Lone Worker Security for Teachers

Those that work in education face unique risks and often work alone facing increased threat of verbal and physical abuse, and even gun violence.

Unfortunately, the amount of work place violence and fatalities within the education sector has progressively increased over the past several years. Those in education, and specifically teachers or lab technicians who are often alone with students are in an environment with a need for lone worker safety measures to be put in place.

Teachers run the risk of students getting upset for an array of reasons, including rules put in place, punishments, grades and more predominantly, personal issues outside of what is going on in the classroom. An example of this happened recently when a ninth grader at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson, NJ attacked a teacher after his cell phone was confiscated. Fortunately in this case the teacher recovered, but that is not always the case. A Texas second grade teacher was treated for a concussion, rib pain and multiple contusions after being attacked by a student and unable to fight back. Furthermore, since no appropriate action was taken after the attack, the teacher suffered yet another attack by the same student just four months later. With a lone worker safety protection device like SoloProtect ID or SoloProtect Mobile App, once the teacher raised an alert, the remainder of the incident would be audibly recorded, removing the question of what really happened with He-Said, She-Said scenarios.

Some teachers also may face an environmental or an emergency health situation. Those working in labs are exposed to chemicals that can potentially cause unpredictable emergencies and hazards to health. Access to the sharp tools provided in labs create the opportunity for potential danger. Many professors and graduate students may also find themselves working late hours in labs alone, leaving them even more vulnerable and susceptible to danger.

Those working in the education sector have access to SoloProtect services via the GSA schedule. This provides them access to our SoloProtect service at volume discount pricing without bidding or negotiating, saving time and reducing overall hassle.

According to a News Release by Bureau of Labor Statistics of U.S. Department of Labor, fatal injuries among government workers increased 5 percent to 476 injuries in 2013. This goes to show how important lone worker safety is within government entities. How long would it take you to notice your instructor was in danger, and how would you handle it, especially if minors were involved?