Lone Worker Safety in ATEX Environments: Can Existing Smartphones Help?

One Lone Worker Safety App for Different Working Environments?

From oil and gas facilities to chemical plants, utilities and manufacturing sites, employees often rely on smartphones to communicate, access work information and carry out everyday tasks.

Some workers may need specialist mobile equipment suitable for potentially explosive atmospheres, while colleagues elsewhere in the same organisation use standard smartphones.

But both groups may face lone working risks.

With a compatible lone worker safety app, organisations may be able to add dedicated emergency protection to smartphones employees already carry, without automatically introducing another device.

This creates an opportunity to provide more consistent lone worker protection across different teams, sites and working environments.

What Are ATEX and Intrinsically Safe Smartphones?

An ATEX phone is a mobile device designed and certified for use in specified potentially explosive atmospheres, subject to its certification and operating conditions.

These environments can contain flammable gases, vapours, mists or combustible dusts that could ignite if exposed to an ignition source.

Intrinsically safe smartphones use a particular protection method that limits electrical and thermal energy to reduce the risk of ignition under specified conditions.

Intrinsic safety is one method of explosion protection, while ATEX refers to a broader equipment and regulatory framework.

What Does UK Legislation Require?

In Great Britain, the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) require employers to assess and control risks arising from dangerous substances and potentially explosive atmospheres.

Where hazardous areas are identified, employers must select equipment suitable for the relevant zone and operating conditions.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance on ATEX equipment, hazardous-area classification and the selection of appropriate equipment.

Importantly, not every employee working in an industry such as oil and gas or chemical manufacturing needs an ATEX-rated mobile phone. Requirements depend on the areas they enter, the hazards present and the equipment's intended use.

An ordinary rugged phone or protective case is not necessarily intrinsically safe. Equally, installing a lone worker safety app does not make a smartphone ATEX-compliant.

Which Industries May Need ATEX-Rated Mobile Phones?

Potentially explosive atmospheres can occur across several industries, not just oil and gas.

Within these organisations, some employees may work in classified hazardous areas while others carry out duties in locations where specialist mobile equipment isn't required.

These are examples rather than a definitive list of ATEX requirements. Equipment selection must be based on the specific hazardous-area classification and risk assessment.

Can an ATEX Smartphone Be Used for Lone Worker Safety?

Yes. A compatible lone worker phone app can add safety and emergency response functionality to a smartphone that is already suitable for the employee's working environment.

The mobile hardware and safety software serve different purposes:

• ATEX-rated or intrinsically safe hardware addresses the suitability of the device for specified potentially explosive atmospheres.
• Lone worker safety software provides functionality such as emergency alerts, supported automatic detection, location information and access to professional monitoring.

For example, a maintenance engineer may already use an appropriately certified smartphone when working in a hazardous area. If the device supports a compatible lone worker app, it may be possible to add emergency protection without issuing a separate safety device.

Employers must confirm that the smartphone meets the relevant hazardous-area requirements, supports the app and its necessary functions, and can be used in accordance with the device manufacturer's certification conditions.

The SoloProtect app does not provide or extend a phone's ATEX certification.

How Can a Lone Worker App Protect Employees in Hazardous Environments?

A standard mobile phone allows employees to make calls or send messages when they need help. A dedicated lone worker protection app adds features designed specifically for situations where an employee may be working without close or direct supervision.

The SoloProtect Lone Worker App combines emergency alert functionality with access to a professionally monitored Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).

Red Alert: Request Emergency Assistance

If an employee feels threatened, becomes injured or needs urgent help, they can activate a Red Alert through the app.

The alert connects to SoloProtect's 24/7 Alarm Receiving Centre, where trained operators assess the situation and follow an agreed response procedure.

Depending on the circumstances, this may involve communicating with the worker, contacting nominated escalation contacts or arranging an appropriate emergency services response.

Man Down: Additional Protection if a Worker Becomes Incapacitated

An emergency doesn't always leave someone able to call for assistance.

Supported Man Down and Incapacitation features can detect certain movement or orientation conditions associated with a fall or potential incapacitation and initiate an alert.

This can provide an additional safeguard for employees working alone, although automatic detection cannot identify every type of incident.

Location Information: Helping Operators Establish Where Assistance Is Needed

When an alert is raised, available location information from the smartphone can help ARC operators establish where the employee may be.

This can be particularly useful across large industrial sites or when employees travel between locations.

24/7 Professional Monitoring

An important distinction between a standard smartphone and a professionally monitored lone worker app is what happens after an alarm is activated.

SoloProtect's trained ARC operators are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to assess alerts and coordinate an appropriate response.

This provides an alternative to relying solely on a colleague or manager being available to answer an emergency call.

Can the Same Lone Worker App Protect Employees Across Different Environments?

For organisations operating across multiple sites or departments, one of the biggest opportunities is consistency.

Consider a chemical manufacturing company with employees working in different environments:

• Processing operators may require appropriately certified smartphones when entering classified hazardous areas.
• Maintenance engineers may move between hazardous and non-hazardous locations.
• Warehouse operatives may work alone in areas where ATEX-rated equipment isn't required.
• Site inspectors may travel between facilities and carry out inspections independently.

Each group may have different risks and mobile equipment requirements, but all could benefit from access to an appropriate lone worker safety solution.

Where their devices are compatible, organisations may be able to use the same lone worker monitoring app across these teams.

A common solution doesn't mean every employee needs identical safety arrangements. Risk assessments, training, device suitability and emergency procedures must still reflect individual roles and environments.

What Should Employers Consider Before Choosing a Solution?

Before introducing a lone worker safety app across an industrial workforce, employers should consider the practical requirements of each role.

1. Hazardous-area requirements

Identify whether employees enter classified hazardous areas and confirm that their mobile equipment is appropriately certified and suitable for those environments.

2. Smartphone and app compatibility

Check that existing devices support the lone worker app, operating system requirements and intended safety features. This is particularly important for specialist ATEX and intrinsically safe smartphones.

3. Connectivity and location

Assess mobile coverage, Wi-Fi availability and location performance across the areas where employees work.

Remote locations, enclosed buildings and industrial structures may affect connectivity, and some tasks may require alternative communication or emergency arrangements.

4. Emergency response procedures

Consider how employees will request assistance, who will respond and what information will be available during an incident.

5. Training and adoption

Employees should understand how to activate an alarm, use the available safety features and follow the organisation's emergency procedures.

6. Lone worker risk assessments

The most appropriate solution should be determined by the hazards associated with each role.

The HSE's guidance on lone working explains employers' responsibilities for assessing risks, maintaining contact and responding to incidents.

Some higher-risk activities also require additional personnel or specific supervision arrangements. A lone worker app must not be used to justify working alone where this would be unsafe or prohibited.

Could Your Organisation Make More of Its Existing Smartphones?

For organisations operating in oil and gas, chemical manufacturing, utilities and other potentially hazardous environments, employee safety requirements can vary significantly across the workforce.

Some employees may require ATEX-rated or intrinsically safe mobile equipment, while others use standard smartphones. But both groups may need a reliable way to request assistance when working alone.

By adding professionally monitored lone worker safety functionality to compatible existing smartphones, organisations may be able to provide more consistent protection without automatically introducing additional devices.

SoloProtect can help you assess whether a mobile app, dedicated device or combination of solutions is most appropriate for your workforce.