Staff sites without overlooking the qualification
Not every security officer may take every post. MetronHR stores the qualification at the site and does not even allow anyone without it to be scheduled.
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- Competence examination or instruction course stored per post
- Recording under section 17 MiLoG for the whole workforce
- Changing sites, one hours account per head
In shortSecurity companies have to record start, end and duration of working time for every employee within seven days, because the guarding and security trade is listed in section 2a SchwarzArbG. The rest period stays at eleven hours. MetronHR records the time at the site in the app or at a terminal and, in the Professional plan, lets nobody be scheduled without the required expertise under section 34a GewO.
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What comes together in the guarding industry
Two sets of rules mesh here: the Trade Regulation Act governs who may perform which duty at all, and the Minimum Wage Act governs how the times must be recorded.
- Deadline for recording
- 7 calendar days
- Retention
- 2 years
- Repeat reliability check
- at least every 5 years
- Rest period
- 11 hours, no special route
Competence examination instead of an instruction course for certain posts
For patrols in public traffic areas, for protection against shoplifting, for door control at nightclubs and for supervisory roles guarding asylum accommodation and large events, the instruction course is not enough; there the competence examination must be proven.
That is in section 34a (1a) GewO. For the remaining guarding activities the instruction course at the chamber of industry and commerce is sufficient. Each site therefore carries a different requirement, and it has to be known when planning, not only during an inspection.
Reliability is checked and rechecked
Before a security officer is deployed, the authority obtains information from the central trade register and the federal central criminal register as well as statements from the police and the domestic intelligence service. The check is repeated at least every five years.
Governed by section 34a GewO, with everything held in the security officer register under section 11b GewO. For planning that means every person has a date from which a repeat check is due, and that date belongs in the same file as the duty roster.
The security and guarding industry is named in section 2a SchwarzArbG
The recording duty under section 17 (1) MiLoG therefore applies to every employee: start, end and duration within seven calendar days, retained for two years.
Set out in section 2a (1) no. 10 SchwarzArbG. With changing sites this is more work than in a fixed workplace, because the time arises where nobody is sitting with a form. Clocking in at the site solves exactly that problem.
Sunday duty allowed, replacement rest day mandatory
The guarding industry and the guarding of operating facilities are exempt from the Sunday rest requirement. Every Sunday worked triggers a replacement rest day within two weeks.
The exemption is in section 10 (1) no. 13 ArbZG, the quid pro quo in section 11 (3) ArbZG. Unlike hospitality and care facilities, the guarding industry has no special route on rest periods: eleven hours under section 5 (1) ArbZG remain.
Standby readiness extends working time only under a collective agreement
If a duty regularly involves standby readiness to a substantial extent, daily working time can be extended beyond ten hours, but only on the basis of a collective agreement or a works agreement founded on one.
This is governed by section 7 (1) no. 1 ArbZG. Without collective agreement coverage the ten hours under section 3 ArbZG remain, even if the gatekeeper spends half the night simply waiting. Standby readiness is working time, not a break.
The key duties and how they are met day to day
| Duty | Source | With paper or Excel | With MetronHR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Record within 7 days | Section 17(1) MiLoG | times reach the office days later | clock in at the site, in the app or at a terminal |
| Proof of competence or briefing per post | Section 34a(1a) GewO | qualifications in a second list | assignment checks the stored certificates |
| 11 hours of rest | Section 5(1) ArbZG | not visible when replanning at night | only people whose rest period holds are offered |
Shift and duty planning, the day plan and client hour packages are part of the Professional plan.
Record within 7 days
- Source
- Section 17(1) MiLoG
- With paper or Excel
- times reach the office days later
- With MetronHR
- clock in at the site, in the app or at a terminal
Proof of competence or briefing per post
- Source
- Section 34a(1a) GewO
- With paper or Excel
- qualifications in a second list
- With MetronHR
- assignment checks the stored certificates
11 hours of rest
- Source
- Section 5(1) ArbZG
- With paper or Excel
- not visible when replanning at night
- With MetronHR
- only people whose rest period holds are offered
Shift and duty planning, the day plan and client hour packages are part of the Professional plan.
Further reading: Section 34a (1) and (1a) GewO, section 11b GewO · Section 2a (1) no. 10 SchwarzArbG, section 17 (1) MiLoG · Section 5 (1) ArbZG, section 7 (1) no. 1 ArbZG · Section 10 (1) no. 13 ArbZG, section 11 (3) ArbZG
In detail, with examples: Maximum working time in security services: when 12 hours are allowed
As at: November 2026. This is not legal advice; for a specific case in your business it is better to ask someone with a licence to practise.
The post is staffed, but is that person allowed to take it?
In the guarding industry the staffing question is always two questions: who has the time, and who has the authorisation.
- Problem
Qualifications sit in a second list
Who holds the competence examination and whose reliability check expires when sits in an Excel file that nobody opens during a last-minute replan.
- Problem
Times arise at the site, not in the office
Days often pass between the end of a shift at the site and the entry in the system. The deadline in section 17 MiLoG runs all the same.
- Problem
Premiums are paid as a flat rate
Night, Sunday and public holiday combined into one line item costs the tax exemption under section 3b EStG.
Qualification at the site, time at the site
Every post carries its requirement, every security officer their certificates with expiry dates. Anyone not meeting the requirement cannot be assigned. Clocking happens on site, via the app or a terminal.
No assignment without proofThe error is prevented while planning, not discovered during an inspection.
Features for security companies
Built for changing sites, qualification requirements and night duties.
- On-call duty
On-call availability kept separate from duty at the site
Anyone on call is identifiable as such in the plan.
Assigning and withdrawing on-call availability come with a notification, and a call-out from standby is recorded as its own event. That makes it possible to separate time at the site from time on call instead of running both as one shift.
- Planning
Requirement per site
The competence examination and the instruction course are planning data
The site records which qualification the post requires. The assignment checks that against the person's stored certificates.
- File
Certificates with an expiry date
The repeat check speaks up by itself
The instruction course, competence examination and reliability check sit in the digital personnel file, with a deadline and a reminder before expiry.
- Time
Clock in at the deployment site
The record is created where the work happens
Via the app with a location reference or through a terminal at the site. Start, end and duration land immediately in the record required by section 17 MiLoG.
- Pay
Premiums separated per hour
The tax exemption under section 3b EStG is preserved
Night, Sunday and public holiday are calculated per hour actually worked and shown individually, not as a single lump item.
- Overview
One account across all sites
Maximum working time across site boundaries
Anyone deployed at three sites still has one working-time account, one rest period check and one weekly limit.
For dispatch and security officers
Dispatch plans, the staff work spread out. Both need the same picture.
- Dispatch / site management
Replace an absence without overlooking the authorisation
- At two in the morning someone drops out. Who steps in, and is that person even allowed to hold this post?
- The list of available staff shows only those who meet the qualification and the rest period. The rest do not even appear for selection.
- Security officers
Deployment site, time and certificates on the phone
- Where am I assigned tomorrow, and when does my instruction course expire?
- The plan, the time clock and your own certificates with their expiry dates sit in the same app.
Frequently asked questions from the guarding industry
What security companies ask about qualifications, time and records.
Question not answered here? Every step is explained in the help centre.
Send us a messageWhich activities need a competence examination instead of the instruction course?
Under section 34a (1a) GewO, for patrols in public traffic areas or in areas under house rules with actual public traffic, for protection against shoplifting, for door control at nightclubs in the hospitality trade and for supervisory roles guarding asylum accommodation and access-controlled large events.
How often is a security officer's reliability checked?
The authority repeats the check at least every five years. The details are held in the security officer register under section 11b GewO.
Does the recording duty under section 17 MiLoG apply to us too?
Yes. The security and guarding industry is named in section 2a (1) no. 10 SchwarzArbG, so the duty covers every employee of the business, with a seven-day deadline and two years of retention.
May we plan shifts longer than ten hours because of standby readiness on gatehouse duty?
Only on the basis of a collective agreement or a works agreement founded on one (section 7 (1) no. 1 ArbZG). Without collective agreement coverage the limits in section 3 ArbZG remain, even if the duty consists mostly of waiting.
Can we shorten the rest period to ten hours as in hospitality?
No. The reduction option in section 5 (2) ArbZG does not name the guarding industry. Eleven hours remain, unless a collective agreement under section 7 ArbZG provides otherwise.
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Qualification, time and records in one place
Site requirements, competence certificates with expiry dates and recording under section 17 MiLoG in one system. Try it free for 14 days.
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