In brief
While keeping the workplace secure, private security officers often make their own OHS risks invisible: long and night shifts, lone night duty, tense arguments with visitors or suspects, standing for hours and a hut that is cold, hot or fitted with the wrong heater. As a rule, night work may not exceed 7.5 hours; in private security, longer night work is allowed with the worker’s written consent. If services are obtained from a security company, coordination and workplace-specific training should be planned together with the principal employer.
Why should security officer safety be addressed separately?
In the risk assessment of a factory, residential complex or shop, the security officer is often covered in a single line: “Gate control.” Yet the security officer is the person who works the longest shift at the workplace, is often alone at night, and is the first to face a confrontation and the first to respond to an alarm. Security officer safety therefore covers a much wider area than gate control.
| Risk | How it appears on site | Priority measure |
|---|---|---|
| Long and night shifts | 12-hour duties, consecutive nights | Shift plan, rest periods, health surveillance |
| Lone working | A single officer at night, a remote gatehouse | Regular contact, lone worker alarm, patrol log |
| Violence | Arguments at entry control, intervening in theft | Clear limits of authority, de-escalation training, panic button |
| Standing for long periods | Hours standing at shop and shopping centre entrances | Rotation of duties, seating, suitable footwear |
| Weather conditions | Open gatehouse, patrols, car park | Seasonal clothing, hut conditions |
| Heating the hut | Stoves, braziers, unsuitable electric heaters | Heating without carbon monoxide risk, electrical installation check |
| Patrols | Falls in the dark, vehicle traffic | Lighting, torch, high-visibility vest |
Security officer night shifts and fatigue
Under Art. 69 of Labour Law No. 4857, workers’ night work may not exceed seven and a half hours. The same article states that in private security services, night work exceeding seven and a half hours may be required provided that the worker’s written consent is obtained. This exception is not unlimited freedom:
- Written consent: Obtained from each officer individually and kept in their personnel file.
- Daily limit: When weekly working time is distributed differently across days, daily work may not exceed 11 hours (Art. 63).
- Shift change: Day and night shifts are worked in rotation; a worker whose shift is being changed may not be put to work on the other shift without at least 11 hours of uninterrupted rest (Art. 69).
The real risk of a long night duty is fatigue: in the hours when attention drops, it becomes harder to watch camera screens, notice an alarm and make the right decision. Limit the number of consecutive nights in the shift plan, plan short breaks in the middle of the duty and rotate the screen-monitoring task. For health reports and shift calculations for night workers, see our article on night work.
The workplace physician assesses conditions such as sleep disorders, cardiovascular disease and medication use in officers who work at night. Art. 10 of Law No. 5188 on Private Security Services also lists the absence of physical or mental illness that could prevent the performance of duties among the requirements for becoming a private security officer.
Lone working: a single officer on night duty
An officer on duty alone at night in a factory or warehouse may go unnoticed for hours if they fall, are taken ill or are attacked. There is no separate regulation on lone working in the legislation; the risk is addressed as a separate heading in the workplace’s risk assessment. Practical measures:
- Regular contact: The officer reports their status to the control centre or shift supervisor by radio or phone at set intervals. What to do if no report comes in is written down.
- Lone worker alarm: Devices that give an automatic alert if the wearer remains motionless or falls are considered for single-officer duties.
- Patrol log: Patrol points and times are recorded; this record is an indicator of both the service and the officer’s safety.
- Avoiding risky tasks: A lone officer does not intervene alone in a suspicious situation; they first report it and call the police and their supervisor.
- Health status: For officers with chronic illnesses, lone night duty is assessed together with the physician.
Violence risk for security officers
Entry control, bag searches, refusing entry to a visitor or suspicion of theft make the security officer the first person to face tension at the workplace. The way to reduce the risk of violence is to stop the officer being “the person who handles every situation alone”:
- Write down the limits of authority: The instructions should make clear in which situations the officer will intervene and in which they will only take a record and inform the police.
- De-escalation training: Techniques for talking to a visitor who is raising their voice, keeping a distance and leaving the scene are practised.
- Physical layout: A layout at the entry point that leaves an escape route behind the officer, good lighting, cameras and a panic button.
- Incident log: Every incident, including verbal abuse, is recorded; recurring incidents are entered into the risk assessment.
- Post-incident support: An officer who has been attacked is not left alone; a meeting with the workplace physician is arranged.
Armed duty requires a separate assessment. Under Art. 8 of Law No. 5188, armed private security officers may not be employed in educational institutions, healthcare facilities, gambling establishments or places serving alcohol. For the general management of violence risk, see our article on violence against employees.
Standing for long periods, weather conditions and the guard hut
At shop and shopping centre entrances, officers stand at the same spot for hours. Standing for long periods is associated with leg pain, varicose veins and back problems. Plan duty points on a rotating basis, provide seating such as a high stool where appropriate and choose supportive work shoes; details are in our article on the risks of working standing up.
At an open gatehouse and on patrol, the officer is directly exposed to rain, cold and summer heat. The guard hut is therefore not a rest area but a workplace, and should be treated as a separate workplace in the risk assessment.
The security officer’s role in an emergency
At night and at weekends, the security officer is often the first to see the fire alarm and the person who meets the fire brigade at the gate. This role should not be left to chance but written into the emergency plan:
- Alarm and calling for help: Knowing how to read the warnings of the fire detection panel and how to call 112 with the correct information.
- Entry control: Stopping entry during evacuation and clearing the way for the fire brigade and ambulance.
- Head count: Keeping visitor and subcontractor records ready for the count at the assembly point.
- Isolation points: Knowing the location of the electricity and gas isolation points and, if necessary, directing the authorised person.
- First aid: If the number of first aiders on the night shift is insufficient, one of the officers obtaining a first aider certificate.
If officers are to be assigned as support staff in these roles, suitable training and equipment are provided. For team arrangements at night, see our article on emergency teams on the night shift.
Security staff training: three layers
A security officer’s training is not limited to a single certificate:
| Training | Legal basis | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Private security basic and refresher training | Law No. 5188 Art. 14 | Basic training at least 120 and refresher training at least 60 class hours |
| OHS training | Law No. 6331 Art. 17 and the 2026 training regulation | Induction training, basic training and refresher training |
| Workplace-specific information | Law No. 6331 Art. 17/5 and Art. 23 | The facility’s hazards, the emergency plan, entry rules, the communication chain |
If the security service is obtained from a security company, the officers are that company’s employees; however, employers sharing the same work area are obliged to cooperate and coordinate on OHS measures and to inform each other about risks (Law No. 6331 Art. 23). In hazardous and very hazardous workplaces, employees coming from other workplaces to work may not be put to work without a document showing they have received training on the risks (Art. 17/5). For the documents to request at the contract stage, see our article on subcontractor OHS responsibility.
At Bursa Sistemer OSGB, we enter the risks of security officers as a separate heading in the risk assessment under our occupational safety specialist service for businesses in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, and plan coordination with the security company. For general risks in shops and shopping centres, see our office and retail page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a security officer work 12 hours at night?
As a rule, night work may not exceed 7.5 hours; in private security services, longer night work may be required with the worker’s written consent. When weekly working time is distributed differently across days, daily work may not exceed 11 hours, and at least 11 hours of uninterrupted rest is given at a shift change.
Who is responsible for OHS for a security company’s officer?
The officer’s employer is the security company; the company provides its own employee’s training, health surveillance and PPE. The employer obtaining the service is obliged to inform the company and the officers about the workplace’s hazards, the emergency plan and coordination.
Can a stove be used in a guard hut?
It is not recommended. A stove or brazier in a small, enclosed hut can lead to a build-up of carbon monoxide. A suitable electric heater supplied from an earthed circuit protected by a residual current device is a safer option.
What should be done for an officer on lone night duty?
They should report their status to the control centre at set intervals, the steps to follow if no report comes in should be written down and, if possible, a lone worker alarm that detects lack of movement should be used. The officer should not intervene alone in a suspicious situation but should report it first.
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Bursa SİSTEMER OSGB Technical Team — written from the field experience of our OHS specialists and workplace physicians. Legal information is valid as of the publication/update date; contact us for an assessment specific to your business.