Unlocking Advanced Mobile Worker Safety with DECT: A New Era of Protection
In industries like manufacturing, warehousing, and long-term care, many teams are constantly on the move in vast, challenging environments—away from desks and workstations. In these high-risk settings, personal safety tools must be mobile and accessible at all times. When emergencies arise, reaching a fixed phone may not be an option. Immediate access to safety systems can make all the difference in ensuring a swift and effective response, keeping workers safe while they focus on their critical tasks.
DECT Communication Solutions and Worker Safety
For industries where worker safety is a priority, DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) solutions offer essential features for protection. With emergency alarm buttons, pull cords and motion sensors; workers can quickly signal for help without needing to find a workstation or cross hazardous areas.
Designed for harsh environments—like noisy factories, busy warehouses, or healthcare settings—DECT handsets provide clear communication, long battery life, and wide coverage, ensuring reliability even in tough conditions. Unlike Wi-Fi, which can struggle with interference in large spaces, DECT delivers consistent signal strength, keeping workers connected and safe across expansive areas.
The Role of Location Technology in Emergency Situations
In emergencies, every second counts. Workers in large, sprawling environments can quickly become out of sight from help. Mobile devices equipped with location technology provide real-time tracking, enabling teams to pinpoint a worker’s exact location when they trigger an emergency alarm.
Whether a worker is trapped under equipment, injured in a remote section of a warehouse, or experiencing a safety emergency in a long-term care facility, location tracking ensures that responders reach them without wasting valuable time. In environments filled with concrete walls, industrial machinery, or busy patient care areas, the precision of this technology helps emergency teams respond faster, potentially saving lives.
New Features for Faster Response
To enhance worker safety in hazardous environments, Spectralink has integrated Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology into its S35 and S37 DECT handsets, enabling advanced location tracking and faster emergency response. With this new feature, when a worker activates an alarm, the device sends the alarm notification and the name of the last iBeacon detected with the highest signal strength, providing precise location data to emergency responders.
By installing iBeacons throughout your facility, you can enable this powerful functionality. iBeacons use BLE to broadcast their names and ID numbers. The Spectralink DECT handsets continuously receive these signals and store the names of the last five strongest iBeacons found, and the “list” is automatically updated as the handset moves throughout the facility. When an alarm event is triggered on the handset, the handset sends an alarm message that includes the name and ID of the iBeacon with the strongest signal – likely the closest beacon to the mobile worker – via XML API from the Spectralink IP-DECT server to a third-party alarm platform. This ensures responders can pinpoint a worker’s location and respond swiftly—no matter where they are in the facility.
In the past, location tracking relied on base station radio signal triangulation, which lacked the accuracy needed for complex, multi-level environments. With iBeacon support, Spectralink provides more precise and reliable location data, ensuring faster response times. This system gives workers peace of mind, knowing help can reach them quickly when it’s needed most.
Ready to Improve Worker Safety? Discover how Spectralink’s DECT can enhance your team’s safety and speed up emergency response. Contact us today to learn more or request a demo!