How it works

How a duress alarm works.

A duress alarm turns a moment of danger into a monitored response. A worker triggers it, an accredited operator answers in a median of seven seconds with their live location, and help is sent when it's needed. Here is what happens, step by step.

  1. 01

    A worker carries the device or app

    The worker wears a duress device (a watch, card or body-worn camera) or carries the safety app on their phone. It sits quietly in the background until it is needed.

  2. 02

    They trigger the alarm

    In an incident, the worker presses and holds the SOS, or slides to alert on the app. On some devices, a fall or a missed check-in raises the alarm automatically, with no button pressed.

  3. 03

    The alarm reaches monitoring in seconds

    The activation opens a case with accredited 24/7 monitoring. An operator is on the line in a median of seven seconds, with the worker's live location and, where the device supports it, two-way audio and video.

  4. 04

    An operator assesses and responds

    The operator listens, watches and speaks to the worker, then decides what the moment needs. Many situations are de-escalated with an operator on the line, without needing emergency services. When they are needed, the operator calls them with the exact location.

  5. 05

    The incident is logged end to end

    Every step, timestamp, note and recording posts to an immutable audit trail. That record supports incident review, insurance claims and work health and safety investigations.

Questions

Common questions

What is a duress alarm?
A duress alarm is a device or app a worker uses to silently and quickly call for help in an emergency. It sends an alert, the worker's location, and often live audio or video to a monitoring centre that responds and escalates to emergency services when needed.
How fast does someone respond to a duress alarm?
With Duress, an accredited operator answers in a median of seven seconds, and 94% of alarms are answered within 30 seconds. Speed is what separates a duress system from a device that simply makes noise.
Does a duress alarm work without phone signal?
Devices retry across every available bearer - 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi and SMS - and hold the last known location if signal drops. Journeys planned in advance can even raise an alert in known blackspots.
What happens after the alarm is raised?
An operator assesses the situation live and either de-escalates with the worker, stands down a false alarm, or escalates to emergency services with the worker's exact location. The whole interaction is logged for review.
Is a duress alarm the same as a personal alarm?
A personal alarm usually just makes a loud noise to deter an attacker. A monitored duress alarm connects the worker to a real person who can see their location, talk to them, and send help - which is what actually changes the outcome.

See a duress alarm answered in 7 seconds.