What is a Mass Notification System?
Simply put, a mass notification system is a unified system that allows you (the employer) to broadcast one-way messages and notifications to a large group of people simultaneously in an emergency or other time-sensitive situation.
Do you remember tornado warning sirens, or those Emergency Broadcast System tests you used to see on TV? Those are examples of mass notification systems (although today’s technology is far more advanced). Like Twitter, a mass notification system can alert many people at once to a situation or set of conditions they need to know about right away. For your purpose as a safety owner, your optimal company-wide mass notification system should be a device that can immediately notify mobile worker in the company in the event there’s some kind of crisis. You can send alerts to all of your employees at once, with the push of a button.
Why Do I Need a Mass Notification System?
How can mass notification be useful within a company setting? Let’s imagine another scenario: Let’s say you run a construction company. Two of your crews are in the field, working on projects across the area, when you find out there’s a tornado warning in effect. You can’t email your workers; they’re on-site. You can’t call each person individually; that takes too long, and besides, they’re discouraged from using their phone while on-the-clock.
Instead, you — as the safety administrator — use AlertGPS as an internal company-wide mass notification system. You inform the employees in the danger zone that they should stop work, secure the worksite and seek cover. Simultaneously, an integrated history log records this messaging, so you have solid documentation. Every mobile worke is carrying an AlertGPS device, so the safety director can see who is (and isn’t) still in the field. She notices that Billy hasn’t left the job site. He’s isolated, away from other workers, and he’s the only person who hasn’t followed orders. She notices hat Billy pressed the SOS button on his device and got routed to the AlertGPS Safety Monitoring Center. “I’m stuck, I need help,” he tells the safety agent. “I’m trapped in the basement and the door won’t open.” The agent instantly dispatches emergency personnel to rescue Billy. She also checks his profile and notices that he’s prone to seizures, which she relays to the rescue officials. Everything happens with the push of a button, and all data is instantly documented.
Bottom Line
In today’s digital age, there’s no reason why anyone in your company should be out of the loop in an urgent situation. Devices like AlertGPS that enable mass notification make it as easy as possible to keep everyone on the same page, keep your workers safe, and keep your company running smoothly, no matter what issues may arise.