Reliance High-Tech has expanded its popular range of Reliance Protect services with the launch of the rtouch™, a small, ultra-lightweight emergency alert device that offers lone workers enhanced personal protection, support and two-way communication whenever they may be exposed to heightened risk while at work.

The compact rtouchTM device has a key fob appearance and can be worn or carried discreetly to enable easy, convenient use without raising suspicion. It is BS8484 certified ensuring the highest Police response levels where appropriate.

It meets a growing need for organisations to improve the support and protection for staff that may be at risk of intimidation, abuse or violence in the course of their employment, whether working on or off company premises.

The rtouchTM device has a large SOS button on the front, three buttons on the side and a series of LEDs to indicate device status. The SOS button generates one-way and two-way voice calls into the dedicated Reliance Monitoring Centre where professionally trained lone worker alarm handlers can listen in live and locate the user?s precise location. By monitoring and recording each event, the Reliance team can ensure a rapid and appropriate response to each alert ? including notification of the emergency services, alerting colleagues / supervisors and archiving recorded evidence for reporting, regulatory compliance and, if required, future legal action.

The device enables users to leave messages detailing information such as current location, nature of the task to be performed and information that may be prove invaluable if an SOS is subsequently raised. The specialist Reliance Protect operators can quickly access these messages as part of the alarm-handling process.

The rtouchTM incorporates GPS technology and continuously updates its position. This location information is sent to the Reliance Monitoring Centre when an SOS is raised and displayed to the operator in mapping software.

It can also be used in mobile staff management applications where GPS location information is frequently uploaded to mapping-based platforms, enabling real time management of mobile employees, such as care workers, delivery drivers and other field-based personnel.

Simple LEDs confirm the status of the rtouchTM detailing level of battery charge, GSM signal strength, and GPS location availability. It also indicates to the user when an SOS has been raised and when the voice call has been connected and is being monitored by the Reliance Protect Monitoring Centre. It has excellent battery life, is fully certified to the BS8484:2011 Provision of Lone Worker Services and has been fully integrated into the range of Reliance Protect services.

The rtouchTM also has optional fall detection capabilities that sense slips, trips and falls, and generates SOS alarms through to the Reliance Monitoring Centre.

Chris Allcard, Head of Lone Worker solutions at Reliance High-Tech, said, ?With the Reliance Protect rtouchTM device at their fingertips, employees throughout the UK can feel reassured that 24/7 support is within easy reach. Reliance Protect is already the UK?s leading provider of lone worker protection services, with upwards of 50,000 users across multiple sectors including healthcare, retail, utilities, transport, banking and public services. The rtouchTM device further extends the choice available to organisations that want a proven, robust and highly cost-effective way to safeguard their employees and provide immediate incident support if required.?

?By helping organisations to create a safer working environment and meet their duty of care, rtouchTM makes it easier to retain talented staff and support key business objectives. Other benefits include improved ability to capture recorded evidence, a full suite of management information reporting, less time spent on incident investigation, reduced exposure to crime-related loss, reduced exposure to litigation, more control over insurance costs, enhanced corporate reputation and improved business continuity provision.?

Reliance Protect is the most regulated and compliant lone worker protection solution available in the UK. BS8484 accreditation ensures the company, lone worker devices, monitoring and alarm response capability are fit for purpose, and enables alarms to be escalated directly through to regional Police, bypassing the traditional 999 route, to generate the highest Police response levels where appropriate.

BS5979 Category II is critical for any organisation looking to safeguard workers as it is the highest industry standard for alarm monitoring centres. ISO27001 accreditation is unparalleled in the industry, ensuring all customer and staff data is handled and stored securely and dealt with in complete confidence.