Lone worker devices and apps: a buyer's guide for security companies

The HSE does not require any particular device. Its guidance on monitoring lone workers lists the measures an employer may use: supervisors visiting, pre-agreed intervals of regular contact by phone, radio or email, other devices for raising the alarm that work manually or automatically, and a reliable system to confirm the lone worker has returned to base. Two duties come with whichever you choose. Workers must be trained in the technical solution, and you must regularly test the systems and all emergency procedures.

The choice of device therefore follows your risk assessment, not the other way round. A fixed reception post where the officer can always phone needs less than a single-crewed alarm response at night, where the officer may be unable to act. Our article on the lone working risk assessment for security officers grades four typical security situations.

BS 8484:2022 is the British Standard code of practice for the provision of lone worker services. BSI describes it as recommendations for services made up of a device or app, monitoring, training, management information and response options. It is aimed at suppliers of services, devices and apps, at their customers and at police services. The standard itself is paid for; buy it from BSI rather than relying on a vendor's summary.

BS 8484 matters most for police response. Under the National Police Chiefs' Council's security systems policy (Appendix V, February 2026 edition), a monitoring centre can apply to the police for a unique reference number (URN) for lone worker systems if:

• the lone worker devices meet the device requirements of BS 8484;
• the supplier meets the supplier requirements of BS 8484 and is certified by a UKAS-accredited certification body;
• the monitoring centre meets BS 8484, conforms to the alarm receiving centre standards the policy names, and is UKAS-certified for lone worker systems.

Services that meet these requirements receive a Level 1, immediate police response. The policy itself adds that the response will normally be immediate but depends on police demand and resources at the time, so it cannot be guaranteed. The monitoring centre must filter and verify alarms before calling the police, and the police can withdraw response from a service that generates false alarms until the cause is fixed. The policy also states that non-compliant alarm companies and monitoring centres must not imply an automatic and immediate police response.

The practical consequence for a guarding company: an alarm that goes to your own control room reaches the police the way any other emergency does, by someone in that control room calling 999. Whether that is good enough depends on the post. Where your risk assessment needs police on scene fast and your own responders cannot get there, an accredited service with a URN is the control to buy.