Making Safe Decisions on Patrol
Every patrol is a test of judgment. Slips, trips and falls account for over 30% of major workplace injuries in the UK (HSE). The difference between prevention and a hospital visit often comes down to your split-second decision.
Security officers are expected under SIA professional standards and HSE duty of care guidance to manage hazards in real time. This isn’t about “box ticking”—it’s about protecting lives, upholding your licence, and keeping your site legally compliant.
Scenario 1: The Wet Entrance
It’s raining heavily. On your patrol, you notice puddles forming at the shopping centre entrance. Shoppers are streaming in, some with children running ahead.
Option A: Carry on. Cleaners will sort it soon.
Option B: Place a wet floor sign, radio for cleaning, and redirect people to a drier route.
Correct approach: Option B. Immediate, visible action reduces the risk of multiple slips, protects the public, and shows professionalism.
Tip: A simple barrier or sign buys you time until cleaners arrive—it’s the fastest way to reduce risk.
Scenario 2: The Curled Mat at Midnight
It’s late, you’re tired, and patrol routes are quiet. In a side corridor, you see a mat with its corner curled up. Footfall is low.
Option A: Ignore it—hardly anyone uses that corridor.
Option B: Log it, report it, and place a temporary fix (move the mat or block the route).
Correct approach: Option B. Even if it seems minor, a cleaner or engineer may pass through early. If they trip, it’s on record that you saw the hazard and failed to act.
Tip: Ask yourself: “If someone gets hurt here later, could I honestly defend my decision?”
Scenario 3: The Cable in the Corridor
During an evening patrol, you find a cable trailing across a dim stairwell corridor where CCTV is limited.
Option A: Step over it, planning to mention it at the end of your shift.
Option B: Stop, radio control immediately, and secure the area until facilities deal with it.
Correct approach: Option B. Hazards in low-visibility areas are high-risk. Acting quickly protects both the public and your professional reputation.
Tip: Hazards in unseen areas (poor lighting, blind corners, CCTV gaps) are often the most dangerous—treat them as priorities.
Managing Pressure and Distractions
Patrolling isn’t always a calm walk-around—it’s often full of competing demands. You might be checking CCTV feeds, responding to constant radio chatter, or being stopped by members of the public asking for directions. These distractions are part of the job, but they can also blur your focus and cause you to miss hazards that are right in front of you.
Example: One evening, a guard was busy helping a lost visitor find their way to the car park. While guiding them, he nearly walked past a spillage in the stairwell. Luckily, his colleague noticed and dealt with it before anyone slipped. If the colleague hadn’t spotted it, the outcome could have been very different.
Why it matters: The HSE notes that distraction and divided attention are common root causes of workplace accidents. For security officers, the risk is even greater because you’re expected to stay alert in dynamic, unpredictable environments.
Tip: When something interrupts you, reset by quickly scanning your surroundings before moving on. A 5-second sweep could save an accident.
Learning from Near Misses
Not every hazard results in an accident—but every near miss is a warning sign. If someone nearly slips, stumbles, or trips, that’s the environment telling you a fix is urgently needed. Treat a near miss with the same seriousness as an actual accident.
Example: An officer once watched a shopper stumble on a loose floor tile but manage to catch themselves. Instead of ignoring it because “no one was hurt,” he raised it in the log and reported it immediately. By the next morning, maintenance had secured the tile. The fix likely prevented a serious fall later that day when the centre got busier.
Why it matters: HSE data shows that for every serious accident, there are many near misses beforehand. Ignoring them is like ignoring an alarm that’s already ringing. Security officers who log and escalate near misses prove that they’re proactive, professional, and compliant.
Tip: Think of near misses as “free training drills”—they give you the chance to act before someone ends up in hospital.
Consequences of Poor Decisions
Choosing to walk past a hazard, delay reporting, or dismiss a near miss has real consequences:
Casualties: What could have been a simple warning sign turns into a serious injury—broken bones, head injuries, even long-term disability.
Professional risk: Investigators may see inaction as negligence. Your SIA licence—and career—could be questioned.
Employer risk: A single preventable accident can trigger HSE investigations, fines, compensation claims, and lasting damage to your employer’s reputation.
Public trust: Members of the public quickly notice when officers act—or fail to. One bad incident can undermine trust in the entire team.
Key Considerations for Patrol Decisions
Feeling tired? That’s when mistakes creep in. Slow down, sharpen up, and double-check—fatigue is no excuse for missing hazards.
Crowds building? Take charge. Guide people away from danger and create space before an accident creates chaos.
Not sure what to do? Choose action. No officer has ever been criticised for making a site safer.
Think it’s “someone else’s job”? Wrong. Hazard spotting is everyone’s duty—your licence, your employer, and the public depend on it.
Tip: When in doubt, picture tomorrow’s incident report. Would you want your name next to “failed to act”? If not, you already know the right choice.
Your Call on Patrol
It’s the final round of your night shift. You’re tired, the building is quiet, and you’re already thinking about heading home. In the stairwell, you notice a handrail coming loose from the wall. Nobody’s using it right now.
You pause. Do you:
Leave it for the day staff to sort, convincing yourself “no one will use it overnight”?
Or act—log it, report it, and make the area safe until it’s fixed?
Here’s the reality: at 6am, cleaners might take that stairwell. One lean on that handrail, and it could give way—turning a minor hazard into a serious injury.
A professional officer doesn’t gamble with “probably fine.” They know every hazard is a test of judgment. Choosing action proves vigilance, professionalism, and real value to the team and the public.
Tip: “See it, sort it, or support it.” If you can fix it safely, do so. If not, secure the area, report it immediately, and support the team who can. Walking past is never an option.
