According to Statista, there were over 31.4 million smart phone users in Canada in 2020. However, the fact someone has a cell phone doesn’t mean they have access to uninterrupted cell phone service, which can be a problem. For example, staying connected to employees working in isolation in remote areas of the country is critical for companies that must comply with government-mandated safety regulations enacted for such workplaces. That’s why more proactive companies are turning to satellite technology, with portable devices like those offered by Globalstar Canada Satellite Company.
“A lot of our customers are working in industries like logging and mining in areas where they don’t have coverage,” said Greg Crosby, Regional Sales Manager at Globalstar Canada Satellite Co. “When people are working off the grid, the ability to get emergency response for any kind of accident or emergency or problem in such remote locations is critical.”
To address the need of such industries, Globalstar offers their SPOT line of satellite-based communication devices, that includes the SPOT X 2-Way Satellite Messenger and the SPOT Gen4 Satellite GPS Messenger. The most crucial aspect of the many features available on the SPOT X and SPOT Gen4 devices is an SOS button. When a user presses the SOS, both devices transmit the user’s GPS coordinates to a response centre operating 24/7 365 days a year.
“Seeing those coordinates, that response centre is able to engage the local first responders to affect a rescue,” said Crosby. “As well, with SPOT X being a two-way device, we’re able to get communication from the field to the response centre to relay to first responders. Not every situation is a life and death emergency. You can have minor injuries or mechanical breakdown. But safety is always critical to the business.”
Fintan Robb, Sr. Director of Canadian Marketing at Globalstar, says incorporating such satellite-based technology into workplace safety protocols is a better way to help ensure a company is following regulations and protecting itself from liability.
“It fits under the whole premise of worker safety, making sure that companies are taking it in their own self-interest to adhere to any legislation that’s out there,” said Robb. “If legislation obliges a company to have any type of a lone worker system, we’re an affordable solution. We know things can get litigious. This helps give a company peace of mind.”
The SPOT line of devices present an affordable and reliable communications system for companies and their remote workers. The products also have highly practical applications in multiple work settings. For example, the territorial government in Nunavut purchased a large quantity of SPOT devices that are made available for use to members of the community when they travel into the wilderness to fish or trap. An electrical utility company in the North Bay-Sudbury/Sault Ste. Marie region provided transmission line staff with SPOT X devices for remote worker safety. In Northern Ontario, a local police service uses SPOT devices as both a back-up to their primary radio system and for the safety of officers working along in remote areas.
In total, SPOT products have been used to initiate over 7,400 rescues worldwide since launching in 2008, with nearly 2,500 of those rescues occurring in Canada. Crosby says the reliability of the satellite-based system and the fact it allows for easy tracking and communication make SPOT devices an invaluable tool in emergency situations.
“When you think of the term search and rescue, we’re taking the search out and going directly to the rescue. It’s a lot more efficient. People don’t want to have to spend time searching, they just want to complete the rescue.”
To learn more about the SPOT family of devices, and to get your free 60-day trial, visit Globalstar online.