LoneComply

Geolocation: Important Considerations

The topic of working in isolation is about workers getting into trouble while working alone and not being able to call for help.

When that happens, the primary goal is to find the person quickly. Therefore, the current location of a worker is the most valuable information in case of an emergency.

On the other hand, we do not want to track anyone.

In other words: the ideal system would transmit location information only when it is truly needed.

But what happens if, at the very moment of an incident, no network connection is available? It is even possible that the loss of communication occurs at the same time as the worker’s problem (for example crashes, power outages, etc.).

 

LoneComply’s Multi-Layer Approach

LoneComply uses a multi-layer approach to ensure that location information is available when needed while avoiding privacy violations as much as technically possible.

1. First, the LoneComply policy is to configure geolocation only for isolation types that truly require it. For example, this may make sense for an isolation type such as “Pipeline Maintenance,” but not for something like “Front Desk Night Shift.”
2. In any case, workers must agree to location services when installing the app.
3. When initiating an isolation that uses location information, the app clearly informs the worker so that they are always aware.
4. If location data is configured for a specific isolation type, it is transmitted only while the isolation is active. Before the isolation starts and after it ends, no location data is transferred.
5. A worker’s location data is available only to the supervising supervisor. No one else has access — not even administrators. Location data is also not included in isolation logs.
6. Even during an active isolation, supervisors cannot access location information. Only when an isolation enters a red state (for example, when a life tick is missing) does the information become accessible, because an incident may have occurred.
7. Location information is transferred from the worker’s mobile device to the server at regular intervals. This ensures that even if communication suddenly stops, the server still knows the most recent position and can provide it to the supervisor if isolation limits are exceeded.

 

In summary: As long as an isolation proceeds as planned, location information cannot be accessed by anyone.

Technical Exception: For completeness, there is a technical exception that should be mentioned. Assume a worker starts an isolation that is configured to use geolocation. That isolation might have a life-tick period of 15 minutes. If the network connection breaks after 10 minutes and does not return, the worker may still attempt to send a life tick or end the isolation, but the server will not receive that information. In that situation, the supervisor cannot be certain that the worker is safe. Therefore, the system must assume the worst-case scenario and grant access to the location information once the 15-minute interval has passed.

 

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