Security guards are one of the highest-risk lone worker categories in the UK. They work alone at night, on remote sites, and in environments where confrontation is a constant possibility. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a duty on employers to protect them. If your lone worker process is a phone call and a hope for the best, you are not compliant. Software exists that handles this properly.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 requires employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of all employees. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 add the requirement for specific risk assessments. For lone workers, this means identifying the hazards of working alone and putting controls in place.
The HSE does not ban lone working. It requires that employers assess the risks and implement appropriate measures. For security guards, where the risks include physical assault, medical emergencies in isolated locations, and working through the night, "appropriate measures" means more than a buddy system or a shift-end phone call.
BS 8484:2022 sets out the standard for lone worker services in the UK. It covers how monitoring should work, what response protocols must be in place, and what an Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) must do when it receives a distress signal. SIA-licensed security companies are expected to demonstrate compliance with this standard when operating lone worker protection systems.
Effective lone worker protection for security guards requires five core capabilities. Not all of these need to sit in the same application, but they all need to work together.
The system sends an automated prompt to the guard's device at a set interval (typically every 15 to 30 minutes for high-risk roles). The guard confirms they are safe by tapping a button or scanning a checkpoint. If they miss a check-in, the system escalates automatically: first to a supervisor, then to a control room, then to emergency services if no contact is made.
This is the foundation of lone worker compliance. Without it, you are relying on the guard to self-report problems, which is useless if they are unconscious, injured, or under duress.
A one-tap alert that immediately notifies the control room or dispatch. Some systems use a hardware button on a dedicated device. Others use a software button within a mobile app. The critical requirement is that it must be accessible within two seconds and must not require unlocking a phone, navigating menus, or remembering a PIN.
The device monitors the guard's movement using accelerometer data. If the device detects a sudden impact followed by no movement (consistent with a fall or collapse), it triggers an automatic alert. This is essential for scenarios where the guard cannot press a panic button: cardiac events, falls from height, or being knocked unconscious.
Man-down detection must be configurable. A guard who places their phone on a desk should not trigger an alert every time they sit down for a break. Good systems allow sensitivity adjustment and a brief confirmation window before escalating.
Real-time location tracking so that dispatch or emergency services know exactly where the guard is when an alert triggers. This is particularly important for mobile patrol guards who move between sites during a shift. GPS data should also feed into a location history log for audit and compliance purposes.
When an alert triggers, the system must follow a defined escalation procedure. First notification goes to the on-duty supervisor or control room. If not acknowledged within a set time, it escalates to the next level. The final escalation should include the guard's GPS coordinates and be formatted for handover to 999 or a private ARC.
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The market splits into two categories: guard management platforms that include some lone worker features, and standalone lone worker apps that have no guard management functionality. The question for security companies is whether to run two systems or find one that does both.
| Platform | Check-ins | Panic Button | Man-Down | GPS | Guard Management | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TrackTik | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Full (scheduling, patrol, incidents) | Enterprise-grade. Integrated lone worker within a full guard management suite. Pricing reflects this. |
| Silvertrac | Partial | No native | No | Yes | Reporting and patrol only | Strong on guard tour reporting. No dedicated lone worker module. Would need pairing with a standalone app. |
| TimeShot | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Time and attendance, patrol | UK-built. Good for checkpoint-based patrol verification. Lone worker features are basic. |
| Ok Alone | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | None | Standalone lone worker app. BS 8484 compliant. No guard scheduling, patrol, or incident features. |
| Monitorguard | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Partial (patrol, clocking) | UK-focused. Combines basic guard tour with lone worker monitoring. Mid-range capability on both. |
Ok Alone is the standout in this category. It handles check-ins, panic alerts, man-down detection, and GPS tracking. It is BS 8484 compliant and works on standard smartphones without dedicated hardware. The limitation is obvious: it does nothing else. Your guard scheduling, patrol management, incident reporting, and client reporting all live in separate systems. Your supervisors are switching between apps constantly.
Platforms like TimeShot and Monitorguard offer some lone worker features within a broader guard management tool. The check-in functionality works, but man-down detection is either absent or unreliable. Panic buttons exist but may not follow BS 8484 escalation protocols. These platforms are adequate for lower-risk environments but may not satisfy an HSE investigation into a serious incident.
TrackTik is the only commercial platform that treats lone worker protection as a first-class feature within guard management. A missed check-in automatically creates an incident record. GPS tracking feeds both patrol verification and lone worker monitoring. Dispatch alerts integrate with scheduling so the system knows which supervisor is on duty. The cost, however, puts it out of reach for many UK companies running fewer than 100 guards.
If you are running 50 or more guards, you sit in an awkward middle ground. You are too large for manual processes and standalone apps stitched together with spreadsheets. You are too small (or too cost-conscious) for TrackTik's enterprise pricing. You need scheduling, patrol verification, incident reporting, and lone worker protection in a single system, and no off-the-shelf platform delivers all four at a price point that works.
A bespoke system built for your operation can combine guard scheduling, checkpoint-based patrol verification, real-time GPS tracking, automated check-ins with configurable intervals, panic button functionality, man-down detection via the phone's accelerometer, and a full escalation chain that follows BS 8484 protocols. All in one application, on the devices your guards already carry.
More importantly, a bespoke system can integrate with your existing control room workflow. If you use an ARC, the system can format alerts for direct handover. If you handle monitoring internally, it can route alerts to whichever supervisor is on duty based on your live schedule. No manual switching between apps. No data living in three different places.
Speak to us about security guard software · +44 7494 618 651 · Mon to Fri, 9am to 6pm