I thought this was interesting: SPOT devices are being used for worker safety checks in the resource industry. (Not sure which models.)

It's a solution to the problem of working alone at remote industrial sites, out of cell phone range.

The devices are preprogrammed to interact with a safety monitoring and dispatch company. The worker can start/stop a timer that raises the alarm (on the dispatcher's system) if they are overdue. I assume they can also signal for immediate assistance.