Roadchef

18 Jul 2017

Roadchef operates at 30 Motorway and Trunk Road service area locations across the UK, and currently employs over 3,600 people.Roadchef caters for over 54 million customer visits per year, serving a million breakfasts, 500,000 portions of fish and chips and five million coffees a year; its catering operation alone turns over £100 million per annum.

Roadchef is extremely proud of the way they support and develop their employees and, as a result, they have been re-awarded an ‘Investors in People Gold’ accreditation. Less than 100 companies in the UK hospitality industry have achieved this accolade and it’s evidence that they take their duty of care very seriously.

Benefits of the SoloProtect Solution:• Discreet wearable device

• BS 8484:2016 approved

• EN 50518 Compliant ARC (in-house)

• Complete end-to-end service provider

• Designed and manufactured in the UK

 No one left behind

Roadchef operates 24 hours a day and seven days a week and therefore were in the market for a product that would help them protect and support their workforce throughout their working day.

Roadchef’s Director of Commercial and Loss prevention, Mike Heaton, understands the importance of lone worker safety and the significance of protecting Roadchef’s workforce. Mike explains ‘There are a number of dangers involved in either working alone or in vulnerable places in any business. Lone workers are at greater risk, due to not having the same avenues of support and therefore it’s of great importance to us that they’re fully trained and have extra protection, something they get through their SoloProtect Identicom devices.’

Identicom is a lone worker device specifically designed as an identity card holder, so that it’s easy to wear and discreet to use. Containing mobile-phone (GSM) technology; in the event a worker requires assistance; the device enables a 24/7 link to a state-of-art Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC). It offers protection to employees who work alone and is designed to fit a range of personnel and lone worker applications; whether primarily facing 'People Risk' (arising from social interaction - potential verbal abuse and attack) or an 'Environmental Risk' (potential for incapacitation, commonly referred to as a 'Man Down' (incapacitation), due to illness or a sudden trip or fall)

Following a combination of in-house employee training, and the implementation of the SoloProtect Identicom device, Roadchef have improved employee safety and demonstrated they’re fulfilling their duty of care.



Roadchef chose the SoloProtect Identicom device, firstly, due to its discreet appearance and, of course, because of its focus on employee protection. Mike was particularly impressed with the service levels and focus on alarm verification that comes with every SoloProtect solution. He explains ‘Here at Roadchef we take the safety of our workforce very, very seriously. Identicom has undoubtedly helped our employees feel safer, they know if they raise an alarm SoloProtect are working their hardest to quickly verify the seriousness of the alarm and escalate it accordingly. This gives our employees the confidence and peace of mind to carry out their tasks when they’re working alone.’

The, BS 8484:2016 accredited, Identicom device is supported by an elite, EN 50518 compliant, in-house, lone worker dedicated ARC, which uses the latest alarm handling technology to ensure that audio alarms are presented to our operators quickly and efficiently. SoloProtect provide Identicom lone worker devices to Roadchef as part of a SoloProtect solution. All SoloProtect solutions are BS 8484:2016 approved guaranteeing a police escalation, one level above a 999 call where appropriate. Every SoloProtect solution includes the Identicom device, inclusive billing, 24/7/365 manned monitoring, SIM card, mobile network usage, device training and monthly reporting.