Peoplesafe expands North American coverage with acquisition of employee protection business OK Alone

Personal safety technology provider, Peoplesafe, has acquired Canadian-based employee protection software application business, OK Alone, to expand its presence in North America.

The demand for tech-based safety solutions in the US and Canadian market is said to be growing quickly as a result of new legislation focused on protecting people, which Ok Alone’s app-based service has supported.

Examples include legislation protecting hotel workers, as well as laws on heat illness prevention in California. Further guidelines are provided by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Peoplesafe says that the acquisition will make it “a truly global provider of personal safety technology”.

Barry Larson, founder of Ok Alone, says: “We’re really excited to be joining forces with Peoplesafe. Ok Alone has seen exceptional growth in the North American markets in recent years, especially through our partnerships with ADP and Geotab.

“Combining expertise with the leading global provider of employee safety technology makes for an exciting proposition. I look forward to seeing firsthand the many new opportunities for growth and development.”

Acquisition follows launch of Nexus software platform

The acquisition coincides with the launch of Peoplesafe’s software platform, Nexus – designed to enable customers to proactively manage personal safety risk across their business.

The platform has already allowed the provider to expand its expertise into new geographies, it says.

Naz Dossa, Peoplesafe CEO

Built via a micro-services approach, Nexus is cloud native and is fully API-enabled to work with business’s existing internal systems, such as workforce management platforms and security operation centres (SOCs). The platform is designed to provide a single point of management and information, providing reports and data to aid businesses in measuring the risks people face.

Naz Dossa, Peoplesafe CEO, says: “The acquisition of Ok Alone presents an exciting expansion opportunity for Peoplesafe, with the US and Canada providing huge opportunities for growth in the Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) Industry.

“Both this acquisition and the launch of the Nexus platform represent a real step-change in terms of risk management in the realm of employee safety, at a time when it’s increasingly needed.

“Nexus is enabling us to scale rapidly and integrate with new technologies, making it easier to bring our platform and expertise to new markets and extend our global protection programme.”

With an increase in violent attacks and threats to personal safety being reported across UK industries, the company believes the launch of Nexus has come at a pivotal time for the sector.

Current media focus has been on major retailers including John Lewis, Co-op, Sainsbury’s and most recently, Iceland Foods, who reported an average of 12 ‘serious incidents’ across its stores every week.

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