Lone worker alarms for
rail and transport

Lone worker safety for a changing transport environment

Employees across the rail and transport sector often work alone, on the move or away from immediate support. Crystal Alarm provides flexible lone worker safety solutions that help employees quickly raise the alarm when assistance is needed. Our platform brings mobile and stationary lone worker alarms together, making it possible to adapt personal safety to different roles, locations and organisational procedures.

Lone worker protection for different transport roles

Rail and public transport personnel

Flexible lone worker alarms for employees working across rail and public transport environments.

Drivers and mobile employees

Mobile lone worker protection for employees whose work takes them between different locations.

Station and terminal staff

Personal safety solutions that enable employees to quickly raise an alarm when assistance is required.

Service and maintenance teams

Flexible lone worker safety solutions for employees carrying out maintenance and service work across different sites.

Flexible lone worker alarm solutions

Crystal Alarm combines mobile and stationary lone worker alarm solutions in one flexible platform. Organisations can configure alarm workflows around their own procedures and connect alarms to internal recipients or an external alarm receiving centre.

Depending on the solution, functions can include direct alarms, timed alarms, Crystal Button or Crystal Button Air and location in connection with an alarm.

From outdoor GPS to indoor positioning

Know where help is needed: even when GPS is not enough

Transport employees constantly move between environments. GPS can provide location information outdoors, but stations, underground areas, terminals and depots can make satellite positioning less effective. Crystal Alarm can therefore combine mobile positioning with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons for indoor environments. Beacons can be installed in defined areas such as:

• Platforms
• Stations
• Depots
• Underground operational areas
• Staff areas
• Terminals

When an alarm requiring positioning is activated, the system can use the available positioning technology to help the alarm recipient identify where assistance is needed. This allows the same safety platform to support employees as they move between trains, outdoor environments and buildings.

What happens when an employee raises an alarm?

Technology is only one part of a personal safety solution. The alarm procedure behind it is just as important.

1. The employee raises the alarm

An alarm is activated through the configured method — for example the Crystal Alarm app or Crystal Button.

2. Alarm information is transmitted

The alarm is routed according to your organisation’s configuration. Relevant information such as identity and location can be made available to the designated recipients.

3. The right alarm recipient takes over

Your organisation decides who should receive and handle alarms. This can include:

• Your own traffic or operations control centre
• Internal security or designated colleagues
• An external Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC)
• A combination of internal and external recipients

Crystal Alarm can integrate with established external alarm receiving centres such as SOS Alarm and Avarn.

4. Your agreed response procedure is followed

The designated alarm recipient assesses the available information and follows your organisation’s agreed alarm and escalation procedure. This means Crystal Alarm becomes part of your existing safety process rather than replacing it.

A strong option for public transport: connection to SOS Alarm

For organisations that do not want to manage every alarm internally, Crystal Alarm can be connected to an external Alarm Receiving Centre, giving organisations access to an established external alarm handling organisation rather than requiring every alarm to be managed by an internal team.

Other configurations are also possible. Organisations with an existing traffic control or security function can route alarms internally, externally or through a combination designed around their operating model. Not sure which alarm chain is right for you? Our team can map your current procedures and help you identify an appropriate setup.

Privacy by design: protection without continuous employee tracking

Personal safety should not require continuous monitoring of employees. Crystal Alarm does not continuously track employees’ locations. Positioning is activated in connection with alarm functions that require location information, such as an Emergency Alarm, Timed Alarm, Safe Return Home or Man Down alarm.

Depending on the environment, positioning can use GPS, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth beacons. Crystal Alarm acts as a data processor for end-user alarm data, while the employer remains the data controller. Retention of alarm information and system logs can be configured according to the customer’s requirements and applicable data protection obligations. This approach helps organisations provide location-based personal safety while avoiding continuous location monitoring during normal work.

From pilot to rollout

Getting started with Crystal Alarm

A transport safety implementation does not need to begin with a network-wide rollout. A typical project starts by understanding your working environments, risks, employee groups and existing alarm procedures.

1. Map your requirements

Together, we identify who needs protection, where employees work and who should receive alarms.

2. Configure the solution

We configure the appropriate combination of mobile alarms, Crystal Buttons, positioning and alarm routing. Where indoor positioning is required, beacon coverage can be planned for the relevant stations, platforms, depots or operational areas.

3. Test the alarm chain

The configured alarm workflow is tested so employees, administrators and alarm recipients understand how the solution operates.

4. Roll out to employees

Users are added to the platform, and the solution can be introduced according to your organisation’s rollout plan.

5. Manage and develop

Administrators can manage users and configurations, while Crystal Alarm provides ongoing technical support and platform development.

Build the right package for your organisation

Crystal Alarm is a modular platform rather than a one-size-fits-all alarm product. Your solution can include:

• Crystal Alarm App: Mobile personal alarm functionality for iOS and Android.
• Crystal Button: A dedicated physical alarm button for discreet activation.
• Crystal Alarm Platform: Administration, alarm management, configuration and reporting.
• Indoor positioning: BLE beacon infrastructure for locations where GPS positioning is insufficient.
• Alarm receiving: Connection to your own control centre, designated internal recipients or an external Alarm Receiving Centre such as SOS Alarm or Avarn.

What does Crystal Alarm cost?

Pricing depends on the number of users, hardware requirements, alarm receiving setup, integrations and whether indoor positioning infrastructure is required. Tell us how many employees and locations you need to protect, and we can recommend an appropriate configuration and provide a commercial proposal.