What is Post orders?
Post orders are the written, site-specific instructions that tell a security guard exactly what to do on a given post: patrol routes and timing, access rules, escalation contacts, and the procedures to follow for each foreseeable situation.
Also called: site instructions, standing orders.
What do post orders contain?
- Site description, access points, and a map
- Shift times and the required posture at each hour
- Patrol routes, checkpoints, and how often rounds are run
- Who is allowed on site, and how visitors and contractors are handled
- Emergency procedures: fire, medical, intrusion, severe weather
- The escalation chain, with names and numbers
- Reporting requirements: what goes in the DAR, what triggers an incident report
- Uniform, equipment, and conduct standards for that site
Why do post orders matter?
Post orders are what make guard coverage transferable. A guard who has never worked a site should be able to read the post orders and work it correctly. They are also the standard a company is measured against after something goes wrong: if a guard did what the post orders said, the question becomes whether the orders were adequate, which is a very different conversation from whether the guard improvised.
Related terms
Proving this on your own sites
GuardOps captures GPS-verified clock-ins, DAR and incident reports, and patrol checkpoints, then exports the record as client-ready proof.