Protecting the mobile workforce

As the number of mobile workers increases, Risk UK addresses the dangers involved and the protection available for this growing trend.

With developments in WIFI, smartphones and tablet PCs, the face of business is changing and our workforce is becoming more and more mobile. Motorola estimates that 35 per cent of the global workforce will be mobile workers by 2013.

While it is great to see occupation moving away from the 9-5 deskbound structure we have come to recognise, the risk to a mobile or lone worker from violent assault is the latest challenge HR managers have to face.

Risk UK interviewed SitexOrbis’ own Mark Cosh about the issues in their article ‘Mobile and in danger?’ Mark pointed out the traditional method for monitoring mobile staff was to use the ‘white board or the buddy system’.

The ‘white board system’ is where mobile workers check in and out of the office using a white board so the office can know their whereabouts. The drawbacks to this system are that it can only be effective during office opening hours and when monitored efficiently.

The ‘buddy system is the equivalent of telling your friend where you’re going to meet a new date. Lone workers tell another colleague where they will be and agree to phone back within a set period of time’. Again, if they forget to phone back or call with an emergency which their colleague is unsure of how to handle, the system is flawed.

Here at SitexOrbis we provide two separate lone worker protection packages; Code5 and Code5 Premium. Both lone worker policy plans give a 24/7 response team to provide assistance for a lone worker in a dangerous situation. The lone worker simply contacts the response team using their mobile phone, and the SitexOrbis operators will locate them using GPS technology, monitor their movements and conversations, and provide the necessary assistance.

Obviously some workers are at more risk than others and the risks themselves are different – they may experience abuse, violence, robbery or accident for example. Therefore the technology needs to be tailored accordingly. Mark explains “ For low to medium risk lone workers, a dedicated speed dial set up on a standard mobile phone linking through to an alarm response centre will provide an increased level of safety. For lone workers who routinely face higher levels of risk, enhanced services can be combined with dedicated devices or a smartphone app that can include the ability to set up automatic welfare checks giving the user greater flexibility and protection.”

Mark finishes on the point that it is not just the technology itself. “Practical safety training and the deployment of mobile based back up solutions can help an organisation to embed health and safety into its culture, better assess risk and change working practices.”

To read the rest of the article visit: http://www.risk-uk.com/issues/riskaug11.htm

SitexOrbis & Insurance Firm Aviva to speak at BIFM London Region Event

SitexOrbis, the experts in vacant property management, will speak at a British Institute of Facilities Management event next month about managing empty buildings.

Almost 40 pubs close every week, 14.7 per cent of retail units are empty, and thanks to the recession and changes in ways of working more and more commercial property is also becoming empty. At the same time proposals for new legislation tackling squatting have just been published, and businesses are seeing a major increase in metal theft thanks to the rise in its scrap value. The subject of managing empty property is becoming more and more important for facilities managers.

At the Facilities Management in Empty Buildings event on 28 September, SitexOrbis will outline some of the key risks facing vacant property from squatters and vandals, to fly-tippers, intruders and thieves and explain how to mitigate these risks.  Insurers Aviva will help attendees to consider the insurance implications of vacant property.

The event, which is kindly hosted by the Association of British Insurers at 51 Gresham Street London EC2V 7HQ, is sponsored by SitexOrbis. 

Event Timetable:

5.45pm            Arrival/Networking/Refreshments

6.15pm            Welcome and Introduction by BIFM London Region

6.20pm            Best Practice Vacant Property Management by SitexOrbis

6.45pm            Insurance Implications of Empty Property by Aviva

7.15pm            Building Introduction/Tour by Association of British Insurer's FM

7.45pm            Drinks Reception/Networking

8.30pm            Carriages

To reserve a place, please email Cathy Hayward at cathy.hayward@magentaassociates.co.uk

Can you afford to ignore the risk?

SitexOrbis - supporting UK businesses in the riot aftermath

Following the recent widespread rioting, SitexOrbis are working with local people to help to secure properties and rebuild their communities.

As rioters forced entry into buildings across the UK, vandalising them and setting them on fire, the biggest targets were vacant properties lacking security.

People across England are now embarking on the big community clean up, trying to stay one step ahead of the law breakers and put communities back together.

SitexOrbis can help to provide a cleaner and safer neighbourhood, whether you have been a victim of the rioting and need to temporarily secure your property, or you are looking to safeguard premises against future threats.

We use Sitex steel screens which, unlike traditional wooden boarding, are resistant to vandalism and arson and they are easily fitted with minimal damage to existing walls.

We can also provide temporary alarms which are monitored around the clock for your peace of mind.

Keep your property safe, secure and monitored 24/7 with SitexOrbis

Statement: SitexOrbis responds to riots affecting the UK

"The shocking scenes we have seen of looted shops and businesses burnt to the ground show that normal security measures are just not enough in these dangerous times," 
Said Mark Cosh, European director at property and people protection experts SitexOrbis. 


"All facilities managers running properties from council offices and public buildings to shops and offices should review their buildings’ security and look to take advice in areas under threat. We have already seen looters breaking through traditional wood boarding to re-enter premises which were deemed secure."

SitexOrbis has had a busy 48 hours helping organisations to deal with the riots affecting London and other major cities including Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol. The firm is helping businesses to install temporary steel protection and robust steel doors on the front and rear of buildings until the threat of riots reduces. “This must be supported by increased staff awareness and security patrols, installing temporary cameras where power is now damaged to catch images of any perpetrators,” said Cosh.

He also called on organisations to consider improving the protection offered to their people. Those organisations employing lone workers in urban areas have a legal responsibility to ensure their safety under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. Simple mobile-based technology such as a dedicated speed dial set up on a standard mobile phone linking through to an alarm response centre will provide an increased level of safety. "Organisations need to be aware that if one of their employees is caught up in the violence and they have done nothing to protect them, they could be at risk of a fine, or worse. Changing work patterns during the disturbances or using simple mobile based support can help to alleviate the risk," he said.

SitexOrbis at riot frontline protecting local communities and businesses

People and property protection specialists SitexOrbis is at the frontline of the riots affecting towns and cities across the UK using steel screens to protect businesses and property likely to be targeted.

Featured on yesterday’s BBC London News at 6pm. SitexOrbis security screens have been installed on shops and offices across the capital from Hackney in the east to Ealing in the west, as well as in Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol to protect local communities and businesses from devastating damage and looting which have seen some businesses burnt to the ground.

Nick Starling, director of general insurance and health at the Association of British Insurers, said the damage would cost £10s of millions to put right. The British Retail Council agreed and said that some businesses would not recover from the damage caused. Mark Cosh, European director at SitexOrbis warned that normal security measures were not enough. "All facilities managers running properties from council offices and public buildings to shops and offices should review their buildings’ security and look to take advice in areas under threat. We have already seen looters breaking through traditional wood boarding to re-enter premises which were deemed secure."

Steel screens are more robust than traditional wooden boarding, are easy to fit and cause less damage to fixtures and fittings and are less susceptible to fire, he added.

Cosh also called on organisations to consider improving the protection offered to their people. Those organisations employing lone workers in urban areas have a legal responsibility to ensure their safety under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007. Simple mobile-based technology such as a dedicated speed dial set up on a standard mobile phone linking through to an alarm response centre will provide an increased level of safety.

 "Organisations need to be aware that if one of their employees is caught up in the violence and they have done nothing to protect them, they could be at risk of a fine, or worse. Changing work patterns during the disturbances or using simple mobile based support can help to alleviate the risk," he said.

Keep your property safe, secure and monitored 24/7 with SitexOrbis