An Overview of the Market for Protecting Workers in Isolated Settings
- 23/07/2026
- 14:48
Reading time: 9 min
Content Marketing Manager
Jessie Boussard, National Accounts Sales Engineer at Securitas Technology, answers three questions about the lone worker protection market
Sommaire
Over the past twenty years, the notion of the "lone worker" has evolved. Who is affected today?
For a long time, lone worker protection (LWP) solutions were reserved for sectors where the risk came from the environment itself: high-hazard industries, water treatment, work in confined spaces. That scope has expanded considerably to include, on one hand, road-related risk, and on the other, roles that were previously not affected at all but are now exposed to verbal abuse, or even physical violence, which fully justifies equipping them. This is the case for front-desk staff and public service agents.
Another shift comes from the growing awareness that risks linked to isolation aren't limited to inherently dangerous tasks or professions. An employee who stays behind an hour or two after colleagues leave an empty office is technically in a lone-working situation, just like a cleaning company employee working off-hours shifts. Either one could feel unwell while alone, and in both cases, the employer's liability is at stake.
This broader perception is fueling growth in the LWP solutions market. These solutions are now factored into, if not collective bargaining agreements, then at least quality-of-work-life and risk-prevention action plans, as well as CARSAT (French occupational risk insurance body) assessments. Occupational health services also play a prescriptive role in certain sectors. As a result, our client base today is far broader and more diverse than it used to be.
How do companies decide to adopt an LWP solution? And how do their employees perceive these tools?
There are two types of clients. The reactive ones, who equip themselves after an incident (typically an accident or an assault) that has made action unavoidable. And the proactive ones, who build lone-worker protection into their prevention approach before anything happens, sometimes also because they see a concrete economic benefit: elevator technicians or maintenance staff who historically worked in pairs can, thanks to a device costing just a few euros a month, now work alone safely.
As for adoption by users, it all depends on how the device was introduced. Imposed without explanation, it's inevitably perceived as a surveillance tool, an added constraint. Rolled out with proper guidance and support, it's the opposite: employees become the ones asking for it.
It's not unusual for our operators to get calls from people in a panic because their LWP app has stopped working: they've fully internalized that this tool is there to help them, not to monitor them. For them, knowing that someone will respond at the push of a button is deeply reassuring. The key to user adoption is, without question, proper support during rollout.
What role will artificial intelligence play in this type of service?
Securitas has a very clear position on this: we firmly rule out entrusting AI with LWP verification. When you call someone back who may have just experienced an accident or an assault, that person is in a highly vulnerable state that requires human interaction. AI, on the other hand, will progressively help us free up our operators from tasks that don't require this human dimension. The most concrete example is filtering out false video alerts: an AI capable of identifying that a camera was triggered by a branch or an animal frees up the operator to be even more available for LWP alarms. That's where AI makes sense for us, not at the core of our business, but as support.
On the detection side, progress is continuous: better GPS accuracy, more refined fall-detection algorithms, improved indoor location tracking. These improvements are driven by the evolution of smartphones themselves, and it's an ongoing effort to keep adapting. But the solution's core principle won't undergo a revolution: it's the reliability of the human chain, ensuring that every detected alert is met with a fast, qualified response suited to the situation, that will remain at the heart of the value of our services and solutions.
FAQ
An Overview of the Market for Protecting Workers in Isolated Settings
Who falls under the definition of “lone worker” today?
The scope has expanded considerably. Beyond sectors that have historically been at risk (high-risk industries, water treatment, confined spaces), it now includes road safety risks, as well as occupations that were not previously exposed, such as reception staff and public service workers, who are now facing verbal or physical assaults. The concept also extends to more subtle situations: an employee alone at the end of the day in an empty office, or a cleaning worker on a staggered shift, are also technically considered to be working in isolation.
How do companies adopt a PTI solution, and how do employees perceive it?
There are two types of customers: the “reactive” ones, who install the system after an incident (an accident or an assault), and the “proactive” ones, who incorporate security measures early on, sometimes for practical economic reasons (such as allowing a technician to work alone rather than in pairs, for example). On the user side, adoption depends entirely on the support provided: if imposed without explanation, the tool is perceived as surveillance; if introduced properly, however, it becomes reassuring, and employees themselves begin to request it.
What role will artificial intelligence play in this type of service?
Securitas categorically rules out entrusting the verification process to AI, as this step requires human interaction with a vulnerable person. AI, however, is useful for relieving operators of tasks that do not require this human element—such as filtering out false video alerts (a branch or an animal triggering a camera)—so that operators can focus their attention on the alerts that truly matter.