Employee Safety Monitoring
Introduction to Blackline safety solutions
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Contents
Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................................... 5
About Blackline GPS ......................................................................................................................................................... 7
Employee Safety Monitoring ........................................................................................................................................... 8
Loner worker safety monitoring devices ...................................................................................................................... 9
Loner Portal ...................................................................................................................................................................... 16
Central Safety Monitoring Services ............................................................................................................................. 17
Vehicle Monitoring ......................................................................................................................................................... 17
Driving Safety ................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Professional Services ....................................................................................................................................................... 19
Customizable Safety Monitoring .................................................................................................................................. 19
Safety Monitoring layers and requirements ............................................................................................................... 20
Communication Technology ........................................................................................................................................ 20
Location Technology....................................................................................................................................................... 21
Working with Unions ..................................................................................................................................................... 22
Safety alert lifecycle management ................................................................................................................................ 22
Getting Started.................................................................................................................................................................. 25
Product Demonstration.................................................................................................................................................. 33
Product Pricing & Service Plans ................................................................................................................................... 33
Closing ............................................................................................................................................................................... 33
Contact Information ....................................................................................................................................................... 33
Appendix A ....................................................................................................................................................................... 34
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Executive Summary
Blackline GPS is pleased to provide this information package for your review regarding our Loner® brand
of employee safety monitoring solutions. Establishing a new safety best practice, Loner solutions extend
the reach of your organization’s safety programs with the aid of real-time safety incident awareness to
more effectively and efficiently manage a response.
As a wireless location technology leader, Blackline maintains end-to-end technology ownership of safety
monitoring equipment. This unique differentiator provides us with the capability to tailor solutions to
achieve and deliver a specific solution-based user experience, performance level, and suite of
requirements.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss your safety monitoring requirements in more detail and answer
any questions that may arise from the information that we have provided.
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About Blackline GPS
Blackline GPS is a wireless location leader that develops, manufactures, and markets products and services
for monitoring employee safety, covert tracking, and consumer applications. Blackline solutions deliver
safety, security, and location awareness through innovative wireless hardware and custom user interfaces
including web, mobile, messaging, and web services. Our mission is to become the leading supplier of
wirelessly connected personnel safety monitoring and covert tracking products in the world. Blackline
products allow our customers to protect their personnel and valued assets, share the conditions of their
environment, and connect with emergency services when necessary. Blackline solutions Protect. Share.
Connect.® Learn more at www.blacklinegps.com.
Experienced Management Team
A number of Blackline’s management team members have past product success within the safety industry
at BW Technologies, one of the worldwide leaders and innovators in portable gas detection.
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Cody Slater, Blackline CEO & Chairman – previously the founder and CEO of BW Technologies
Clark Swanson, President
Kevin Meyers, COO – previously VP Operations at BW
Peter Dorrius, CFO
Brendon Cook, CTO
Barry Moore, VP Product Development – previously VP Product Development at BW
Greg Rude, VP Industrial Sales – previously the North American Sales Manager at BW
Capabilities
Blackline has complete design control of its solutions and the corresponding user experience, including:
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Device hardware, radio-frequency design, and embedded software (firmware)
Business software including application & business logic and reporting
Infrastructure including database design, communication servers, networking, and servers
User interfaces that include web, mobile web, and mobile application
User messaging including email, text message, and mobile application
From a technology perspective, Blackline designs wireless location solutions that incorporate:
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Data communication - GSM/GPRS and upcoming satellite communication
Location technology – GPS plus upcoming cellular ID and indoor location capability
Short-range wireless communication – Bluetooth® and ANT wireless
Inertial sensors - Accelerometers & gyros
Motion and fall detection through inertial data processing
Proximity sensors
Ruggedized & weatherproof equipment design
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Relevant Company Experience
Below, we present a short-list of existing safety monitoring customers who have deployed our safety
monitoring solutions nationally, at the state level, provincially, or municipally.
Air Liquide has deployed nationally, within the United States and Canada, a combination of
Blackline’s first-generation Loner GPS safety monitoring product and the company’s secondgeneration Loner SMD product.
Waste Management has deployed the company’s Loner GPS product and also provides leading
central monitoring for Blackline customers located in the U.S. and Canada.
Praxair has purchased and is underway with deployment of Blackline’s Loner SMD product
nationally within Canada.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections has purchased and deployed the company’s Loner
GPS product for monitoring of its parole officers.
Ryder Transportation has deployed Blackline’s Loner GPS product nationally within the United
States and Canada.
Edon Management has deployed Blackline’s Loner GPS safety monitoring product.
ENMAX Corporation was Blackline’s first safety monitoring customer and has deployed the
Loner GPS safety monitoring device.
AltaGas has deployed both Loner GPS and Blackline’s Loner Mobile safety application for
BlackBerry smartphones.
Employee Safety Monitoring
Work-alone Legislation
In some regions, employers are legally required to monitor the safety of their lone workers. In Canada, the
United Kingdom, and within the shipbuilding industry in the United States, specific legislation exists that
defines an employer’s obligation to periodically check in on employees working alone or in isolation.
What is a lone worker? Generally, an employee is considered a lone worker when working out of sight or sound of
others who are willing to provide assistance in the event of a safety incident.
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Traditional methods of monitoring personnel safety typically center upon a manual call-in process using
radios or mobile phones. Prone to human error, not only does this approach cause distraction and eat up
otherwise useful time, these systems can be ineffective in delivering timely help to an employee who has
failed to check in – particularly mobile workers who may no longer be at the location of their last checkin.
Blackline’s Loner solutions automate the process of monitoring worker safety, integrating practical
features that provide instant safety incident and employee location awareness.
Empowered with real-time knowledge, employers can better influence safety incidents to achieve better outcomes
for a worker in distress.
Employee Safety Monitoring - A New Best Practice
The safety industry invests enormously in personal protective equipment, training, communication, and
documenting incidents with the goal of reducing workplace injuries. Yet, incidents still occur and on
average, 12 American and 5 Canadian workplace fatalities occur every day.
Safety monitoring solutions do not stop injuries or fatalities from occurring in the workplace, however
they do provide instant, location-based awareness that an incident has occurred. The result of this
immediate insight is knowledge that can dramatically influence the outcome of an injured worker in a
positive manner. Many companies are making use of safety monitoring equipment mandatory for
employees, even when working with others.
Employee Productivity
Automatic worker safety monitoring results in lower employee distraction, increased productivity, and
reduced costs. A small 2-minute interruption every hour during a workday where an employee is
required to check in, an employer loses over 5 hours of monthly productivity per person. Multiplied by
the value of the employee’s time, this cost per month can be offset with use of Loner safety monitoring
solutions. This assessment doesn’t address hidden costs related to false alarms due to failed check-ins.
Loner worker safety monitoring devices
Blackline produces a family of devices that assists employers with monitoring safety of personnel.
Multiple solutions are available to accommodate different types of worker roles.
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Loner SMD safety monitoring device
Loner IS safety monitoring device with intrinsic safety certification
Loner 900 safety monitoring device with Loner Bridge satellite and cellular communication link
Loner Mobile safety monitoring application for smartphones
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Loner FDU safety monitoring accessory for Loner Mobile
Feature
Loner SMD
Loner IS
Loner 900 & Loner Bridge
Loner Mobile
Loner FDU
True Fall Detection™
Activity Monitoring
Employee Check-in
Cellular Communication
Satellite Communication (Q4 2013)
Bluetooth Wireless
Ultimate Sense® High-gain GPS Antenna
GPS location technology
AntHill location technology (May 2013)
Scheduled Location Reporting
Real-time Location Reporting
Emergency Button
Emergency Latch
Silent Emergency
Bright & Loud Local Alarm
Intrinsically Safe
Durable and Weatherproof
Supporting each Loner safety device, Blackline’s Loner Portal safety monitoring web application provides
monitoring personnel with a convenient web-based user interface.
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Loner 900 and Loner Bridge
Loner 900 shares an identical safety monitoring feature-set with Blackline’s
Loner SMD and Loner IS. Rather than feature internal cellular communications,
Loner 900 communicates to Loner Bridge using an internal 900 MHz radio,
achieving a range of between 1.5 and 5 km. Loner Bridge facilitates
communication with multiple Loner 900 devices, providing satellite or cellular
communications to Blackline’s infrastructure. Similar to Loner IS, Loner 900 will
be certified intrinsically safe according to Class I, Division 1, Groups A, B, C, and
D and Class II, Division 1, Groups E, F, and G.
Loner 900 and Loner Bridge will be launched in Q3 2013.
Features
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Intrinsically Safe – Loner 900 meets certification requirements for use
in hazardous locations as noted above
Activity Monitoring and No-motion Alerting – Micro-electromechanical sensors automatically monitor the wearer’s activity level and
generates a No-motion Alert when insufficient activity has been
measured within a chosen time period
Emergency Latch and Alerting – Rather than incorporating an
emergency button that may be difficult to press when needed, the Loner
IS incorporates an intuitive emergency latch that makes it easy for the
worker to call for help at any time while minimizing false alerts.
Device Alarms – Visual, acoustic, and tactile user alarms announce an
Emergency Alert has been generated. These alarms enable emergency
responders to locate an individual in distress
Silent Alert – A silent alarm feature can be triggered by pressing and
holding the Emergency Latch for several seconds. No user alarms are
triggered.
Location – real-time location requests, continuous 5-second tracking (or
more frequent if required), and 10-second scheduled tracking
(adjustable)All safety alerts communicated to monitoring personnel
include the geographic location of the worker in distress for immediate
and efficient emergency response.
Self-powered – An internal rechargeable battery provides approximately
24 hours of always-connected operation
Weatherproof and ruggedized design –Designed to exceed an IP65
ingress protection level, Loner 900 is built for industrial use
Indoor location technology – Loner 900 will be compatible with
Blackline’s AntHill location beacons
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Loner SMD
Blackline’s standalone safety monitoring device, Loner SMD, is a person-worn
product that automatically monitors an individual’s safety. It also provides the
wearer with the ability to manually request emergency assistance when needed.
Featuring wireless communication technology, Loner SMD maintains an
always-connected data session with bi-directional communication to Blackline’s
Background Services that continually monitor safety devices. The wearer’s
location and status are continuously updated within an online user portal that
conveys each monitored person’s safety – continuously and in real-time.
Features
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Activity Monitoring and No-motion Alerting – Micro-electromechanical sensors automatically monitor the wearer’s activity level and
generates a No-motion Alert when insufficient activity has been
measured within a chosen time period
Emergency Latch and Alerting – Rather than incorporating an
emergency button that may be difficult to press when needed, the SMD
incorporates an intuitive emergency latch that makes it easy for the
worker to call for help at any time while minimizing false alerts.
Device Alarms – visual, acoustic, and tactile user alarms optionally
announce an Emergency Alert has been generated. These alarms enable
emergency responders to locate an individual in distress
Silent Alert – A silent alarm feature can be triggered by pressing and
holding the Emergency Latch for several seconds. No user alarms are
triggered.
Location – Real-time location requests, continuous 5-second tracking
(or more frequent if required), and 10-second scheduled tracking
(adjustable)All safety alerts communicated to monitoring personnel
include the geographic location of the worker in distress for immediate
and efficient emergency response.
Self-powered – An internal rechargeable battery provides
approximately 24 hours of always-connected operation
Weatherproof and ruggedized design –Designed to exceed an IP65
ingress protection level, Loner SMD is built for industrial use
Indoor location technology – Compatible with Blackline’s AntHill
location beacons (coming May 2013)
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Loner IS
Loner IS shares an identical feature-set with Blackline’s Loner SMD while
additionally being approved for use within hazardous environments where a risk
of explosive gases, vapors, or chemicals exists.
Loner IS is certified Class I, Division 1, Groups A, B, C, and D and Class II,
Division 1, Groups E, F, and G intrinsically safe.
Features
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Intrinsically Safe – Loner IS meets certification requirements for use in
hazardous locations as noted above
Activity Monitoring and No-motion Alerting – Micro-electromechanical sensors automatically monitor the wearer’s activity level and
generates a No-motion Alert when insufficient activity has been
measured within a chosen time period
Emergency Latch and Alerting – Rather than incorporating an
emergency button that may be difficult to press when needed, the Loner
IS incorporates an intuitive emergency latch that makes it easy for the
worker to call for help at any time while minimizing false alerts.
Device Alarms – Visual, acoustic, and tactile user alarms announce an
Emergency Alert has been generated. These alarms enable emergency
responders to locate an individual in distress
Silent Alert – A silent alarm feature can be triggered by pressing and
holding the Emergency Latch for several seconds. No user alarms are
triggered.
Location – real-time location requests, continuous 5-second tracking (or
more frequent if required), and 10-second scheduled tracking
(adjustable)All safety alerts communicated to monitoring personnel
include the geographic location of the worker in distress for immediate
and efficient emergency response.
Self-powered – An internal rechargeable battery provides approximately
24 hours of always-connected operation
Weatherproof and ruggedized design –Designed to exceed an IP65
ingress protection level, Loner IS is built for use within industrial
applications
Indoor location technology – Compatible with Blackline’s AntHill
location beacons (coming May 2013)
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Loner Mobile
Blackline’s Loner Mobile smartphone application for worker safety
monitoring conveys an employee’s safety to monitoring personnel.
Loner Mobile supports two modes of operation, Team Member mode and
Team Leader mode. In Team Member mode, Loner Mobile operates as a
virtual safety monitoring device. It uses the smartphone’s wireless
communication and location technology to communicate location and
safety alert data to Blackline’s Background Services that engage monitoring
personnel when required.
While operating in Team Leader mode, Loner Mobile empowers mobile
personnel tasked with monitoring the safety of others. Loner Mobile
notifies a Team Leader of safety alerts and enables the mobile management
of the safety alert lifecycle.
Features
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Team Member and Team Leader modes – This configurable
operating mode enables Loner Mobile to take on the required
personality for a particular role.
Emergency Hotkey – A worker can confidently request help with
the press and hold of a configurable hotkey, regardless as to whether
the smartphone is password protected.
Check-in –The presence and health of a worker can be confirmed
through a periodic check-in request.
GPS location publishing –The worker’s location is periodically
reported to Blackline’s Loner Background Services, ensuring that a
recent location is available in the event that a safety incident occurs.
Bluetooth compatibility with Loner FDU – The capability of Loner
Mobile is greatly enhanced with the optional Loner FDU accessory
that detects falls, provides activity monitoring and includes a
physical, easy-to-pull Emergency Latch.
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Loner FDU
An accessory, Loner FDU enhances the Loner Mobile smartphone
application with additional features including a physical Emergency
Latch, silent alerting, activity monitoring, and device indicators
that help emergency responders locate a worker in distress.
Features
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Activity Monitoring and No-motion Alerting – Microelectro-mechanical sensors automatically monitor the
wearer’s activity level and generates a No-motion Alert
when insufficient activity has been measured within a
chosen time period
Emergency Latch and Alerting – Rather than
incorporating an emergency button that may be difficult to
press when needed, the SMD incorporates an intuitive
emergency latch that makes it easy for the worker to call for
help at any time while minimizing false alerts.
Device Alarms – Visual, acoustic, and tactile user alarms
optionally announce an Emergency Alert has been
generated. These alarms enable emergency responders to
locate an individual in distress
Silent Alert – A silent alert feature can be triggered by
pressing and holding the Emergency Latch for several
seconds. No user alarms are triggered.
Bluetooth compatibility with Loner Mobile- The
capability of Loner Mobile is greatly enhanced with the
optional Loner FDU accessory.
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Loner Portal
Blackline GPS has designed, developed, manages and supports
Loner Portal, a hosted web application specifically designed for
real-time monitoring of personnel safety. Loner Portal focuses
on ensuring immediate awareness of when a monitored worker
has triggered a safety alert manually or through automatic safety
monitoring. The monitored person’s location can be quickly
mapped on an interactive map while the safety incident is being
managed.
Features
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Full-screen map with a real-time display of each worker
Alarm Banner announces safety alerts as they occur
with a visual and audible notification
Alert Management tools enable monitoring personnel
to manage the safety incident lifecycle from beginning
to end
An Address Book that features Contacts that can be
assigned to Loner devices
Alert Profiles enable the alerting of Contacts through
email, text message, and software API
Sharing features enable Loner devices activated on one
account to be shared to other accounts, controlling the
level of safety and location visibility within the
organization
Reporting tools that provide visibility on operations of
the Loner system
Secured with 256-bit HTTPS encryption
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Loner Web Services
From a monitoring perspective, some customers choose to centralize safety monitoring within a call
center environment that typically provides a higher availability than individuals within an organization.
In call center environments, it may be insufficient to receive safety alerts via email, text message, or from
the audible/visual alarm banner of Loner Portal. Blackline GPS has developed the Loner Notification
Service and the Loner API to provide an additional safety alert interface for call centers.
Loner Background Services
Supporting the hosted Loner Portal web application are Blackline’s Loner Background Services that
facilitate the following tasks:
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All Blackline device communication
Data storage within user accounts
Based upon Alert Profile settings, real-time communication of safety alerts through email and text
message
Product Specifications
For further information regarding Blackline’s individual products, please consult the corresponding
product datasheet.
Central Safety Monitoring Services
Depending upon a customer’s requirement, Blackline offers Central Safety Monitoring services that can
take ownership of employee safety monitoring, allowing your internal personnel to concentrate upon
their existing workflows. Central Safety Monitoring provides the benefit of 24/7 coverage with no risk of
gaps in coverage or complacency where one individual may think that another has ownership of a safety
alert. As may be required, Central Safety Monitoring can also escalate to local 9-1-1 services.
Vehicle Monitoring
Blackline’s Loner safety monitoring solutions are able to provide organizations with additional value for
vehicle monitoring applications. At the current time, this value-add relates to the vehicle and driver
location and will in the near future incorporate a vehicle identity feature that is automated via an
automotive version of an AntHill location beacon. When a Loner device user enters a vehicle, that vehicle
identity is automatically paired with the Loner user, enabling the ability to report upon the driver and the
associated vehicle use.
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Driving Safety
Employee safety monitoring solutions from Blackline are able to not only monitor employee safety while
working alone or in small teams, Loner solutions help employers monitor their personnel’s safety while
driving.
Collision Detection
Coming in Q2 2013, Blackline will be supplementing Loner solutions with the ability to automatically
detect vehicle collisions with the use of internal accelerometers. Similar to True Fall Detection and mandown (motionless) detection, collision detection will be automatic and not rely on manual triggering by
the employee. When triggered, the collision detection feature would prompt the use to check-in within 30
seconds, thus cancelling a safety alert from being triggered, as may be required. A record of the sensing of
a possible collision, coupled with the check-in, would still be recorded within the Loner device’s data
history for future reporting as may be necessary.
Driver Report Card®
Users of Loner devices are linked to an individual Loner unit ID through an online Address Book feature
within the Loner Portal user account. Contacts within the Address Book can be assigned to any Loner
device as a device user, and may be moved from one device to another as may be required.
In Q3 2013, Blackline will be releasing its Driver Report Card for Loner devices that automatically grades
driver behaviour based upon various criteria. Reports can be automatically generated on a weekly or
monthly basis, computing an overall letter grade based upon infraction types, the severity of the
infraction, and the associated decrement that reduces the overall driver grade. Infraction types include:
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Minor speeding above a posted speed limit (configurable threshold)
Major speeding above a posted speed limit (configurable threshold)
Dangerous speeding (configurable threshold)
Driving during off-times when vehicle use is not authorized (such as weekends or evenings –
configurable threshold)
Driving for too long during a 24-hour period of time (configurable threshold)
Driver Report Card Profiles would enable an employer to easily assign one or more employees to a
particular configuration of report card. Multiple report card profiles would allow settings to be
customized depending on organization or usage-based needs.
Real-time notifications can be emailed to supervisors based upon certain criteria being met, for real-time
indication of driver behaviour.
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Beyond driver reporting, additional reporting will be available that will provide vehicle mileage and
hourly usage for individual vehicles.
Vehicle Identity
Arriving in Q3 2013, Blackline will release a version of an AntHill location beacon that will automatically
pair an employee wearing a Loner device to a vehicle. This logical connection between a vehicle and a
Loner device user will supplement Blackline’s Driver Report Card with vehicle identity information. Each
ANT-equipped vehicle would have a description within the Loner Portal user account that includes a
general description of the vehicle, a fleet ID number, and its license plate number. Similar to an Address
Book of people-based Contacts, a Fleet Book that will allow an organization to identify any vehicles for
which driver or vehicle reporting is required.
Professional Services
Blackline provides assistance in designing a customer’s safety monitoring implementation, training of
each role and employee, testing, reporting, setup of Loner Web Services, and any customization that may
be required.
Customizable Safety Monitoring
Blackline has developed a worker safety monitoring solution that meets the requirements of small and
medium-sized businesses through to national and international enterprises.
The Loner Portal user account enables sharing of devices between teams. Coupled with the association of
Contacts from the address book with devices, the resulting identity of Device Users is available across
multiple accounts. When safety alerts occur, the Loner Portal account configuration ensures that the
required individuals within an organization are aware of safety incidents as they occur while the
nominated individuals own and manage the safety incident lifecycle.
Helpful to maintaining accurate contact information in one location, an organization’s structure can be
built directly into the Address Book. If an employee encounters a safety incident, not only is that
employee’s contact information available to monitoring personnel who manage the safety incident, but
the employee’s reporting structure and contact information is also available. If the employee is unable to
answer a call, his or her supervisor or manager may be able to provide crucial information that may help
with managing the incident.
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Safety Monitoring layers and requirements
Blackline’s safety philosophy follows a layered approach where categories of features are deliberately
prioritized. The result is a coherent, consistent approach to monitoring worker’s safety that enables
Blackline to assist organizations with safety monitoring app
Safety layers
Employee
Monitoring Personnel
Administration
Employee and supervisor contact
information must be accurately entered into
the Loner Portal Address Book.
Monitoring personnel must be able to
confidently contact the worker and the
worker’s supervisor(s)
Wireless
communication
Employees must know when their safety is
being monitored and when it’s not.
Monitoring personnel must know when
they are monitoring personnel and when
the workers’ safety is being monitored.
Location
The employee’s location must be reported so
that it is available should an incident occur.
Monitoring personnel must be able to
quickly locate a worker in distress.
Employee check-in
Optionally, an employee may be requested to
manually check-in according to a schedule.
Monitoring personnel are able to respond
to any Missed Check-in Alerts that occur.
Activity monitoring
Insufficient employee activity requires the
worker to check in, otherwise a No-motion
alert is generated.
Monitoring personnel are able to respond
to any No-motion Alerts that occur.
Falls
Employee falls are detected and differentiated
from other vigorous activity. A worker can
check-in to eliminate a false alarm.
Monitoring personnel are able to respond
to, and manage, any No-motion Alerts
that occur.
Emergency
An employee may call for emergency
assistance. Visual and audible indicators aid
responders to find the worker.
Monitoring personnel are able to respond
to, and manage, any No-motion Alerts
that occur.
Silent Emergency
A employee may silently call for emergency
assistance. Local alarm is disabled.
Monitoring personnel are able to respond
to, and manage, any No-motion Alerts
that occur.
Communication Technology
Blackline’s Loner solutions communicate data to and from Blackline’s Background Services that store data
and operate various layers of business logic. Blackline has traditionally facilitated this bi-directional
communication through cellular communication whereby Blackline can enable safety devices to operate
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in over 80 countries at one affordable service rate with further communication capability in nearly 150
countries located in North America, Europe, the Middle East, South America, and Asia.
With the development of Blackline’s Loner 900 safety monitoring device and Loner Bridge system,
wireless communication capability will be supplemented with satellite-based communication, resulting in
dual-mode satellite and cellular operation, yielding a true global coverage footprint.
Location Technology
To empower a pin-point emergency response, Blackline’s Loner solutions report the location of an
employee with each safety alert. By default, a location scheduler periodically reports the location of
employees under normal operating conditions every 5 minutes and can be configured with a less frequent
interval as required by our customers.
Technology-wise, Blackline’s solutions have traditionally used GPS to locate an employee. GPS location
technology works extremely well when outdoors and quite well when locating indoors within residential
homes. Due to building construction materials of commercial structures, GPS signals do not regularly
provide a high quality level of positioning inside such buildings.
Blackline’s AntHill location beacon technology (available Q2 2013) will enable Loner safety
monitoring devices to report the location of an employee to Blackline’s Background Services
reliability with sub-room-level precision as may be required. This location method uses
affordable, compact, and self-powered AntHill location beacons that are wall or ceiling
mounted. When a Loner device passes within the coverage area of a location beacon
(adjustable from ~5 to 50 feet), Loner records the identity of the beacon and communicates a
location event to Blackline’s Background Services upon the next scheduled location report or
upon trigger of a safety alert. Within a Loner Portal user account, a friendly description
describes the location of the employee, such as “Building A, Room 122, South Entrance.”
AntHill technology requires a deployment of economical location beacons within facilities where
employees are normally operating. If an employee enters a facility without AntHill location beacons, the
last-known GPS location is stored by Loner devices and communicated in the event of a safety incident.
Knowing that time may have passed since the recording of the last-known location, correct date and time
information accompanies the alert for when the location was computed.
To supplement GPS positioning technology, Blackline is developing a cellular network-based location
method that will provide high availability of location data but with less precision than GPS (available Q1
2013). The value of this additional location layer is that if an employee has entered a facility for which a
last-known GPS location is available, but no current GPS location, a cellular-based approximate location
can be helpful to confirm that the employee has not left the facility.
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Working with Unions
The health and safety of every employee is critically important not only to the employee him or herself,
but that individual’s family, his or her employer, and his or her union (if applicable). Considering the
goodwill that each of these safety stakeholders share, the topic of real-time safety monitoring should
hopefully share some common ground for positive discussions.
Understandably, unions may have the perspective of safety monitoring device data having the potential to
be used for punitive actions based on an individual employee’s work habits and decision-making.
Blackline has had success working with employer customers such that agreement is made between the
employer and the union that the data produced by the safety monitoring system cannot be used for
punitive actions under a collective agreement.
Additionally, Blackline can work with customer employers to disable the periodic, regular reporting of
employee location data while not affecting the core capability of safety monitoring and emergency
response processes. Knowing that the last location is stored with correct time and date information, if a
safety alert were generated, the employee’s location is reported to monitoring personnel to facilitate an
emergency response.
Although this approach forfeits the effective ‘breadcrumb trail’ of locations produced with a regular
location-reporting schedule that can provide additional context to help manage a safety incident, it may
be sufficient to come to agreement with a union while not undermining the capability of the system.
Safety alert lifecycle management
Nearly as critical to receiving instant safety alerts with location data is the consistent manner in which the
lifecycle of each safety incident is managed.
Blackline provides tools to manage each safety incident in a consistent manner.
Safety alert lifecycle
Employee
Generated
Safety alert is generated and communicated
Unacknowledged
Safety alert is received and as of yet unacknowledged yet by the monitoring party
Acknowledged
Safety alert is acknowledged by the monitoring person
Resolved
Safety alert is resolved by the monitoring person
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Safety Alert Ownership
A critical component of any safety system is confident ownership of safety alerts. If too many individuals
own an incident, it can cause confusion and complacency, resulting in a failed response and possibly an
un-managed safety incident.
Blackline solutions solve the issue of safety alert ownership through sharing and privileges. Only enabled
individuals or a call center are able to manage alerts.
Safety Alert Visibility within an Organization
Beyond individuals within an organization or call center that is able to manage safety alerts, visibility that
a safety incident has occurred can be provided to others such as supervisors or managers, through mobile
messaging and within their Loner Portal user account.
Safety Alerting Methods
There are three major categories of safety alerting from within the Loner system:
•
•
•
Mobile alerts through text message and email
Loner Portal alarm bar animation and audible alert
Loner Web Services for call center integration
When configured within Loner Portal, Loner Background Services will instantly and automatically send
email and text message safety alerts as they occur. Email and text message alerting makes use of the
contact details stored within Address Book Contacts.
Mobile alerts are very help to communicate possible safety incidents to personnel such as managers,
supervisors, or administrative individuals. Mobile alerts can engage monitoring personnel who are not
exclusively in front of the computer or may be used to copy an individual regarding an event while
someone else takes ownership of the incident.
Sample Email Safety Alert
The following image illustrates the content of a sample email safety alert.
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Sample Text Safety Alert
The following image displays the content of a sample text message safety alert.
Loner Portal Alarm Bar
The Loner Portal Alarm Bar is a powerful real-time notification method for personnel working in front of
their computer. When logged into their Loner Portal account, monitoring personnel are able to minimize
their browser application
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For customers with an internal call center, Blackline can support the integration of safety alert
communication within queue-based software workflows with use of Loner Web Services. As a software
API, Loner Web Services communicate safety alerts, location data, employee contact information, and
more, enabling efficient end-to-end management of safety incidents.
Getting Started
Blackline has significant experience working with small and medium-sized businesses through to national
and international enterprises. The process of adopting worker safety monitoring solutions within an
organization is very straightforward.
Organizational Structure
An organization’s structure is a good place to start when considering the adoption of worker safety
monitoring solutions – an org chart not only describes the role of each worker whose safety is to be
monitored but also provides monitoring personnel with upstream contacts to call in the event that a
worker in distress cannot be reached.
Blackline’s Address Book enables an organizations structure to be built into the account, providing
accurate contact information for management of safety incidents.
Five Working Alone Situations that Present Risk to Employees
The Government of Alberta has created a guide1 for employers and employees regarding work-alone
safety. Within this guide, employees who work alone can usually be categorized within one of five
different groups of employees:
•
•
•
Handle cash
Travel away from a base office, into the field
Perform hazardous work but have no routine interaction with customers or the public
1
Working Alone Safely A guide for Employers and Employees, Government of Alberta, Employment and Immigration
http://employment.alberta.ca/documents/WHS/WHS-PUB_workingalone.pdf
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•
•
Travel alone but have no routine interaction with customers or the public
Work at a site that is isolated from public view with risk of violence
Each group has related risks and different ways to control the related risks. Employee demographics and
health can also factor into risk levels, such as disabled persons, employees who are pre-retirement, and
those with health conditions.
Getting Started Tasks
•
•
•
•
Conduct a hazard / risk assessment
Eliminate or reduce the risks
Provide an effective communication system
Ensure employees are trained and educated
Hazard / Risk Assessment
Performing a risk assessment is an important task to perform for each worker role to be monitored. A
risk assessment should identify all hazards, evaluate the risks as low, medium, or high, and identify and
describe control measures. Past incidents and records must be reviewed and visits to each worksite
should be performed in order to inspect and analyze the environments where employees will be working.
An example risk assessment template is presented in Appendix A.
Safety protocol
When implementing an employee safety monitoring solution, consistency of safety incident management
is critical. The process of managing safety incidents, a safety protocol, must be designed and documented.
Traditionally implemented on a per-role basis, a safety protocol defines the procedure of actions that
occur upon receipt of each safety alert type.
Blackline assists customers with the review of worker roles and risk assessments that help with the
creation of a documented safety protocol.
Understanding Safety Alerts
Blackline solutions feature a suite of safety alerts that either indicate that an incident may have occurred
or a condition that has resulted, affecting the safety monitoring system’s capability to convey future safety
incident awareness.
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Safety alerts
Description
Emergency Alert
At any time, a worker may trigger an instant request for help by either releasing
an Emergency Latch (Loner SMD / IS / FDU) or pressing a hot-key (Loner
Mobile).
Silent Alert
At any time, a worker may trigger an instant, silent request for help by pressing
and holding the Emergency Latch (Loner SMD / IS / FDU only).
Fall Detected Alert
Loner SMD / IS / FDU incorporate inertial sensors that monitor employee
movements. If the signature of a fall is detected, differentiated from other
forms of vigorous activity, the worker is asked to check in. Failing to check in
will communicate a Fall Detected Alert.
No-Motion Alert
Loner SMD / IS / FDU automatically monitor employee activity levels. If
insufficient activity is measured within a configurable interval (default 5
minutes), the worker is cued to check in. If the check-in request is missed, the
Loner product will communicate a No-Motion Alert.
Missed Employee Check-in
Alert
Employees are asked to check in periodically through visual, audible, and tactile
indicators. If the worker fails to check in within 30 seconds, a Missed Check-in
Alert is communicated. The check-in interval is configurable and optional for
Loner SMD / IS due to automation of worker monitoring.
Low Battery Alert
When a Loner product’s battery is low, it communicates a low battery alert.
Log-off Alert (reason)
If a Loner product logs off the network unexpectedly, such as due to depleted
battery, inadequate wireless coverage, or a device failure, A Log-off Alert is
communicated.
All safety alerts feature configurable alerting levels within an Alert Profile.
Responding to Safety Alerts
Upon receipt of safety alerts, a safety protocol is engaged. The resulting actions typically include the
following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Review of the employee’s contact information who generated the alert
Mapping of the worker location for situational context
Phoning the employee to validate whether the safety incident is a false alarm or a legitimate
emergency
Contacting the employee’s supervisors to gather information on the worker’s activity
Verifying the location of any possible, nearby workers who may be able to assist, if required
Escalating the emergency to authorities as may be required
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Employee Identity
At the time of a safety alert, the identity of an employee in distress is known to monitoring personnel. As
safety alerts are communicated, the name and contact information for the specific worker are available
through mobile messaging, Loner Portal’s Alert Management tool, and through Loner Web Services /
API.
Mapping
Mapping the location of an employee in distress is very straightforward. Each Loner safety device
periodically reports its location, providing a breadcrumb history of the worker’s movements. Loner SMD
and IS devices are able to communicate their real-time locations, to ensure accurate information is
available for incident management.
The Dashboard page of Loner Portal maps the most recent location of each device activated on the user
account or shared-to the user account. Accessing the History View tab enables a user to view the history
of a particular device, complete with custom date range.
Loner Portal’s map features:
•
•
•
•
Zoom-level control
Panning control
Satellite and map
Street-level view
The following image presents a sample worker location being displayed upon the interactive map.
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The following image presents a sample street-level view of a worker’s location.
Safety Alert Management
The safety alert lifecycle is managed within Loner Portal’s Alert Management page. Alerts are managed
from receipt through to acknowledgement. The Alerts Management page provides a very simple method
to view the worker in distress, map their location, and view their contact information in order to begin the
safety protocol.
Customer Discovery
Blackline works with each customer on a one-on-one basis to ensure that the Loner safety monitoring
system satisfies the requirements of each safety stakeholder within your organization. A customer
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implementation is designed with consideration of which employees’ safety is to be monitored, the
monitoring personnel involved in ensuring continuity of employee care, and those other personnel who
must be made aware of any safety incidents that occur with their personnel.
A customized Loner implementation takes on its ‘character’ through account setup, device activation,
sharing relationships between accounts, and the Alert Profiles that communicate awareness of safety
incidents to monitoring personnel.
Create Accounts and Add Devices
Brief outline of the process / feature
Address Book and Contacts
Brief outline of the process / feature
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Alert Profiles
Blackline’s Loner Portal web application features configurable Alert Profiles that are assigned to each
device. These alert profiles establish a consistent manner in which safety alerts are communicated to
individuals through mobile messaging, based upon alert priority and escalation.
Training
Blackline is capable of providing online or in-person training to each individual employee, typically
separated into two series of events:
•
•
Loner device user training – typically workers and their supervisors attend
Loner Portal user training – typically supervisors and monitoring personnel attend
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Field Testing
When user training has been completed and devices have been assigned to individual employees, field
testing begins. Normally lasting one week, field testing provides all personnel involved within the
program the opportunity to work with the system from a testing perspective. Safety alerts are deliberately
triggered in order to manage them within the context of the defined safety protocol. This process ensures
that each employee is familiar with the overall safety monitoring system.
Live Operation
When each safety stakeholder is satisfied that all personnel are trained and that there are no gaps from a
safety protocol and monitoring perspective, the Loner safety deployment transitions to live operation.
Thereafter, each safety incident is treated with caution, in context of the safety protocol. As may be
required, a safety incident is escalated to emergency services.
Measuring Usage
To ensure the long-term success of the safety monitoring system, it is important to ensure that personnel
are using the Loner safety solutions according to policy and that safety incidents are being correctly and
timely managed.
Monitoring the usage of a Loner safety system deployment can be managed in two ways:
•
•
Monitoring the employee’s use of safety devices periodically or in real-time – employee
supervisors and managers spot-check their employee’s use of devices correct management of
safety device battery life
Reviewing reports, downloaded from the Loner Portal user account – a Director of Safety,
managers, or supervisors may download report data for more detail regarding device use by
employees and the safety alerts that have occurred within an interval.
Ongoing Administration
A key component of ensuring the long-term success of a customer implementation is the management of
Contact details within the Address Book. As an employee safety monitoring solution, Loner relies upon
accurate worker and supervisor contact information within Address Book. Personnel whose safety is
being monitored as referred to a Device Users and each individual’s Contact record within the Address
Book is linked to the corresponding device being used. Additionally, monitoring personnel are
subscribed to mobile alerting by assigning the corresponding Contact within the Address Book to an Alert
Profile.
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Product Demonstration
At any time, Blackline would be pleased to provide a demonstration of its worker safety monitoring
equipment and software interface through an in-person or online meeting – whichever may be most
convenient.
Product Pricing & Service Plans
If there is an opportunity to explore a worker safety monitoring project in more detail, Blackline would be
pleased to provide information regarding product and service pricing.
Closing
At Blackline GPS, we look forward to the opportunity of discussing employee safety monitoring and how
it will easily integrate within your organization. We welcome any questions that may arise from the review
of this response and would be pleased to schedule a teleconference or demonstration as may be of interest.
Contact Information
Email: sales@blacklinegps.com
Phone: 1-403-451-0327
Fax: 1-403-451-9981
Address: Blackline GPS, Suite 101, 1215 13th Street SE, Calgary, AB, Canada
www.blacklinegps.com
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Appendix A
Title of Activity
Location(s)
Description of Work
Work Role(s)
Hazards
Risk (low,
medium, high)
Control measures
Workplace / Process
Equipment
Violence
Individual
Work Pattern
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Training
Supervision
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