In this day an age, cell phones– smartphones in particular– have become a distraction. But what if I told you that one single text could actually save someone’s life? It’s not impossible. In an emergency, just one mass text could save many workers’ lives. First of all, texting is the most common cell phone activity among more than 80% of American adults. In 2013, more than 90% of American adults owned a cell phone and the majority of these adults used texting. Out of these adults, 80% also use text messaging for business purposes. So many working adults send and receive text messages, and most (if not all) have a text notification system where they can get text message alerts.
This is where mass text messaging comes in. Mass text messaging can become part of an employee alert system that warns employees in the case of an emergency. Companies can use emergency notification apps or mass notification software to deliver these alerts that could potentially save many lives. Considering that a text message can be read in an average of five seconds, even a short text notifying an employee in an emergency could save their life.
Mass notification software can be provided by a company or mass text messaging can be set up in-house. Employees can download an emergency notification app or opt-in to receive text message alerts during emergencies. Either way, having an emergency text notification system can only benefit workers. According to the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OHSA) and the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), over 20,000 employees were injured in 2013. Having a mass text notification system in place could greatly reduce these injuries.
Of course, this does not mean that mass text messaging should be the only option available to an employer. Instead, it should be used in conjunction with more traditional methods of emergency alarms. Many workplaces already have emergency warnings through existing employee alert systems. Using mass text messaging along with these pre-existing emergency alert systems can help reduce the number of workplace incidents. If it only takes one text message to increase the likelihood of a worker’s survival during an emergency, then by all means companies should try to implement mass text messaging in the workplace.
