Case Studies | Worker Safety
Conservation Department
Providing effective communications for 200 staff working remotely in the field.
The Challenge
A conservation department manages around 200 staff working remotely in the field, with rugged terrain and limited mobile phone coverage, effective communication and monitoring of all field staff is essential for occupational health and safety compliance.
The Solution
Pivotel has provided the department with 150 inReach satellite devices that allow staff to check in, send SOS and help requests, and communicate with other staff, suppliers, family and management. All devices are monitored through Pivotel’s Tracertrak portal which provides real-time location data for all field staff.
“The conservation department’s volunteers and rangers are equipped with the technology to immediately communicate with colleagues and management from remote locations when in danger. ”
Spokesperson, Conservation Department
The Logistical Challenge
Limited mobile coverage, rugged terrain and mountainous geography can make communications unreliable in remote areas.
This presents an enormous challenge for a conservation department which has a large remote workforce in the field that can face a variety of safety hazards.
Occupational Health and Safety requirements demand that workers have reliable communications at all times. The department found traditional satellite phone services were proving expensive and better solutions were actively sought through a tender process.
Equipping and training a staff of over 200 workers in the field with reliable communications devices in an efficient and cost-effective manner was seen as a critical priority.
The Logistical Solution
Pivotel has provided the conservation department with 150 inReach satellite communicators, satisfying all their occupational health and safety requirements in a way that staff have embraced and use daily.
Combined with the Tracertrak system, the inReach devices provide a powerful monitoring and management system that is easy to use and requires minimal training.
Staff can send SOS messages, help requests, check-in at specified times, and text message to other staff members. The Tracertrak system can be customised to suit each organisations’ needs and provides a powerful, central communications hub that allows all staff to be monitored at a glance.
Pivotel has worked with the conservation department to provide each staff member with a unique, Pivotel, Australian mobile number that travels with them even if they change devices.
This is both more convenient for the user and represents a massive cost saving on traditional satellite phone communications.
“Every worker in their system can now have a mobile phone number allocated to them and the number goes with them across different devices,” explains the representative.
This makes reaching specific staff members and communications between staff simple and intuitive.
“Regardless if they’ve used four different devices, the text messages all come from their dedicated number. There’s a lot that happens behind the scenes to make all that happen, but for the user its very simple,” says the representative.
The Outcome
The inReach devices have proven themselves for several years in the field and the conservation department’s staff have embraced the technology, particularly the use of dedicated mobile numbers.
The more recent adoption of the Tracertrak system and Pivotel Australian phone numbers has enhanced the effectiveness and breadth of communications both within and external to the department.
“We’ve established our own training, and the mobile numbers were adopted very quickly and seamlessly,” says the representative.
Pivotel recently signed a ten-year agreement with the department to provide satellite communications solutions and improving staff safety into the future.
The Hardware
inReach SE+
Two-way satellite communications with SOS on Tracertrak.
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