The Lone Worker App Buyer's Guide for US EHS and HR Leaders

Choosing a lone worker safety platform is a duty-of-care decision and a compliance decision. This guide covers what to evaluate before you sign.

Must-have features

1. Discreet panic alarm that works even when the phone is locked — not an obvious button an assailant can see.
2. Automated check-in timers that escalate on a missed disarm, so a worker who cannot reach their phone still gets help.
3. Silent audio/video capture during active duress, for evidence and response.
4. Private incident reporting with a tamper-proof audit trail.
5. No-hardware deployment — a smartphone app rolls out in under an hour, versus weeks of hardware procurement.
6. Friends & family monitoring for off-duty and flexible workers.

Compliance questions to ask vendors

• Does the platform produce a Violent Incident Log with the fields your state requires (date, time, location, type, factors, actions)?
• Does it support employee-acknowledged policy distribution and training tracking?
• Are records retained for the statutory periods (e.g., 5 years hazard / 1 year training in California)?
• Can it demonstrate reasonable care with a timestamped audit trail?

Total cost of ownership

Hardware pendants carry hidden costs: device procurement, replacement, docks, charging, and manual monitoring. A smartphone SaaS at $53.43 per user, per year, eliminates hardware and often the call-centre overhead too. Use our ROI calculator to model the difference.

Takeaways

• Prioritize discreet duress, automated escalation, and a defensible audit trail.
• Map features to your state’s specific recordkeeping requirements.
• Compare TCO, not just sticker price.

Ready to evaluate? Book a demo and we’ll map The Sentry to your industry and states.