How You Can Use NSW’s Small Business Rebate Scheme for Enhancing Lone Worker Safety

The NSW small business rebate scheme is an initiative by the Australian Government designed to give money back to sole traders and small business owners who purchase and install eligible safety equipment for their workplace.

Safety items eligible for the rebate include:

• Injuries from moving objects – communication radios, personal duress alarms, etc.
• Hazardous manual task items – manual lifting devices, patient handling devices, etc.
• Slips trips and falls items – cable guards, anti-slip treading, safe plates, etc.
• Chemicals and dangerous goods – dangerous goods storage cabinets, closed chemical delivery systems, etc.
• Hazardous noise items – acoustic silencers, sound-absorbent barriers, etc.

Types of lone workers (and the hazards they face):



• Social workers, community workers – Abusive/violent patients/clients/relatives, manual handling (lifting) injuries
• Electrical/Maintenance workers – Electric shocks, trips, cuts, falls, accidents, confined spaces
• Security workers – Violence, accidents, falls, burns, toxic exposures
• Home help, care assistants, cleaners – Falls, injury, lifting, injuries from garbage handling, infections, needle sticks, chemicals, violence, robbery
• Nursing staff – Manual handling injuries, abusive/violent patients, drug handling, robbery, violence
• Public workers – Confined spaces, toxic gases, biohazards, slips and falls
• Farm/forestry workers – Animal attacks, weather, machinery accidents, chemicals, falling trees
• Shop/service sector workers – Violence, abuse, robbery, manual handling injuries

You will find on the SafeWork website (under “what can I buy? -> injuries from moving objects -> being assaulted”) that personal duress alarms, communication radios and tracking systems are listed as eligible safety items.

Personal duress alarms are a mobile safety device that allows anyone in a dangerous situation to call for help at the touch of a button. Meanwhile, communication radios enable lone workers to stay connected with their team in real-time.

Since the small business rebate scheme covers personal duress alarms and communication radios, both of which are essential for improving lone worker safety, sole traders who often find themselves working alone or remotely – and small business owners who have workers in high-threat environments – can use the scheme to help cover the costs of buying these much-needed safety items for lone workers.

Among the many safety solutions that you can get using the small business rebate scheme, the LifeGuard SmartTracker V2 and LifeGuard SafetyWatch provide the reassurance that lone workers need. These three solutions are considered eligible safety items under the small business rebate scheme, offering features that can help to ensure the safety and wellbeing of lone workers.

What is the LifeGuard SmartTracker V2?

The LifeGuard SmartTracker V2 is a compact device that is loaded with many amazing features. It works using the same cellular technology as mobile phones and comes with A-GPS support for faster location tracking. It also allows the user to send an alarm with a quick press of a button. The alarm is sent to a nurse in a 24/7 emergency response centre. Most importantly, the LifeGuard SmartTracker V2 functions as a fall detector, making it a great safety item for lone workers.

What is the LifeGuard SafetyWatch?

The LifeGuard SafetyWatch is a medical alarm that is packed with an array of features to suit the personal safety needs of seniors, lone workers, and individuals with chronic health conditions. With this device, you can instantly send an alarm to the nurses at our 24/7 Emergency Response Centre along with your GPS location in real-time. It's as simple as pressing and holding the button for three seconds. It also works as a heart rate monitor and step counter, giving you the ability to access valuable health insights when you want them.