Daily occurrence book: what to record, and how to keep one that stands up

01

What a daily occurrence book is

A daily occurrence book, or DOB, is a chronological record of everything significant that happens on a security assignment during each shift. It is kept on site, usually at the gatehouse, reception or security control room, and every officer on duty writes in it. The same record is also called a daily occurrence log (DOL), an occurrence book, a site log or a security log book; there is no real difference between a daily occurrence book and a daily occurrence log beyond the name, although "log" is more often used for digital versions.

No Act of Parliament requires a daily occurrence book. It is established practice in UK security, and the standards and contracts that govern a security operation expect it or something equivalent. Providers working to BS 7499, the code of practice for static guarding, and those holding the Security Industry Authority's voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme status are expected to keep proper records of the service on each site, and most assignment instructions name the DOB as the place those records go. Many client contracts make it a contractual requirement.

Its value is evidential. A record written at the time, in order, by a named officer, is far more credible than an account put together afterwards. Supervisors use it to manage the site, clients use it to see what their security services deliver, and insurers, investigators and occasionally courts rely upon it when something goes wrong.

Who uses a daily occurrence book? Contract security officers supplied by a security company are the main users, but in-house security teams, concierge and reception staff, facilities management teams, caretakers and building managers on staffed sites keep DOBs too. Wherever people are on duty in shifts and things occur throughout the day that the next shift needs to know, the occurrence book captures them.

02

What should be recorded in a daily occurrence book

The assignment instructions should say what goes in the book on each site. A typical list of DOB entries includes:

• Start and end of each shift: the officer's name, SIA licence number and the time they came on and went off duty.
• Handover: what was passed on – open issues, keys out, contractors on site, systems in fault.
• Patrols: the time each patrol started and finished, the route, and anything found.
• Keys: keys issued and returned, if there is no separate key register.
• Visitors, contractors and deliveries out of hours, or a reference to the visitor log.
• Alarms and access controls: intruder and fire alarm activations, faults and tests, door-held or forced-door alerts, with the cause and action taken.
• Health and safety: accidents and near misses, with a reference to the accident book, and hazards found on patrol.
• Faults and hazards: failed lighting, leaks, broken locks, blocked fire exits, and who they were reported to.
• Incidents: a short summary with the time, and a reference to the separate incident report.
• Calls, instructions and escalation: contact with the control room, the client or the supervisor, including any change to instructions and anything escalated to the client's duty manager.
• Emergency services attendance: the time they were called and arrived, the names or numbers of officers, and any reference given.
• Supervisor visits: the time, and the supervisor's signature.
• Routine activities the site requires: opening and locking up, CCTV checks, plant readings, flag raising, anything in the AIs.

The test is simple: could an officer who was not there read the day's entries and know what happened on the site, in what order, and what is still outstanding? That situational awareness at the start of a shift is the book's everyday purpose, long before anyone needs it as an account of events.

03

How to write DOB entries that can be relied upon

Occurrence books are read by people looking for gaps. The best practice conventions for a handwritten book have grown up to make entries hard to alter and easy to follow, and the same principles apply to a digital log:

1. Write entries in real time, or as soon as possible. Contemporaneous entries carry weight; an account written at the end of the shift does not.
2. Use the 24-hour clock, and put the time against every entry.
3. Keep it chronological. Never leave a space to fill in later; if something was missed, add it as a late entry with the time it was written.
4. Use a bound book with numbered pages, usually A4 in a hard or plastic cover, and never remove a page.
5. Write in ink, legibly, and do not use correction fluid. Correct a mistake with a single line through it, so it can still be read, and initial it.
6. Rule off blank space at the end of an entry or shift so nothing can be added.
7. Record facts, not opinions. Write what was seen, heard and done.
8. Sign at the end of each shift, with the officer's name and licence number.
9. Have it reviewed: the supervisor signs and dates the book on each visit.

04

Daily occurrence book or incident report?

The two are often confused, and the difference matters when a record is questioned.

• The daily occurrence book is a running account of the whole shift, in time order. Most entries are routine. Its job is to show what happened and when, across the day.
• An incident report is a separate, detailed account of one security incident or other event: an injury, a crime, a disturbance, damage, a serious fault. It records the full detail – people involved, witnesses, actions taken, evidence – and goes to the supervisor and the client as part of the provider's incident management.
• A daily occurrence report is a summary of the day's log entries sent to the client or the security provider's office, so they do not have to read the book itself.
• Other logs such as the key register, the visitor book, the accident book and the fire alarm log each have their own purpose, and the DOB can refer to them rather than repeating them.

When does a daily occurrence log entry become an incident? When the event needs more detail than a line or two, involves injury, crime, damage or the emergency services, might lead to a complaint, a claim or disciplinary action, or when the assignment instructions say so. The DOB entry then records the time and a summary, and gives the incident report's reference, so the chronological record and the detailed one link up.

Read over a few weeks, the DOB also shows patterns such as repeated alarm activations at one door, the same fault reported every night or visitors arriving out of hours. Those patterns are often more useful to the client than any single entry.

05

Review, retention, and paper or digital

A DOB that nobody reads is a diary. Supervisors and managers should review entries on every visit and at least weekly from a distance: checking that patrols happened as the assignment instructions require, that faults were passed on and closed, and that incidents were reported. Clients and building owners should be able to see it, or a summary of it, as part of the contract review. For a provider with many client sites, reviewing DOBs is also how record-keeping standards are kept consistent across the contract.

There is no statutory retention period for occurrence books. Keep completed books for as long as the contract, the security provider's organisational policies and any insurer require, and long enough to answer a complaint or a claim. Because they hold personal data, do not keep them indefinitely without a reason. Store completed books securely, off the desk, with the date range written on the cover.

Is a digital daily occurrence log better than paper? It depends on the site. Many security providers still rely on paper-based books, and many have moved to an electronic occurrence book as part of wider security management software. Paper occurrence books are cheap, need no signal or battery, and every officer knows how to use one. Their weaknesses are that they stay on site, can be hard to read, and are rarely reviewed until something goes wrong. A digital daily occurrence book on a mobile device timestamps each entry, keeps audit trails of changes, can include photos, may integrate with patrol and incident records, and lets supervisors and clients see entries in real time from anywhere. That real-time view helps with contractual compliance and with spotting problems the same day. It only works if officers use it as they would the book – at the time, in full – and the system keeps a reliable record of who wrote what and when.

06

Where the occurrence book fails, and where SiteClara fits

The book is good at recording what the officer chose to write. It is weak at proving the routine: "22:00 patrol completed, all secure" reads the same whether the officer walked every floor or wrote it from the gatehouse. A fault recorded at 03:00 stays in the book unless someone passes it on. The client sees the book only if they visit, and by then the week's entries are history.

SiteClara records the routine part of the shift where it happens. A printed QR poster, with an optional NFC tag behind it, goes at each checkpoint: a fire exit, a gate, a plant room, a car park level. The officer scans the code or taps the tag on their own phone, with no app to install, and marks the scheduled check done or explains what stopped them. The time and the named officer are recorded as it happens. An issue or incident found on the round can be reported there with a photo, and goes onto the team's list of jobs until someone closes it.

The supervisor sees what was due, done and missed, and can record the reason a check was missed. At the end of the day the supervisor reviews the totals and photos, adds a note, records who was notified and approves the daily report, which goes to nominated management or client contacts at 8am the next morning: what was reported, what was completed, what is still open and how scheduled checks went.

07

Further reading, and a list to take away

BSI publishes BS 7499, the code of practice for static guarding, and BS 7984-3 for mobile patrol services. The Security Industry Authority publishes the Approved Contractor Scheme standard and licensing guidance on GOV.UK. The Information Commissioner's Office publishes guidance on keeping and retaining personal data, which applies to occurrence books as much as to any other record.

Before the next book is opened on site, check that:

• the assignment instructions say what goes in the DOB and what goes in separate logs;
• every officer knows how to write, correct and sign an entry;
• entries are made in real time, in order, with the time against each;
• incidents in the book refer to a separate incident report;
• faults recorded are passed on to someone who will fix them;
• a supervisor reviews and signs the book regularly;
• completed books are stored securely, and you know how long they are kept.