Best Personal Alarms for Lone Workers: ID Badge, Fob or App?

Choosing the right personal safety alarm is essential for protecting lone workers — whether it’s a discreet ID badge, robust fob, or smartphone app. Let’s guide you through the best options for your team.

There are a number of different personal alarms available to help support your employees. Whether they’re working alone or in a high-risk environment choosing the best personal alarm for your workers can be a daunting task, so how do we go about choosing a personal alarm?

Do Your Employees Need a Monitored Personal Safety Alarm?

Personal alarms only work when paired with professional monitoring. Unlike basic devices, a monitored personal alarm ensures every alert is handled by trained operators who record, verify, and escalate incidents.

For more read: Are Personal Attack Alarms Effective?

What Is the Best Personal Alarm for Your Workers?

Your ideal personal alarm device depends on your workforce’s environment and risk level. Most monitored solutions offer three form factors:

1. ID Badge Safety Device

Best for: Retail, healthcare, social care, council workers — anyone who already wears an ID badge.
Why it works: Sleek, discrete, and highly accessible; ideal for triggering a Red Alert panic button without drawing attention.
Use case: Staff facing potential aggression can call for help discreetly.

See our ID Badges: Our 4G model; ID Touch and our 2G model; ID Classic

2. Fob-Style Alarm

Best for: Construction, utilities, field services — rugged environments.
Why it works: Compact, durable, easy to carry—ideal for industrial use.
Use case: Environmental risks make a robust personal alarm essential for on-site safety.

See our fob-style devices: Our 4G models; Shield and Curve and our 2G model; Go

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3. Mobile Safety App

Best for: Remote workers, home visitors, teams with smartphones.
Why it works: No extra hardware needed; offers GPS tracking, panic button, and Check-In features via phone.
Use case: Ideal for agile workforces needing flexible personal safety monitoring.

Visit SoloProtect Mobile App for more info

The best personal alarms in the UK will undoubtedly be monitored, what this means is, instead of relying on the good faith of strangers to intervene, when you activate an alarm a trained monitoring call centre operator will be listening, recording and if applicable escalating the situation to the relevant emergency services.

Take a look at our blog: Panic alarms: traditional vs monitored.

The Power Behind a Complete Personal Alarm Solution

Top personal alarms rely on robust management and real-time oversight:

SoloProtect Insights delivers device allocation, alarm logs, location tracking, and in-depth reporting dashboards.
24/7 professional monitoring through an EN 50518-certified Alarm Receiving Centre, enabling instant response and escalation.
Full training and ongoing support, with monthly reporting and a dedicated account manager.
Clear duty of care compliance, boosting staff confidence and reducing business risk.

What is the Best Personal Alarm for Construction Workers?

If you’re in an industry where an ID badge isn’t suitable, or you’re looking for something a little more robust, then you might want the best personal alarm to carry, or attach to your keys, this could come in the shape of a fob.

Industries that carry a greater threat of environmental risks, such as construction, will be more suited to a fob-style personal alarm. Robust, light, compact, and easy to use undoubtedly make fobs the best personal alarm for employees working in these types of job roles.

Business Benefits of Choosing the Best Alarm

Stronger brand reputation and employee loyalty
Ability to attract and retain top talent
Reduced insurance costs with improved safety systems
Minimised legal exposure and fines

👉 Read more: Build a Lone Worker Business Case

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Other Benefits

A proactive solution is clearly the best personal alarm equipment in any situation for peace of mind. Ensuring your employees are suitably protected and have immediate support should anything happen, will undoubtedly benefit your workforce, however, your business can also greatly benefit from a protected workforce.

Some benefits include:

Greater brand reputation – a company that looks after its employees will always be seen in a good light
Attract and retain the best staff – a company that truly cares about its employees is an attractive proposition
Lower insurance premiums
Reduced risk of fines and other penalties for not protecting lone workers

Ready to protect your lone workers?
Book a demo of SoloProtect’s personal safety alarms →