HFS Highlight: Bosch launches GuardMe – a comprehensive, innovative, and compliant lone worker protection solution

There are around 30 million lone workers in Europe who work out of sight without close or direct supervision. And this number is expected to rise significantly post Covid-19 as Work-From-Home (WFH) becomes the norm. Lone workers carry a significant risk of occupational risks and medical emergencies going unnoticed.

One of the most stringent regulations for lone worker safety was designed in Germany[1] where employers have an imperative to comply with the lone worker’s safety. While other European countries are following suite, lone workers are not well protected across the globe. Lone worker protection in US is lose at best as OSHA[2] does not have a specific requirement to develop and implement a work alone policy.

One of the most comprehensive, innovative, and compliant lone worker protection solutions was launched by Bosch in the German market.

Bosch GuardMe offers a wider scope of services for various market segments

Bosch’s GuardMe app transforms a smartphone into a personal emergency signal system solution that is fully compliant with Germany’s DGUV regulations. The solution automatically detects emergencies such as falls or extended periods of no movement and triggers an alarm connecting the lone worker to the Bosch Monitoring Center. Once the alarm is received at the Bosch Monitoring Center, a member of the service team will gather further information about the nature of the accident and request appropriate assistance. The solution also assists with the targeted navigation of emergency services to the accident location with the help of geographic tracking information for speedy dispatch of emergency services. GuardMe also provides psychological support of the injured person until the arrival of the emergency services on site.

Bosch has leveraged its 30+ years of experience in operating security control centers, i.e. professional receiving center for processing emergency calls and alarms to offer this unique solution.

Overall, the end-to-end solution has the following primary components:

1. Lone worker protection device and app (Robust outdoor smartphones (Sonim XP8) or standard Android devices)
2. Alarm receiving center (>110,000 things are currently connected to the Bosch monitoring center network)
3. 24/7 Alarm monitoring (Bosch Service Solutions processes 7.5 m incidents and real alerts per annum)

The key target industries and use-cases of GuardMe solutions are highlighted in Exhibit 1.

Exhibit 1: Target market segments for GuardMe

Source: HFS Research, Bosch Service Solutions

Bottom line: Lone worker safety is more important than ever and emerging technologies can help save lives.

Out of sight cannot mean out of mind and employers have the duty to protect their employees whether working alone or together. Focus on IoT-enabled EHS (Environment, Health, and Safety) post the pandemic shock is increasing. Bosch’s innovative GuardMe solution is a strong example of how emerging technologies can help save lives.

“A human life is the most precious thing and needs to be protected. That is why we are so delighted to bring a solution to the market that can help save the lives of people, who are at particular risk at work,”

Henning von Boxberg, Chairman of Bosch Service Solution

[1] DGUV (Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversichirung/German social accident insurance) rule112-139 provides guidelines for lone worker protection devices, evaluation scheme for hazard identification of working conditions and flowchart for the usage decision of lone worker protection devices

[2] The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is run by the United States Department of Labour