Does anyone have suggestions for practical, efficient ways of checking that lone farm workers are safe? Are there any emergency contact systems that work on farms along the same lines as those for frail or elderly people living alone?

How about a regular 'phone in or phone out ?'

Good suggestion and that's what a lot of people use, or should use, and is fine as long as everything is ok - ie that the lone worker isn't injured/unconscious and can make or receive the call but we've all struggled with poor signal, ironically often in the most remote parts of the farm ....

A short wave radio alarm over say a mile or so is another idea. However signal strength (battery condition) is a point here also.

Two 'man' working is better but whatever systems one comes up with; at some point there comes a time when one has to accept that life itself is a 'risk.' This means that one has to develop mental attitudes of reconciling oneself to risk and the consequences..

When I have been working down the fields, (up to a mile at the furthest fields), done it for years. I always make a point of telling the family the time I will be back on the yard. They do panic if I'm not punctual. And nowadays got a mobile phone with a speed dial

Twenty years ago I was combining on those far field one day, and two empty trailers to fill, so an hour or so without seeing anyone, when a police helicopter started hovering over the crop to be cut. think they were practicing with the heat camera, looking and tracing rabbits in the wheat.

Back home the Misses eventually saw the helicopter (it hovered for a good half hour) and she and my son panicked down to me thinking it was the air ambulance for me, thinking I was stuck in the combine.

Another incident I had was being (dummy) BOMBED by two A10 american  aircraft "Tank Busters" and that was frightening read all that story here

http://www.fwi.co.uk/community/blogs/fretaw/archive/2010/06/04/i-had-an-encounter-with-an-a10-tank-buster.aspx

Hi Suzie, my names Tom and I work for a company that provides safety solutions to the lone worker and telecare markets. our devices are like mobile phones, but have panic buttons and man down sensors. It can send GPS co-ordinates to a control room, or even just to your next of kin if an alarm is activated. The device is used for less able people in the event of a fall, no movement or even if the device leaves a pre-defined area. Maybe it's worth you taking a look at our website. I can provide any costings to you as required. If you didn't need a link to a control room that could call the emergency services, we could just set the device up to send text messages or e-mails with the alert details instantly. The device can also make a phone call in an emergency, and can be set to answer automatically from a pre set number. If you'd like me to give you our web address or give you a call, send me a message and I'll try and help. If not I can try giving more advice about existing systems that might be of interest to you. Best wishes, Tom

That post from SlapDash is far, far better than the usual advertising that we receive on this forum. 

In Australia, and before mobile phones, on stations of a few thousand acres, often run single handedly, a group of neighbours set up a CB radio system on the same call signal. It was accepted that anyone on the system could listen in, but it also meant that anyone could talk to their neighbour whilst going around and around and around during the night with a disc plough and he was doing the same, or an easy emergency system if a man failed to return when expected. It takes a long time to walk in four or five miles from a broken down or bogged tractor or vehicle. 

One thing I only recently learnt is that you can phone 999 from anywhere on your mobile whether you have service or not. Emergency calls work via satellite I'm told. Therefore it's important to carry your mobile with you at all times. I used to leave the mobile in the Land rover as I believed there was no point taking it with me due to no service, I always carry it with me now.

I wonder how many others knew this ? None of my family, friends or neighbours knew.

 It's hard to find a solution that best suits your situation. The stuff we provide requires purchase of hardware and a monthly subscription.

 Welshnwillings comment regarding a connection to 999 from anywhere would be the easiest to work with. I'd recommend setting up 999 as a speed dial as a first line of defense.

Advice on lone working from HSE or Business Link may be useful, if it can be applied. Letting people know where you will be, for how long, etc.

welshnwilling:

Therefore it's important to carry your mobile with you at all times. I used to leave the mobile in the Land rover as I believed there was no point taking it with me due to no service, I always carry it with me now.

  I have never tested the following, but I recently got a list of "things your mobile phone can do".

   The emergency number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you are out of service area this number will search for existing network to establish emergency number for you. It works with locked keyboard. (Looks like 999 does that as well, Wnw.).

    If you lock your keys in the car and the car has remote unlocking. If you have your mobile and the spare keys are at home, phone home and, hopefully, get someone at home to pick up your spare keys. hold your mobile close to your car whilst getting the person at home to press the unlock part of the spare key whilst holding it close to their mobile. Your car will unlock.

    If your mobile battery is low press *3370# to activate reserve.

    If you are alone at an ATM and become enforced by a criminal to withdraw cash, you can notify the police by putting in your PIN number in reverse. The ATM recognises your PIN number is backwards, to that on your card. The ATM will give you your money but will send the police to that location. 

welshnwilling:

Therefore it's important to carry your mobile with you at all times. I used to leave the mobile in the Land rover as I believed there was no point taking it with me due to no service, I always carry it with me now.

  I have never tested the following, but I recently got a list of "things your mobile phone can do".

   The emergency number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you are out of service area this number will search for existing network to establish emergency number for you. It works with locked keyboard. (Looks like 999 does that as well, Wnw.).

    If you lock your keys in the car and the car has remote unlocking. If you have your mobile and the spare keys are at home, phone home and, hopefully, get someone at home to pick up your spare keys. hold your mobile close to your car whilst getting the person at home to press the unlock part of the spare key whilst holding it close to their mobile. Your car will unlock.

    If your mobile battery is low press *3370# to activate reserve.

    If you are alone at an ATM and become enforced by a criminal to withdraw cash, you can notify the police by putting in your PIN number in reverse. The ATM recognises your PIN number is backwards, to that on your card. The ATM will give you your money but will send the police to that location. 

I always carry my mobile on my belt, and check in with my wife as the farm office is backward as far as safety is concerned. When working with potentially dangerous stock, I call home at the start and finish of the work, with a check in time agreed at the first call.

I do not use a mobile phone, but I understand andy h's approach to safety. Once upon a time I was a member of the Association of Risk Management and have had responsibility for risk management in a few places, but, like andy, I think a lot of one's approach to these things comes down to where you have been in life and what might happen. Apart from the odd stray big cat in Britain there is not much that is likely to be life threatening by way of wildlife, but in Australia snakes, spiders and the occasional other odd nasty could be potentially fatal (a snake failed to get through my wellie, but a spider got through the skin between my thumb and forefinger)  but andy's African experience would have produced several opportunist predators. Apologies for not remembering with certainty, but I think it is Bovril who was also in Africa for a while and has some experience of similar predators. Such possible dangers makes one a little more careful throughout life.

AllyR:

I have never tested the following, but I recently got a list of "things your mobile phone can do".

   The emergency number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you are out of service area this number will search for existing network to establish emergency number for you. It works with locked keyboard. (Looks like 999 does that as well, Wnw.).

    If you lock your keys in the car and the car has remote unlocking. If you have your mobile and the spare keys are at home, phone home and, hopefully, get someone at home to pick up your spare keys. hold your mobile close to your car whilst getting the person at home to press the unlock part of the spare key whilst holding it close to their mobile. Your car will unlock.

    If your mobile battery is low press *3370# to activate reserve.

    If you are alone at an ATM and become enforced by a criminal to withdraw cash, you can notify the police by putting in your PIN number in reverse. The ATM recognises your PIN number is backwards, to that on your card. The ATM will give you your money but will send the police to that location. 

 

Why doesn't anybody tell us these things ? Thanks for sharing those tips Ally.

 

welshnwilling:

Why doesn't anybody tell us these things ?

  I was thinking, maybe they, and more, are in the instruction book!! I have never looked.

My mother-in-law (85 last week) is currently with us and when I told her about using the reverse PIN number she said she already knew and thought it was common knowledge.

 Ah, send her home.

You think she would be grateful for the advice............ instead like a teenager giv'in  guff ...

What if you have a palindromic pin number? Or are they not allowed?

The reverse PIN number story is a hoax - unless this Crimestoppers website is a fake too!

The mobile phone emergency number story is correct - that is if this EU Commission site is believable.

Unlocking your car with a moble phone is another matter.  Theoretically it should not be possible with modern equipment (car fob or phone).  The car fob operates by radio waves at 433MHz.  The unlock code is digital and carried in the radio signal.  Mobile phones operate at different radio frequencies.  Car fobs do not emit any sound waves, so even if the receiver in the car were able to pick up the mobile phone signal how could the unlock code be part of the signal?  Even in very old equipment using radio (remember a lot of early key fobs used infra red signals not radio) the signal would be being transmitted by the phone at home not the phone by the car.  The jury seems to be out on this one.  Could it happen with kit from the last ten years - probably not.  Could it have happened with earlier kit - who knows?

bovril:

What if you have a palindromic pin number?

That's exactly what my wife and I were wondering, Bovril. We haven't plucked up the courage to test the theory either!!! 

Jacobus, I am now waiting for the car with the blue flashing light to come up the farm road and arrest me for spreading illicit gossip on the Internet. At least the car lock one is easily tested. I hope the phone battery reserve is true; that would be useful.

bovril:

palindromic

Thats a big word a bit like wheelbarrow

Ally, according to waffle on the net, the reserve battery code isn't true.  Apparently some makes and models of phone can use a code to enhance or reduce speech quality.  Enhanced quality uses more battery power and vice versa.  The code given is apparently for some Nokia phones, but ironically is the code which gives enhanced quality and so uses more battery power!

Apparently some sites promoting these myths suggest you try the 112 code to see if it really does connect to emergency services - which may well see the arrival of the blue flashing lights!

I think I'll stick with the instruction book for the mobile phone I have............now,......... where did I put it?.......... Oh, dear.

I think the 112 is the only true one there. I used to have a phone which would say on the front something like "999 and 112 calls only" if it was out of signal or had no sim card in.

The downside of that is, if you think your phone is safely locked in your pocket, you could still accidentally dial 112 or 999 by leaning on it wrongly as those numbers override the lock. It won't of course work with touch-screen phones, as you need to unlock it to get numbers in the first place!