John Knowles, Head of Product at Peoplesafe and Mark O’Connell, General Manager EMEA at Globalstar outlines why satellite connectivity is needed to protect lone workers beyond mobile coverage.
Across the UK and Europe, organisations are placing a stronger emphasis on duty of care and compliance-driven safety policies.
Lone and remote workers are a vital part of the modern economy, from utility engineers and forestry crews to logistics drivers, field technicians and emergency responders, yet they often operate outside the reach of traditional communication networks.
Regulators and employers alike are increasingly aware that reliable, real-time communication is not optional, it’s essential to fulfilling both legal obligations and moral responsibilities.
In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has set clear expectations for protecting employees who work without direct supervision.
Across Europe, similar frameworks, such as ISO 45001 and national worker safety directives, reinforce the same standard: Employers must ensure continuous contact and access to assistance.
The conversation has also evolved in response to societal shifts in the past five years.
Hybrid operations, squeezes on budgets from increasing costs, labour shortages and increased field mobility have made lone working more common.
Couple with a rise in lone working is the fact that 64% of UK organisations have experienced a lone worker incident in the past three years.
The expectation for always-on visibility and response capability has never been higher.
Even the most advanced mobile network can only go so far.
Rural and remote areas, offshore environments, energy installations, forestry sites and infrastructure projects frequently sit outside GSM coverage.
When a worker crosses that invisible boundary, the ability to communicate, raise an alarm or be located can instantly disappear.
If a risk assessment identifies a gap in coverage, that risk needs to be recorded and mitigated to ensure the safety of lone worker and protect the organisation from non-compliance and potential legal consequences.
For a lone worker in distress, whether facing injury, vehicle breakdown or medical emergency, that gap can mean the difference between a rapid rescue and a delayed response.
Lone working itself isn’t inherently dangerous – it’s the increasing severity when an incident occurs if that worker cannot reliably call for and receive help that makes it high-risk.
That’s why organisations are rethinking the reliance on cellular-only systems.
A truly resilient safety solution must bridge those gaps seamlessly, ensuring that workers remain connected no matter where the job takes them.
By integrating satellite communication into their safety strategy, employers eliminate blind spots and guarantee that emergency alerts and GPS locations reach response teams instantly, even in the most remote regions.
That’s absolutely true. A decade ago, satellite technology was perceived as specialised, expensive and reserved for sectors like defence or maritime.
But today, several factors have completely changed that picture.
First, LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite constellations such as Globalstar’s have dramatically reduced latency, improved reliability and enabled compact, low-cost devices.
The infrastructure investments made over the last decade have made global satellite networks far more efficient and accessible.
Second, hardware innovation has brought down both cost and complexity.
Modern satellite messengers and tracking devices are small, rugged and easy to use and they don’t require specialist training or bulky equipment.
Finally, integration with existing safety platforms has improved.
Satellite connectivity can now sit within the same monitoring dashboards and alerting systems organisations already used for GSM-based devices.
That means there’s no longer a trade-off between global reach and operational simplicity; you get both.
All of this makes satellite an increasingly mainstream part of workforce safety, not a niche backup.
The technology is now widely used across a range of sectors including forestry, agriculture and oil and gas.
SPOT devices combine Globalstar’s proven satellite network with simplicity and reliability.
Unlike GSM-only solutions that fail when workers move beyond cellular range, SPOT maintains connectivity virtually anywhere.
The handheld units are lightweight, cost-effective and designed for real-world conditions.
With a single button press, workers can share their GPS location, send check-in messages or trigger an emergency alert to monitoring teams.
The device automatically transmits its coordinates over satellite, ensuring responders know exactly where to send help even if there’s no mobile signal.
In addition, SPOT integrates easily with safety management systems, like Peoplesafe, providing seamless visibility for employers who need to manage diverse teams across multiple regions.
Employees equipped with SPOT devices have the reassurance and peace of mind that they can call for help despite a lack of mobile signal.
It’s this combination of coverage, reliability and simplicity that makes SPOT unique.
Importantly, the technology has proven itself over time with tens of thousands of active users across the UK & Europe and a long track record of documented rescues and incident responses.
It’s trusted because it works and that confidence is essential when human lives are involved.
The key is to start with risk and coverage, not with technology.
Every organisation should map where its people actually work, what hazards they face and how quickly help must reach them.
That assessment should guide the choice of communications solution.
From there, employers should prioritise reliability, interoperability and usability.
Technology only improves safety if workers can and will, use it consistently.
Devices should be intuitive, durable and supported by a monitoring platform capable of handling both GSM and satellite inputs seamlessly.
Another factor is scalability.
A system that works for 100 workers in one region must be able to scale to thousands across several countries without increasing complexity.
Finally, organisations should look for partners with proven networks, long-term stability and high-levels of accreditation.
Satellite safety isn’t just about the hardware – it’s about the ecosystem behind it: The ground stations, the support infrastructure and the operational expertise that ensures every alert and every message is received and dealt with professionally.
At Globalstar, we’ve built exactly that: A robust, globally available satellite network backed by decades of operational experience, enhanced with trusted partners like Peoplesafe and a mission to make communication accessible wherever people work.
This article was originally published in the January edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.
