Remote & Lone Working Alarms
Advanced Overwatch supplies and monitors lone worker alarms for employers across Northern Ireland.
Employers have a duty of care to people who work alone: in the field, on call-outs, in empty buildings. We provide monitored lone-worker alarms and check-in systems backed by our Coleraine control room, so a worker in trouble is never on their own.
Security for businesses and homes across N.I.
Plan protection around the person’s work.
For people working without close or direct supervision, the right arrangement starts with the role, the risks and a clear way to raise help. Device features support that plan.
SOS activation
SOS activation
An alert the worker can raise.
A wearable alarm or supported app can give staff a deliberate way to request help. Choose controls that suit the role, clothing and expected working conditions.
Training covers when to activate, what happens next and how to cancel an unintended alert.
Check-in & out
Check-in & out
Make missed contact visible.
Agreed check-ins can mark the start and end of a visit, shift or higher-risk task. A missed contact then follows the specified escalation plan.
Agree the interval, tolerance, service hours and response to an overdue check-in.
Location information
Location information
Give the response useful context.
Supported devices or apps may share location and task information with authorised people. The accuracy and availability depend on the technology and surroundings.
Test the actual locations, including indoors, and explain what information is shared and when.
Fall & inactivity alerts
Fall & inactivity alerts
Assess hands-free options.
Some devices provide fall or inactivity detection. These can be useful where a worker may be unable to reach the SOS control, subject to the model and configuration.
Such features cannot detect every incident. Check suitability, sensitivity, battery use and false-alert handling.
Communication
Communication
Check the connection and the conversation.
Supported services can provide two-way communication or another agreed contact method. Mobile coverage, building layout and the chosen device affect whether an alert gets through.
Identify poor-coverage locations and the alternative working arrangements before relying on the service.
Available functions depend on the selected device, app, service and configuration. The survey identifies the appropriate combination for your workers.
Agree the route from alert to action.
The receiving service, operating hours and escalation responsibilities are part of the specification. An SOS alert and an overdue check-in may follow different procedures.
Raise
The worker activates a control, or the configured check-in or automatic alert condition occurs.
Receive
The alert uses the specified signalling path to reach the agreed receiving service or contact.
Assess
The recipient uses the available information and agreed contact checks to establish what action is needed.
Act
Follow the written escalation plan, which may involve a manager, nominated responder or emergency services.
Write the plan for the role, then test it.
Engineers on call-outs, visiting carers, cleaners, drivers, agricultural workers and staff opening or closing premises can have different risks. We review the tasks and locations, select suitable options, agree contacts and show users how to raise, check and cancel an alert.
Keep contact details current and review the arrangement after a change of role, a near miss or an unwanted alert. Include battery checks, coverage gaps and what happens if a worker or receiving service cannot be reached.
For Northern Ireland, start with HSENI’s lone-working guidance. The risk assessment determines whether the work can be done safely alone. A device does not make every task suitable for lone working.
BS 8484:2022 addresses provision of lone-worker services. Confirm the actual service scope and supporting evidence. Police-response arrangements are service-specific and do not guarantee attendance or an arrival time.
Lone working, answered.
What is a lone working alarm?
A lone-worker alarm is a device or supported application used to raise an alert when somebody is working without close or direct supervision. Depending on the selected service, options can include SOS activation, check-ins, location information, communication and automatic alerts. The equipment is one part of a risk assessment, training and response plan.
Does the law require lone worker protection?
Employers must assess risks and put suitable controls in place. HSENI explains that some tasks cannot safely be carried out alone. A monitored alarm may be one appropriate control, but there is no universal rule requiring the same device for every lone worker.
Who monitors the alarms?
The proposal identifies the receiving service, its operating hours, responsibilities and escalation arrangements for the selected lone-worker solution. Confirm these specifically. Our own 24-hour CCTV Monitoring Control Room and our premises-alarm monitoring arrangements do not by themselves establish a lone-worker response service or certification.
What kinds of workers does this suit?
It can be considered for mobile engineers, carers, cleaners, estate staff, drivers, agricultural workers, keyholders and people opening or closing premises alone. Selection follows the actual tasks, environments and risks, rather than a job title alone.
Can this work anywhere?
Coverage and performance depend on the device, signalling technology, network and location. Indoor areas, remote sites and moving between locations need assessment and practical testing. A mobile device should not be assumed to work everywhere.
Does the law require lone worker alarms?
The requirement is to manage the risks of working alone through suitable assessment and controls. Devices may support those arrangements, alongside supervision, communication and training. Some work requires more than one person or other controls irrespective of the alarm fitted.
What happens if a worker misses a check in?
The agreed service applies its configured overdue-check-in procedure. That may include attempts to contact the worker and escalation to named contacts or another appropriate responder. Agree the intervals, tolerance, service hours and escalation before use; a missed check-in does not automatically produce a police dispatch.
Do lone worker devices work where there is no mobile signal?
A device relying on a mobile connection may not be able to transmit where there is no usable service. Multiple-network capability does not guarantee coverage. Assess the actual routes and indoor areas, test the selected technology and establish suitable alternative arrangements for gaps.
Tell us how your people work.
We will review the roles, locations and contact arrangements with you.