The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015 set out a long list of duties and responsibilities everyone involved in building design and construction has for upholding health and safety standards.

What is not referred to explicitly is what to do when an accident takes place.

Two way radio has long been used in construction to do the kinds of things the CDM calls for – namely, help people communicate effectively and coordinate efforts so everyone stays safe. But modern digital handheld radios offer much more, with a range of specialised features which provide additional security and peace of mind when operating on site.

Emergency Button

A core feature of standard models like the Motorola DP1400, an emergency button allows users to raise an alarm with a single touch. Alarms are broadcast to very radio in the network, increasing the likelihood of a fast response.

Lone Worker

This is a specialised monitoring feature which is intended to provide a safety net for individuals or small groups working away from colleagues. Once activated, the user has to check back in to the network at regular intervals, otherwise an alarm is raised.

Man Down

Man Down goes a step further than the one touch alarm of an Emergency Button, and will raise an alarm automatically if an unusual movement is detected such as a fall. This is a very useful feature for workers operating at height.

GPS

Best in class digital two way radio models like the Motorola DP4801 now regularly come with GPS enabled, meaning that when an alarm is raised, the location of the handset it was issued from can be pinpointed quickly.

Want to learn more about using two way radio in construction? Click here to visit the Brentwood Communications website.