Incident – A December safety audit by a major private security federation revealed a 400% increase in physical assaults on ATM guards in the last 14 months across Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. In several cases, guards were beaten for stopping non-customers from sleeping inside ATMs. One viral incident from November 28 in Bengaluru showed a guard being slapped repeatedly by an intoxicated man for refusing entry after hours. Another case in Lucknow involved a guard stabbed for trying to prevent vandalism. Many guards work alone on 12-hour shifts with no backup, no functional panic button and poor CCTV coverage. The audit warns that ATMs are becoming “primary danger zones” for outsourced and contract workers.
Emotional/Workplace Impact – Guards interviewed described working in constant fear. Most said they hesitate to refuse anyone entry, even when rules require them to lock down the ATM during maintenance hours. Many reported psychological trauma: sleeplessness, hypervigilance, and a sense that “survival comes before duty”. Families of guards say they dread late-night shifts and often accompany their loved ones to work locations when possible. Employees feel invisible — they protect public assets, yet no one protects them. HR heads in security agencies admitted morale is collapsing, with attrition rising among night-shift guards. ATMs that were once considered “easy postings” are now being described by workers as “potential crime scenes”.
Compliance/Leadership Lens – Legally, this is a wake-up call for banks and security contractors. Under the Occupational Safety and Health provisions of the new labour codes, employers must ensure safe working conditions for all contracted personnel. Banks may be exposed to liability if guards are deployed without training, CCTV, alarm systems or rapid-response protocols. Contracts must now explicitly define safety responsibilities: working panic buttons, functioning cameras, two-guard rotations, and emergency escalation chains. Contractors must maintain training logs, incident registers and proof of safety audits. Boards and CHROs in BFSI must treat guard safety as part of enterprise risk — not a vendor problem. The reputational fallout of injured guards can be severe, and regulators may demand safety compliance evidence during inspections.
What immediate safety upgrade would protect ATM guards most effectively?
How should banks and contractors share responsibility for frontline worker protection?
(@HindustanTimes)
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7Emotional/Workplace Impact – Guards interviewed described working in constant fear. Most said they hesitate to refuse anyone entry, even when rules require them to lock down the ATM during maintenance hours. Many reported psychological trauma: sleeplessness, hypervigilance, and a sense that “survival comes before duty”. Families of guards say they dread late-night shifts and often accompany their loved ones to work locations when possible. Employees feel invisible — they protect public assets, yet no one protects them. HR heads in security agencies admitted morale is collapsing, with attrition rising among night-shift guards. ATMs that were once considered “easy postings” are now being described by workers as “potential crime scenes”.
Compliance/Leadership Lens – Legally, this is a wake-up call for banks and security contractors. Under the Occupational Safety and Health provisions of the new labour codes, employers must ensure safe working conditions for all contracted personnel. Banks may be exposed to liability if guards are deployed without training, CCTV, alarm systems or rapid-response protocols. Contracts must now explicitly define safety responsibilities: working panic buttons, functioning cameras, two-guard rotations, and emergency escalation chains. Contractors must maintain training logs, incident registers and proof of safety audits. Boards and CHROs in BFSI must treat guard safety as part of enterprise risk — not a vendor problem. The reputational fallout of injured guards can be severe, and regulators may demand safety compliance evidence during inspections.
What immediate safety upgrade would protect ATM guards most effectively?
How should banks and contractors share responsibility for frontline worker protection?
(@HindustanTimes)
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The immediate safety upgrade that would most effectively protect ATM guards is the implementation of a robust security system. This includes functional panic buttons, improved CCTV coverage, alarm systems, and rapid-response protocols. Additionally, two-guard rotations could be introduced to ensure that guards are not left alone during their shifts, reducing their vulnerability.
Sharing responsibility between banks and contractors for frontline worker protection should be clearly defined in their contracts. Banks, as the principal employers, should ensure that the contractors they engage provide adequate training to the guards, maintain incident registers, and conduct regular safety audits. The banks should also monitor the contractors for compliance with these requirements.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health provisions of the new labour codes, employers are legally bound to provide safe working conditions for all workers, including contracted personnel. If guards are deployed without proper training, CCTV, alarm systems, or rapid-response protocols, banks may be exposed to liability.
A step-by-step action plan could be as follows:
1. Banks should review their contracts with security contractors to ensure they include explicit safety responsibilities.
2. Contractors should provide comprehensive training to guards, including how to handle potential threats and use security equipment.
3. Banks should install functional panic buttons, improve CCTV coverage, and establish alarm systems and rapid-response protocols at all ATM locations.
4. Regular safety audits should be conducted to ensure compliance with safety standards and to identify areas for improvement.
5. A two-guard rotation system should be implemented to ensure no guard is left alone during their shift.
In conclusion, both banks and contractors need to work together to ensure the safety of ATM guards. This is not only a legal requirement but also a moral obligation to protect those who are tasked with protecting public assets.
From India, Gurugram
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Sharing responsibility between banks and contractors for frontline worker protection should be clearly defined in their contracts. Banks, as the principal employers, should ensure that the contractors they engage provide adequate training to the guards, maintain incident registers, and conduct regular safety audits. The banks should also monitor the contractors for compliance with these requirements.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health provisions of the new labour codes, employers are legally bound to provide safe working conditions for all workers, including contracted personnel. If guards are deployed without proper training, CCTV, alarm systems, or rapid-response protocols, banks may be exposed to liability.
A step-by-step action plan could be as follows:
1. Banks should review their contracts with security contractors to ensure they include explicit safety responsibilities.
2. Contractors should provide comprehensive training to guards, including how to handle potential threats and use security equipment.
3. Banks should install functional panic buttons, improve CCTV coverage, and establish alarm systems and rapid-response protocols at all ATM locations.
4. Regular safety audits should be conducted to ensure compliance with safety standards and to identify areas for improvement.
5. A two-guard rotation system should be implemented to ensure no guard is left alone during their shift.
In conclusion, both banks and contractors need to work together to ensure the safety of ATM guards. This is not only a legal requirement but also a moral obligation to protect those who are tasked with protecting public assets.
From India, Gurugram
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