Rave Mobile Safety conducts survey on employee safety

FRAMINGHAM, Mass.—Rave Mobile Safety, an emergency communication software provider based here, took a look at companies' emergency preparedness by surveying people around the U.S.

“We ultimately want to work with our customers to better serve employees so they feel more prepared and safer and protected in the workplace,” Katharine Dahl, director of marketing at Rave Mobile Safety, told Security Systems News. “So, that's what drove us to conduct this survey; to reach directly to the employees and have a better understanding of their perspective.”

The largest portion of the survey's 530 respondents is from healthcare, education and professional services industries, Dahl said.

“I was very surprised that there was such a large gap between millennials' sense of understanding of the preparedness in the workplace versus the older generation,” Dahl said.

Some results were more expected, according to Dahl. “For example, people were very inclined to receive text messages. Fifty-two percent preferred emergency communications via text messages while they were off site,” she said.

Dahl continued, “As we see these younger generations come in from college and universities where they're used to receiving emergency notifications for campus emergencies [via text message], it was not a surprise to us that they would want to receive that same type of information in the work place as well.”

The survey also found a difference between preparedness for fires and plans for other emergencies. Eighty-seven percent of respondents said plans and drills for fires are established at their company, but 57 percent had plans for other emergencies, such as an active shooter or weather alerts.

“Sixty-one percent of lone workers would be more likely to report a safety issue if done so anonymously,” Dahl said. “Another interesting takeaway from this survey was who is more likely to report an issue. … The younger generation was much less likely to report an issue than the older generation, but they did say if they would do it anonymously, they'd be more inclined to do so.”

“[Rave has] a variety of technology that really empowers people to better leverage data and to communicate that broadly,” Dahl said.

Rave Alert is a critical communications platform. The Rave 911 suite is designed for 911 centers to gather data from people for a better emergency response. Rave Panic Button is a mobile app that can notify certain people or directly contact a 911 center.

“We offer solutions that enable employers to … protect employees, communicate with them, collaborate with them in a two-way connection and then respond, if need be,” Dahl said.

Rave sells both directly with consumers as well as through partners, some of which are in the security space. Security dealers and integrators can be involved in companies' emergency preparedness, Dahl said, by leveraging emergency communication technologies and encouraging regular drills.