Every supplier says one-tap SOS. That's not where solutions differ — the difference is what happens after the button, whether it works when the worker can't press anything, and whether you can prove any of it. Here's an honest checklist to hold every option to, including ours.
A lone worker alarm is only worth what happens after it fires. It's easy to demo a red button; it's much harder to reach the right person, fast, with a location and a plan — and to prove afterwards that you did. Use the eight checks below on any supplier you look at. We've been straight about where Vygard stands on each, so you can weigh it honestly against the rest.
Ask: When an alarm fires, who actually receives it, how fast, and what do they do?
What good looks like: A defined escalation cascade with no dead ends — a chosen contact, then a buddy, then a monitored Alarm Receiving Centre — not a notification nobody sees.
Where Vygard stands: BS 8484-aligned cascade: contact → buddy → optional ARC. Howie, our AI dispatcher copilot, briefs the responder in seconds — who, where, what triggered it.
Ask: Does it raise the alarm when the worker can't press anything?
What good looks like: Automatic detection of a fall, impact or period of no-movement — because the incidents that kill are exactly the ones where the worker is unconscious or trapped.
Where Vygard stands: Automatic fall and man-down detection on the phone or a paired smartwatch, with a cancel window before it escalates. Tuned per sector and per activity.
Ask: Can the worker call for help instantly — and discreetly when they need to?
What good looks like: A deliberate SOS that's one action away, plus a covert option for situations where showing you've raised the alarm would make things worse.
Where Vygard stands: One-tap SOS and a covert trigger, from the lock screen, a widget or a paired watch — designed for confrontation and care-visit situations alike.
Ask: Does it locate the worker accurately in weak signal and on large sites?
What good looks like: Live GPS that keeps a last-known position, works across patchy rural coverage, and pinpoints the right part of a big or multi-phase site.
Where Vygard stands: Live GPS with last-known fallback, plus off-grid SOS via satellite messengers for genuinely remote work. Responders get a precise pin, not a rough area.
Ask: If a worker goes silent, does anyone notice — and when?
What good looks like: Interval welfare check-ins where a missed 'I'm OK' escalates automatically, rather than being assumed away until the next shift.
Where Vygard stands: Configurable check-ins and patrol/visit verification (NFC or GPS). A missed check-in escalates on its own, inside the window you set.
Ask: Can you prove, after the fact, that lone workers were monitored and protected?
What good looks like: A tamper-evident audit trail of every alarm, response and check-in — exportable for HSE, CQC, RIDDOR or a tender, plus permits and competency records where the sector needs them.
Where Vygard stands: Full audit trail, incident reports, permit-to-work, toolbox talks and clock-on gating — the compliance layer built in, not bolted on.
Ask: Does it run on the phone they already carry, or force new hardware on everyone?
What good looks like: Works on the worker's own phone, optionally paired with a rugged smartwatch or pendant — hardware as a choice, not a tax on every seat.
Where Vygard stands: iOS and Android apps on the worker's own device, optional smartwatch and pendant support, and a web dispatcher console for supervisors.
Ask: Will it fit IT's requirements — sign-on, provisioning, data, billing?
What good looks like: Single sign-on, automated user provisioning, a clear data-protection position, and billing that suits how you actually buy (including annual invoicing).
Where Vygard stands: Microsoft Entra SSO, SCIM provisioning, UK data handling, committed-seat annual plans and bank-transfer invoicing for larger orders.
Book a 30-minute demo and put every one of these eight checks to us against how your team actually works — or start the 14-day free trial and see for yourself.