ROAR's Blog

Panic Buttons Are Key Benefits for Employees

If you're a service-based business and you are not listing "Panic Buttons" as a benefit you offer, you are missing an opportunity.

As most healthcare professionals will be only too aware, workplace violence disproportionately affects those working in the industry. In the US, 70-74% of workplace assaults occur in healthcare settings. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of professionals reporting assaults went up even further, with violent incidents in some areas increased by 300%.

Thinking about panic buttons for your hotel?  Ask yourself; Why do banks use silent alarms?

COVID-19 has created two pandemics. The virus and its growing number of mutations, which we are all way too familiar with, and a "Shadow Pandemic" of violence and intolerance, largely against service workers with in-flight incidents getting the most press. 

As featured on Lodging Magazine

As 2021 nears its end, hoteliers across the U.S will already be planning for the year ahead, and while budgets and capital expenditure are usually at the forefront of these plans, the unique challenges presented over the past two years mean that preparing for 2022 will require an unprecedented level of attention and forethought.  

Alongside contingency plans and flexible budgeting designed to mitigate any potential setbacks during the year, careful consideration must also be given to staffing, supply chains, and commitments relating to legislation or brand mandates that have been delayed or deferred during the pandemic. Chief among these considerations are new technologies and procedures intended to limit the potential spread of COVID-19, however, impending panic button legislation across several states, and the deadline for compliance with brand commitments also needs to be high on the list of priorities.  

With an increasing incidence of violence/threats to staff safety in the healthcare industry, a lot of facilities are looking into implementing increased protection measures. A recent example that drew attention is that of the Cox Medical Center in Missouri, where the incidence of violence against healthcare staff tripled in the last year. Total assaults rose from 40 to 123 and total injuries rose from 17 to a whopping 78 according to hospital data. Cox Medical Center decided to curb this issue by installing panic button solutions to protect their staff from this increased threat of violence.  

We previously wrote about common threats and safety hazards in the healthcare industry and safety tips for healthcare facilities. In this blog post, we want to examine what a culture of safety might look like in the healthcare vertical, as advised by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other prominent organizations.  

The current perception in the hotel industry is that staff safety solutions are simply a compliance requirement or legal necessity. Moreover, workplace panic buttons and duress systems are perceived as mainly an expense, an added hassle that requires maintenance and extra labor for those involved, perhaps with greater cost than benefit or return on investment.  

• How ROAR for Good’s CEO is thinking about pivoting its safety device during the pandemic
• Inside ROAR for Good’s pivot to B2B
• INDIE Colorcast Ep 029: Yasmine Mustafa, ROAR for Good CEO, Talks about Worker Safety in Hospitality – Indie Congress
• ROAR for Good closed a round of funding as it eyes expansion throughout the US
• ROAR for Good is launching its wearable safety tech in 3 local hotels
• Gulph Creek Hotels Partners With Roar for Good to Protect Workers
• How to Effectively Implement Workplace Safety in the Hospitality Industry
• Avoiding a Hotel Labor Shortage Starts With a Promise of Safety

For anyone researching panic buttons, the tech that lives under the hood of those tiny little devices can sometimes be confusing. Sure, they’re based around networks, which almost anyone can grasp, but the underlying functions and features can get lost in a sea of tech jargon and incomprehensible acronyms.  

As all healthcare workers will know, hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, and other healthcare facilities can be busy, hectic places packed full of potential hazards. From infection to accidental injury and harassment to chemical spills, these working environments are often dangerous places to work, with more reported accidents, injuries, and work-related illnesses than any other industry. In fact, it’s estimated that a significant 650,000 healthcare professionals are injured on the job every year.