Security guard company Q&A
How do I schedule guard shifts with no coverage gap?
Short answer
- Define the guard posts for every site, with the required 24/7 time windows.
- Assign available guards to each post, respecting legal rest hours between shifts.
- The system automatically checks overlaps and flags any interval with no guard assigned.
- Confirm the roster at least 48 hours ahead, so guards have time to react.
- Keep a backup guard list for last-minute absences.
What the law says (brief)
- Romania's Law 333/2003 on the protection of objectives, assets, valuables and persons — requires the security company to ensure continuous coverage of contracted posts.
- Labour Code, Art. 135-137 — minimum daily and weekly rest between shifts, mandatory in scheduling.
- Government Decision 301/2012 (methodological norms for Law 333/2003) — conditions for organizing on-site guard services.
Practical examples
- Example: a site has 2 permanent 24/7 posts. The roster needs at least 6-8 guards rotating to respect the 12 hours of daily rest between shifts required by Art. 135 of the Labour Code — the dispatcher plans ahead, and the system automatically flags a 4-hour interval left uncovered because of an unplanned absence.
Common mistakes
- Scheduling is done manually, in a spreadsheet, with no automatic overlap check — gaps are only discovered when the client calls.
- No backup guard list exists — an unplanned absence leaves a post completely uncovered.
- Shifts are confirmed late, close to the post handover — guards have no time to organize.
How 4guards helps
- Shift roster per site, with automatic checks for overlaps and legal rest hours.
- Automatic dispatcher alert for any uncovered interval, hours before the shift starts.
- List of available guards for fast reassignment on last-minute absences.