McKinstry partners with StaySafe to protect lone workers

McKinstry is a design build contractor that operates in the construction and building industry. The company has partnered with StaySafe to provide its staff with protection when working alone or in dangerous environments. The StaySafe app and surrounding cloud-based monitoring service is designed to protect employees who work alone or in remote locations.

McKinstry currently has over 130 staff using the app during their working day. 

As McKinstry operates in the construction industry, there are a number of hazards that staff may regularly encounter. Workers are often in mechanical rooms by themselves in the vicinity of moving and electrical equipment. Some workers may also be required to work from height on building roofs or climbing ladders. If a worker were to fall and injure themselves or be involved in a machinery accident whilst alone, they may be unable to alert anyone for help. To combat this issue, McKinstry wanted to implement a quick and easy way for staff to alert their managers who could quickly send assistance in an emergency. Equally, managers needed a way to know if staff had not moved for a prolonged period of time and may be injured or unconscious. 

Before partnering with StaySafe, the company would conduct risk assessments and encourage staff to communicate with managers before projects began. However, managers soon realised that some scenarios could not be planned for and set out to find a solution that could protect staff who were not covered by existing health and safety policies. The lone working solution needed to be compatible with smart devices and not require any additional equipment. 

Since the launch of StaySafe, employees are confident that if they have an accident at work, monitors will be notified and can send assistance to them. Staff can start a timed session before a period of lone work or travel and check-in at any time to confirm their safety. If an employee fails to end their session safely, a session expiry alert will be sent to the monitor. 

If a worker has an accident or injures themselves at work, they can send a panic alert through the app which will notify a monitor that they need assistance. The app also provides man down alerts so that managers can detect if an employee has not moved for a prolonged period of time. This feature is particularly useful for McKinstry staff who often work from height or with dangerous machinery.

Matt Ophardt, Standardisation Programme Manager at McKinstry, commented: “The app is great for helping us ensure our staff are kept safe whilst at work. It’s easy to use and the recent changes to the hub have allowed us to tailor the settings to fit our organisation. We’re confident that our staff will be able to call for help should an incident occur.” 

Don Cameron, CEO at StaySafe, added: “For staff that work in construction, there is often a high risk of being injured by machinery or whilst working from height. We’re glad to provide a solution that can help mitigate risks to employees and give managers better insight into their staff’s wellbeing.”