Scotland’s Perth &
Kinross Council deploys Globalstar SPOT Gen4 in
its Trackplot solution to safeguard lone workers
23 March, 2021
Globalstar Europe Satellite
Services Ltd, announced that Trackplot’s
long-standing customer, Perth & Kinross Council
in Scotland, has deployed SPOT Gen4 devices as
part of its Trackplot lone worker monitoring
solution which safeguards lone workers,
particularly those working in rural, isolated
and hazardous locations.
SPOT Gen4™, the latest
generation of the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger
family of tracking and safety devices from
Globalstar, is integrated with Trackplot's
solution. Trackplot was established in 2009 and
has worked with Globalstar for over 10 years as
its trusted and reliable supplier of satellite
communication and tracking devices. Trackplot
originally deployed SPOT Gen2 devices, then SPOT
Gen3 and most recently moved to SPOT Gen4, a
simple and seamless integration undertaken in
2020. SPOT Gen4, which was launched in EMEA in
August 2020, offers many new features compared
to its precedents including more mapping
options, improved water resistance and an
enhanced user interface, among others.
Perth & Kinross Council
trusts Trackplot's lone worker protection system
to monitor and safeguard the Council’s
Structures & Flooding Team, comprising
specialists charged with inspecting all the
region’s bridges for structural soundness and
security, and to mitigate flooding.
Trackplot has been
supporting the Council since 2010 when the
Council’s Health & Safety Team recognised the
need to provide reliable communications and
emergency support technology for its lone
working staff. The Council had considered
alternative worker safety solutions, and
conducted pilot tests, including a trial
deployment of a solution based on GSM mobile
network technology. It soon became evident that
the reach of mobile networks was insufficient
and unreliable. To get the always-on, ubiquitous
connectivity needed to stay in touch with
workers operating across far-flung regions of
the Council’s territory, only satellite
technology could deliver.
At 5,286 square km (2,041
square miles), remote and mountainous Perth &
Kinross is the fifth most expansive
administrative region in Scotland. It is
sparsely populated but busy with substantial
rural through-traffic between central Scotland
and the Highlands. The region’s bridges are
vital conduits. Additionally, flooding is always
a risk - caused by extreme weather and
overflowing watercourses - and so regular
monitoring of critical transport infrastructure
and waterways is essential. Emergency
inspections need to be carried out at any time
of day or night, often in hazardous conditions
and rugged environments, frequently by lone
workers.
A member of Perth & Kinross
Council’s Structures and Flooding Team
commented: “As a regulated public authority, the
Council takes the welfare and security of staff
very seriously: Thanks to the lone worker safety
solution provided by Trackplot, alongside
Globalstar’s SPOT satellite technology, we can
carry out our operations with the peace of mind
that support is always on hand in case of an
emergency.”
The Trackplot Portal, an
interactive online platform, is the control and
command centre at the heart of the Trackplot
solution. This is where customers can monitor
the location, activity and safety of their
workforce in real time throughout the day, and
where they can set up escalation procedures and
reporting. Lone workers in the field send
regular ‘OK’ check-in messages via SPOT to the
Trackplot Portal so their managers know that all
is well. If a worker fails to check-in as
expected, the system issues a check-in reminder
to the user via SMS and email. If the
non-communication continues, then managers and
contacts are alerted by the Trackplot system to
begin their escalation procedure.
SOS is a vital function of
the Trackplot solution, which is triggered from
the SPOT device. Should a lone worker face an
emergency, a simple press of SPOT’s SOS button
instantly sends an alert along with the user’s
GPS co-ordinates to the GEOS International
Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC)
which in turn engages with local first
responders to swiftly dispatch help to precisely
where it’s needed.
“We are exceptionally proud
that for a decade Perth & Kinross Council has
trusted Trackplot and SPOT,” said Gary King,
Globalstar’s SPOT Regional Sales Manager.
“Together with Trackplot, we are delighted that
SPOT Gen4 has now taken up the baton in
safeguarding the Council’s lone workers.”