If they fail to transmit an expected signal, the central station investigates. Guard work is usually routine, but guards must be alert constantly for threats to themselves and to the property that they are protecting. Guards who work during the day may have a great deal of contact with other employees and members of the public. However, many guards work alone at night, and the usual shift lasts eight hours. Some employers have three shifts, and guards rotate to divide daytime, weekend and holiday work equally.
Guards usually eat on the job instead of taking regular breaks.
Very few security guards are self-employed. The unemployment rate is about the same as the average for all occupations. Employment in this occupation is moderately sensitive to overall business conditions. The regional distribution of workers in this group is reasonably similar to that for the workforce as a whole. The age distribution of workers is somewhat different than the average.