Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea
Overview
The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea Council keeps its borough running with a diverse workforce – from office-based staff to social workers supporting residents and park rangers patrolling green spaces. But with nearly 2,000 employees spread across departments, many found themselves working alone or out of sight of others, facing unique safety risks. Recognising this challenge, the Council prioritised finding a solution that would work for employees across various departments, ensuring everyone’s safety regardless of their role.
- Nearly 20% of Council workers now have an employee safety device
- Specialist features ensure the device is perfectly suited to the needs of each role
- Streamlined processes have encouraged widespread adoption of the service
- Training from Peoplesafe supported a positive culture around employee safety
The Need for a Unified Approach
Some workers were already equipped with lone worker devices, but a range of different solutions were being used across the Council. With different devices having varying capabilities and costs, the Health & Safety team were concerned that some of their employees might not be as well protected as others. Managers also lacked confidence in purchasing lone worker devices as there was no central provider or pricing, and no standard process in place for obtaining and returning devices.
Overcoming Misconceptions
A misconception among some teams existed that devices were being used to “check up” on workers, creating distrust among some employees. There was also a general lack of awareness among the workforce regarding the availability and support of lone worker solutions by the Council.
Following a formal tender process, the Council chose Peoplesafe as their central lone worker service provider due to our ability to provide a range of safety devices tailored to meet the unique needs of the Council’s workforce.
Tailored Technology Solutions
The technology was to be provided to workers across a range of departments, from housing and support services to environmental health and project teams.
In order to suit the needs of all employees, the Council chose a combination of safety apps and MySOS devices fitted with roaming SIMs, to counteract mobile blackspots. This comprehensive approach ensures uninterrupted coverage, vital for safeguarding employees across all operational environments, including areas with challenging mobile connectivity.
The device itself is discreet and able to attach to a lanyard, keyring or belt holster, ensuring comfort and accessibility for users. Choosing a device that was small and a service that provided flexibility was important to ensure it catered to users across all departments.
Empowering Safety Through Training
Peoplesafe’s lone worker safety experts conducted comprehensive training sessions for Council employees, ensuring they were proficient in operating the device and accessing support during emergencies. Using external trainers, the Council successfully fostered a mindset shift among employees – from “my manager is checking up on me” to “my manager is keeping me safe”.
In addition to training, Peoplesafe also offered to show employees around the Alarm Receiving Centre, so they could see first-hand how any alarms they raised would be dealt with. This personalised approach fostered trust and confidence among staff, further reinforcing the benefits of lone worker safety solutions.
Boosting Safety Culture
Through innovative solutions and a commitment to cultural change, the Council has transformed the narrative around personal safety, ensuring that every employee feels protected, connected and valued.
Additionally, with a central contract in place managers now have streamlined access to the right lone worker solutions to protect their employees, as they can now make purchases with confidence. The Council now has a subscription of over 800 MySOS devices and nearly 300 apps to protect employees across the organisation – a number that continues to grow.
Peoplesafe’s support in both of these areas has been invaluable. Having Peoplesafe deliver the training made a big difference, reinforcing the benefits of the technology to the teams that use it. They’re really easy to work with too – our contact there is very responsive to new requests for devices and their support in establishing a straightforward onboarding and returns process makes life easier for everyone.”
