Beyond Legislation: Why E911 Matters

By: Nick Maier

The need to comply with state E911 legislation is a prime motivator for adding E911 protection to IP, PBX (News - Alert) and Centrex phone systems. Over the past decade, a significant percentage of RedSky E911 solutions have been sold to enterprise, government, university and school district customers with operations in at least one of the 16 states with legislation on the books.

But why don’t organizations in states without E911 legislation take measures to ensure that first responders can quickly find employees, visitors and students in the event of an emergency at the same rate as organizations in these 16 states? Regardless of the presence of legislation, the potential liability risk to people and assets in these situations is real. Consider this:

—-- Section 5(a)(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to furnish a workplace free from recognized hazards. E911 is an important component of an employer's emergency action plan. An organization cited by OSHA for workplace violations could potentially be subjected to significant fines.

— A fire, act of violence or employee accident can have a devastating impact financially and emotionally on an organization. Beyond the direct expense of loss of life and property in a crisis, operations also can be significantly disrupted.

— More than two million people suffer from on-the-job violence annually, which costs employers $36 billion. Court decisions have held institutions and managers personally liable for safety negligence. A jury recently awarded $50 million to the family of a wrongful death victim because the city did not get an ambulance to the asthma-sufferer’s home in time. A study by Liability Consultants found the average jury verdict for a rape on business property to be $1.2 million and for a workplace death to be $2.2 million.

— Owners and managers are being held to a greater standard of care concerning the safety of employees, tenants and guests. According to an executive at one Fortune 500 company: “You enter the situation thinking about compliance and liability…but then you come out of the situation with a good feeling that you will have helped save a life or head off a tragedy.”

— According to a survey by the Liberty Mutual Group, about two-thirds of employers report a three-fold savings for every dollar invested in safety.

Protecting your organization by equipping your phone system with E911 is not only the right thing to do; it’s also a good investment. IT

Nick Maier is senior vice president of RedSky (News - Alert) Technologies (www.redskyE911.com).

» Internet Telephony Magazine Table of Contents