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Dead man's switch

Protecting lone workers

Protection for staff working alone: with a phone- or app-based dead man's switch, your patrols regularly send a sign of life. If it's missing, Darkbird automatically triggers an alarm chain – with no extra hardware.

The advantages of the dead man's switch with Darkbird

  • Protection for lone workers

    Staff on solo or night duty are protected the whole time.

  • By phone, no extra hardware

    The sign of life runs by call or smartphone app – no expensive special devices needed.

  • Sign of life with one tap

    With ThePing the employee checks in with a single tap, including their GPS location.

  • Automatic alarm chain

    If the check-in is missing, an alarm chain is triggered immediately and tracked seamlessly.

  • Proof of your duty of care

    Every sign of life and every alarm is documented – solid evidence of your duty of care.

  • Ideal for the alarm centre (ARC)

    Incoming signs of life and alarms come together centrally – perfect for the alarm receiving centre.

I have actually once found a dead security guard at the shift handover. With simple technical means, Darkbird can prevent that.
— Tobias Mundt – Managing Director

What is a dead man's switch in the security industry?

A dead man's switch protects employees who are on duty alone. At regular intervals the employee has to send a sign of life – in Darkbird by phone or by a one-tap message from the app (ThePing), including their GPS location. If the sign of life is missing, Darkbird detects it automatically and triggers an alarm chain that is tracked. This answers a different question than shift-start verification: there it is about whether an employee has started their shift – with the dead man's switch it is about whether they are still OK during the shift. For you it is at the same time documented proof of your duty of care towards your staff.

Frequently asked questions about the dead man's switch

What is a dead man's switch?

A feature that protects employees working alone: they send a sign of life at regular intervals; if it is missing, an alarm is triggered automatically.

Do I need special hardware for it?

No. The dead man's switch works by phone or smartphone app – with no extra devices.

What happens if an employee doesn't check in?

Darkbird detects the missing sign of life automatically and triggers an alarm chain that is tracked.

How is this different from shift-start verification?

Shift-start verification checks whether the shift was started. The dead man's switch checks whether the employee is still OK during the shift.

Does it help with my duty of care?

Yes. Every sign of life and every alarm is documented – solid evidence of your duty of care.

How can I try the dead man's switch?

Pick a role in the demo and see the feature right in your browser – no sign-up.

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No sign-up, right in your browser – pick a role and see the dead man's switch.

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