We can’t stress enough how important two-way radios are to the safety of your team members. Whether yours already operate in a hazardous environment, or they’re exposed to inclement weather on par with what the US witnessed at the beginning of January, it’s imperative that they have the ability to call for help or notify others when they need assistance — especially when they work alone or in remote areas. Here’s a breakdown of the key safety features that can be programmed on most RCA two-way radios, and the importance of each.

1. Man Down

This feature is meant to alert others to the possibility that a worker has fallen. It does this by detecting when there’s either been a lack of movement, or the radio is suddenly horizontal. The unit then “chirps” and activates a timer. If the worker is fine, they have up to a minute to disable the alert before an emergency signal is sent. After that minute, an alarm is triggered to preassigned radios so that those team members can respond.

Why It’s Important

Above all else, this ensures expedited emergency response. Users can feel secure in the knowledge that even though they may be out of sight, or operating in dangerous conditions, they have an automatic means of alerting others to their whereabouts in the event they become injured.

2. Lone Worker

This is similar to the Man Down feature, but with a timer that is already active. As long as the worker continues to interact with their radio, no alert will be sent. If they don’t touch the radio for 10 minutes, a pre-warning signal will sound to remind them to reset the timer. Failing to do so after a couple additional minutes will prompt an alert to other workers.

Why It’s Important

In circumstances that are more dangerous than remote work (like inclement weather), this feature increases situational awareness by requiring “team wellness checks.” While it may not provide as much of an immediate alert as Man Down, this feature encourages more direct interaction from the worker and covers potential injuries beyond falling.

3. Emergency Alert Button

This one may seem like a given, but it’s also one of the most important features to any two-radio. RCA’s orange emergency alert buttons are strategically located on the tops of their handheld radios for quick and easy access, regardless of thick gloves or other equipment your workers may be using. When a worker is in trouble, all they have to do is press the button for it to emit a voice or radio ping that notifies the appropriate team members.

Why It’s Important

It’s a convenient, recognizable feature due to its location and color, and offers an immediate, network-wide alert to indicate any sort of concern: fires, acts of nature, suspicious on-site activity, etc.

These Features Must Be Preprogrammed

While all of these features are available on most RCA radios, they aren’t active by default. They must be programmed in advance before your workers can use them, so let us know when you place an order which ones you want to have enabled.

Conversely, if you’ve already received your radios, or you’ve purchased from us in the past, you can still have these features enabled on those units by sending them back to us.

Why Choose RCA

Having these features is only nice if the radios themselves are durable, cost-effective, and come with the best audio quality on the market. That’s why we’re so proud of the RCA two-way radio family. Many of these units are built with military-grade technology, are designed to be intrinsically safe, and use less power thanks to digital modes and exceptional battery performance. They can be dropped from the second floor of a building, doused in water, or run over by a car, and they’d still work like new. And if they can survive the worst, your workers will too.

If you’re interested in learning more about the safety features DTWR can enable on your two-way radios, give us a call at 888.299.6340 to speak with a member of our award-winning customer support team.