7 Workplace and Personal Cases When Inactivity Timeout Detection Could Improve Your Safety

 

Table of contents:

• What’s Idle Time? Definition and Why It Matters
• Idle Time Tracking on Mobile Devices
• How Calculating Device Inactivity Time Can Enhance Home and Labor Process Safety?

Idleness harms the body, health experts say, and recommend taking a movement break every 30 minutes. So it’s no wonder that prolonged idle time should ring an alarm. Actually, any abnormal change in your daily rhythm should.

Therefore, tracking those lengthy inactivity timeout periods is crucial because it warns you about a possible health emergency. Such timely alerts ensure the working process's safety or family members’ well-being. So, let’s discuss how to use inactivity monitoring products for the best health & well-being results.

What’s Idle Time? Definition and Why It Matters

Let’s start with the idle time definition first. Crudely put, it means a period of time without meaningful activity. That said, the context of meaningfulness may vary.

Idle Time at Workplace

An idle time can refer to the temporary state of equipment, an employee, or a person.  The very term “idle” itself implies some lack of productivity and hints at the work-rest balance.  True, observing inactivity time is currently primarily used in the working environment to control personnel performance. Different tools track employees' time spent on a particular assignment or wasted on internet surfing, social media, or other matters unrelated to job performance. On the other hand, an idle period that is unusual for a person’s regular schedule can be the first marker that something is going wrong, so it shouldn’t be ignored in terms of remote personal safety monitoring.

Idle Time Tracking as Safety Measure: Can Prolonged Inactivity Be a Marker of an Emergency?

Supervisors and line specialists must pay attention to sudden or abnormally lengthy inactivity to monitor labor process safety. That’s especially vital for people involved in the most dangerous jobs, whereby key performance indexes cannot outweigh personnel’s safety.

Detection of An Idle Time at the Workspace

The idle time definition sometimes implies that an employee or production line is on downtime. However, idle time shouldn't be reduced unreasonably because, very often, some planned amount of it is required for:

• Regular pre-launch checks on the equipment

• A time gap between shift changes 

• Some time to power up and shut down high-capacity machines.

Besides, people often confuse downtime with inactivity. The downtime means that production is paused due to equipment malfunction or scheduled preventive maintenance. So when operation managers calculate idle time, they don’t add downtime to it.

Furthermore, inactivity timeout detection is also critical for preventing job-related emergencies. In some industries, operation and line managers can monitor work processes only remotely, so they have to know if their colleagues get injured without direct communication.

Inactivity timeout detection and emergency reporting can be performed using: 

• GPS tracking

• Scheduled check-in messages

• Keylogging software

• Smartphone inactivity tracking software.

Idle Time Tracking on Mobile Devices

In smartphones, idle detection technology is based on analyzing data from motion sensors. But instead of peak measurements, inactivity tracking software detects the excess timeout in sensor logs. The program triggers the alert when the timeout period exceeds the predetermined timer value.

It’s fair to say that idle time detection is probably the least intrusive and the most error-proof among the must-have features of an alert app. Plus, it allows you to request help when things get really tough, i.e., if you cannot reach your phone or face a life-threatening situation. However, we recommend that you look for a personal safety product that combines a panic button and an inactivity tracker, which may come in handy in most cases.

How Calculating Device Inactivity Time Can Enhance Home and Labor Process Safety?

Since you already know that you shouldn’t ignore the unusually long idle periods of your colleagues or your loved ones living alone, let’s consider a few cases where inactivity trackers and automated SOS notification systems might be vital. The following examples demonstrate how to recognize the accident by tracking the idle time.

Tracking Idle Time for Work Process Safety

Let’s consider several cases where idle time monitoring is crucial for employees’ safety and workflow stability.

1. Gig Drivers Monitoring

Its purpose is fully in line with the traditional idle time definition. For instance, a prolonged standstill will show that a gig worker is at a loose end and awaits a new task.

On the other hand, many factors might cause delays in the work of delivery workers. Install the inactivity detector app on their phones, and you’ll back up their safety 24/7. Giving them fall-detection devices would be reasonable, too, so you’ll get instant notifications in case of road accidents.

2. Supervision Over Workers in the Backcountry Areas

Agricultural workers, field technicians, and others who carry out on-site services face numerous environmental hazards, leading to severe injuries or health conditions like heat exhaustion or sunstroke. If an employee has passed out, an idle time-detecting app might save their life. 

3. Safety for the Personnel at Construction Sites

All-around safety monitoring at construction sites is sometimes challenging. For instance, members of construction teams might not always see each other, and  inactivity alarms can alert the supervisor about an on-site incident that demands intervention.

4. Supervision of Children at Summer Camps

In early 2021, the American Camp Association admitted that early enrollment had never been as high as in the fall of 2020. Considering this, camp administrators and counselors need to brace themselves for at least an equally intense influx of little campers in 2023.

Luckily, supervising a whole bunch of kids won’t be that challenging for you as a camp leader if you are equipped with an idle time-tracking app. Adjusting the inactivity timer would be helpful in several cases:

1. You can set it for nap time so children will have a break and rest. 

2. You can incentivize children to set aside texting and social media and engage in healthier outdoor activities.

3. Lastly, you can rely on inactivity notifications if some kid loses consciousness for whatever reason during a backpacking trip or other activities.

Providing a Safer Environment for Your Loved Ones

If you want to ensure that your family members are OK when they are alone, detecting excessive inactivity might be the right thing to do. It’s silent and not annoying, yet helpful in case they won’t be able to call for help personally. 

1. Remote Monitoring of Seniors or Chronically Ill People

The truth is that we cannot watch over elderly or recovering relatives personally most of the time. Remotely monitored medical alert systems are a comprehensive solution, but you should mind the cost. As the comparison of the top  home security and medical alert systems shows, the self-monitored personal safety app will cost ten times less than the cheapest DIY kit.

Besides accurate inactivity detection, a mobile app can offer many vitally-important features, such as GPS tracking, geofencing, or analyzing a heartbeat rate when connected to a fitness tracker.

2. Checking on Kids While You’re Away

Monitoring your kid’s device inactivity lessens parents’ worries. More importantly, it grants your child the independence required for growth, while still ensuring you can respond fast enough if anything goes wrong. That’s also the right way to improve communication with teenagers or grown-up kids. All in all, healthy parents & adult child relationships are all about respecting a kid's privacy. 

3. Checking on a Solo Traveler

Sure thing, letting someone dear to you on a solo trip is unnerving, especially for the first time. But instead of dissuading your friend or relative from having a journey, better help them ensure their safety.

The apps with device inactivity timeout detection can operate worldwide, so you’ll get notified of a probable emergency as long as your loved one stays within the cellular network coverage. 

Choose AllsWell Alert’s Inactivity Time Tracking for Peace of Mind 

AllsWell Alert’s inactivity monitoring feature sends out a hands-free SOS alert message after a longer than usual inactivity period has been detected. In addition to the automatic SOS alert trigger, you can manually activate an on-screen panic button to send a notification to the predefined emergency contacts with your exact geolocation. 

Find out how AllsWell’s personal safety features work and join a 30-day trial period without installation charges. Get the app right now from AppStore or Google Play!