high-pressure situations. By leveraging these innovations, society can create safer environments and improve responses to emergencies, ensuring that help is always within reach. However, we still need to ensure that we have the correct plans/procedures in place for it to reach the technologies full human potential.