SAFETY THRIVES ON CLEAR COMMUNICATION 

Portable radios and CB radios are used in many different types of workplaces. They serve as an important tool and safeguard for individuals at a worksite. Radios allow for communication across long distances which can help ensure that work tasks are completed safely and efficiently. It is important to use these communication tools correctly in order to allow for messages to get across to the workers who need to receive them.

HOW WALKIE TALKIES /TWO WAY RADIO WORK

Walkie talkies don’t play music, text, access social media or take photographs but still have the upper hand when you need to communicate in areas without a mobile or GPS signal. That’s because they work off single frequency wireless signals which means that all is not lost if you find yourself off the beaten track. These hand-held radios are compact but include a speaker and microphone and are very simple to use.

People communicating by walkie talkie must first of all ensure that they are sharing the same channel, or frequency band. Their handsets are all set to receive, so the microphone-cum-loudspeaker is set to loudspeaker. When no one is talking, the device will probably be broadcasting the sound of static, like a detuned radio. When someone wishes to talk, they simply depress the push-to-talk button, forcing their loudspeaker to switch to microphone function, eliminating in the process the sound of static.

As they speak, their words are converted into radio waves and broadcast across a pre-arranged channel. Radio waves fall within the electromagnetic spectrum and therefore travel at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second) and are picked up what feels like instantaneously by the other handsets, where they are converted back into vibrations or fluctuating electric currents and the speaker’s voice is broadcast by the loudspeaker.

When the speaker has finished speaking, they say ‘over’ to let the listener know they have finished speaking, and they let go of the push-to-talk button and their handset returns to listening mode.

A walkie talkie is a two-way radio, which means that unlike a normal radio, it can both send and receive information. As the same channel is used for both functions, this means only one person can talk at a time.

Walkie-Talkie: Easiest way to ensure employee’s safety

Every year there are numerous records of injuries at workplace are reported. Sometimes, these events can result in serious injuries and deaths too. Companies suffer from numerous compensations, medical treatments, and severance rates from these injured employees. Given these numbers, reinforcing accident prevention is critical. The best way to avoid this painful process is to invest in workplace safety. License-free walkie-talkies allow you to manage your business efficiently by making communication effective and hassle-free. Two-way radios are used to increase and ensure the safety of the staff by allowing members to communicate over a wide area. Best quality walkie-talkies are the faster means of communication as mobile phone calls take too much time in communicating messages to a large group. Walkie-talkies are the smart choice for sending discreet and immediate messages to your colleagues.

WALKIE-TALKIES ENSURE EMPLOYEE SAFETY

• Facility Management Firms: With an ever-increasing count of malls, official spaces, and other such large-scale facilities require effective coordination for effective management services. There is a possibility that employee may harm himself/herself while handling heavy shipment/equipment and the injury occurred may require immediate attention which is possible through good communication with other colleagues where long-range walkie talkies come in handy. Installing PA (Public Address) speakers that work with wireless two-way radios can be used to ensure public safety. If an employee meets with an accident or an emergency situation, then he can communicate with his co-workers immediately and make an announcement.

• Construction Sites: Walkie-talkies are an important piece of equipment for construction sites. Since the construction sites are very large, it is essential for every worker to have walkie-talkie attached to their belt. You cannot rely on cellular networks at construction sites because of the need to communicate immediately.

• Restaurants or customer service: Customers are in need of everything constantly. In order to provide the best customer service, it is important for multiple staff to communicate to meet the needs of customers. which can save time and effort. 

• Sport Activities: Sporting events like cricket or hockey tournaments require a lot of coordination and arrangements to have a great show. Umpires also use walkie-talkies to communicate with the backend team through walkie-talkies to declare results or show slow-motion clips that the human eye cannot capture. 

PROTOCOLS FOR RADIO COMMUNICATION

Here are some basic protocol principles for exercising good radio practices:

• Do not talk over someone else. If you hear someone talking, wait until you hear them stop before chiming in.
• Only respond to a call that is for you. Often people will call using a call sign. For example, they will report by saying, “RJ to Kris, are you by?” A standard answer would be, “Kris here, go ahead.” The idea is that the call has been acknowledged and the message is waiting to be received.
• Be aware that others could listen in. Since many radio channels are open to the public and monitored via scanners and other devices, it is important to never give out confidential or private information since this information can be easily received by third parties.
• Always check your battery to ensure a good level of energy, and always carry a backup battery. If there is an emergency and your battery has died, it could make the difference between life and death for your co-worker, so always keep a good battery on hand.
• Check in on a regular schedule. Check in with your co-workers every hour or couple of hours to make sure the work is being carried out safely and that the radios are in good working order.
• Get to know the short language of radio communications. Clarity, simplicity, and brevity are the core rules for the language of radio communication. Though some sites have their own language that evolved either across their industry or at their particular company, most share a common base. You’re probably aware of some of them, like saying “over” to tell the listener you are done speaking or saying “copy” to signal that you understood what was said. “Say again” is a simple way to get the speaker to repeat what they just said, and “break, break, break” is an important one to know – it is used to silence all conversation on the channel to communicate an emergency.

FINAL WORD

Communication is critical to the safety of everyone at a worksite. Radios play an important part at many worksites for workers to be able to properly communicate with one another. Consider the above tips for proper radio communication and how it can be improved at your worksite.