While two-way radios are, first and foremost, indispensable tools for quick and seamless push-to-talk (PTT) voice communications, that’s just the beginning of what they can accomplish. In addition to data transmission and other potential uses for increasing efficiency and connectivity, two-way radio safety features can help businesses ensure that they’re monitoring and taking action to keep workers safe on the job. From helping locate downed workers during an emergency to COVID-19 symptom monitoring, two-way radios can help.
Do Radios Have Safety Features?
Through a combination of built-in technology and third-party apps, today’s two-way radios incorporate a wide variety of safety features that are suitable for a range of different work environments. Many are suitable for multiple use cases and scenarios, while others help avert specific hazards or are engineered to respond to time-sensitive circumstances.
Popular Safety Features of Two-Way Radios
Depending on your operating conditions, different safety features may be helpful for meeting your needs. Here are some popular tech solutions to common problems.
Man Down Notifier and Emergency Button Using Indoor Location Tracking
To get the most out of these two-way radio safety features, users place discreet Bluetooth tracking beacons throughout the facility. These devices regularly monitor the location of different two-way radios within their range. The most recently pinged location will be used for monitoring and reporting purposes in the following two scenarios.
Man Down Notifier (MDN)
An internal level will be able to discern if the two-way radio has been tipped over or become horizontal. After it stays in this position for an established amount of time, potentially indicating that a user wearing the radio has fallen over and become immobile, the dispatcher is notified via a software gateway. Then, a signal is sent out to all other two-way radios in the area, including user identification and the radio’s last known location according to the Bluetooth tracking beacons. Audio alarms will be emitted from the radio in order to help others locate the impacted user. The affected user can also turn off the MDN if it was engaged in error.
Emergency Button activation
Similar to the MDN, activating the Emergency Button notifies the dispatcher of a potential issue, and the alert is transferred to other nearby radios in the system so that they can respond to whatever the urgent concern might be. A crucial difference from MDN is that this process can be instigated directly by a two-way radio end user.
Transmit Interrupt
In the event of an emergency, this two-way radio safety feature enables dispatchers or supervisors to clear a channel in order to transmit crucial, time-sensitive voice communications or data. This tactic can also be used to silence the channel in the event that a radio is accidentally transmitting noise. Only designated radios are able to execute these commands.
Radio Disable and Enable
An application or a specified two-way control radio can disable transmission from radios that have gone missing or are otherwise unaccounted for. Once a radio is recovered, it can be enabled again by the dispatcher or other designated supervisors, as long as the device is powered on and located within the operational range.
COVID-19 Checklist
Third-party app providers like TABLETmedia have created additional two-way radio safety features to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and keep workers healthy. As users activate their radios, the WorkSafe app deploys a series of yes or no questions that radio operators must answer about potential symptoms and usage of personal protective equipment (PPE) in their workspace. Problematic answers are immediately flagged so supervisors can follow up.
Augment Your Two-Way Radio Supply With Rentals During COVID-19
Ideally, in order to help limit the potential to transmit disease by sharing radios, each worker should have access to their own two-way radio, not a shared device. Droplets can collect on microphones as users speak into them, presenting a potential contact hazard for other users if the radio is shared. To help you meet this 1-to-1 ratio during the COVID-19 pandemic, consider augmenting your existing supply with rentals from Day Wireless Systems.