● Duress

What is a duress alarm and is it required for lone workers under Australian law?

What is a duress alarm and is it required for lone workers under Australian law?

A duress alarm allows a worker to discreetly signal that they are in danger or feel threatened[cite: 652]. Where aggression is a foreseeable risk, duress capability is expected as a control under WHS law [cite: 653].

Duress Alarms and the Australian WHS Framework

Unlike man down alarms, duress is deliberately triggered by the worker in response to threats or aggression[cite: 656]. For roles involving public contact or home visits, this is a foreseeable risk that must be managed [cite: 658].

Roles Where Duress Capability Is Particularly Important

  • Community services and home support workers [cite: 660]
  • After-hours retail and hospitality staff [cite: 661]
  • Real estate agents on inspections [cite: 662]
  • Healthcare workers in community roles [cite: 663]
  • Security and enforcement staff [cite: 664]

Guardian Angel Safety’s duress alerts are silent and notify our monitoring centre instantly[cite: 666, 667].

Content prepared by Guardian Angel Safety — lone and remote worker protection across Australia and New Zealand. For advice, contact us.
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