Companies that employ lone workers must ensure their safety at all times. In case of an emergency it must be ensured that help is called quickly and that a worker's exact location is known. Ecom Instruments, a Pepperl+Fuchs brand, develops the eSENTINEL app to provide users with basic security measures for day-to-day use. It is suited for lone workers or people working in high-risk situations. Due to low installation effort and acquisition costs, eSENTINEL can be easily integrated into existing company infrastructures.
With Ecom terminal devices such as Smart-Ex 02 or Tab-Ex 02, the app is linked to the red emergency button on the hardware. With third-party hardware, a red emergency button is shown on the display. This enables the worker to send an alarm notification in a dangerous situation.
Some work assignments take place in environments where workers can only stay for a limited period of time for safety reasons. If, for example, extreme temperatures prevail or toxic gases are present in the room, a longer stay can be life-threatening. In these cases, the eSENTINEL app provides a timer function. The worker sets the pre-set time before entering the area. When the time has elapsed, the application notifies the user before the alarm is triggered. The worker can now deactivate this "pre-alarm" notification by pressing a button. If he does not do so, the app will trigger a real alarm.
Even without a time limit, the app automatically processes various data provided by special sensors on the hardware. If an anomaly is detected, the app also triggers a pre-alarm. A pre-alarm is also triggered if the terminal device does not register any movement for a certain period, which could mean that the worker is immobilized or unconscious. If the worker does not react to the alarm, the app automatically informs a pre-defined contact by e-mail, SMS or call. If an alarm notification is triggered, the app automatically determines the device’s location via GPS and submits it to the contact points.
