Use of force refers to guidelines governing the level of physical intervention permitted in security or law enforcement roles.
A set of policies and legal standards defining the level and type of physical intervention personnel — such as security officers or law enforcement — are authorized to use in a given situation, typically following a graduated scale from verbal commands to, in extreme cases, deadly force.
A security officer at a retail facility follows company policy to use only verbal de-escalation and, if necessary, physical restraint techniques learned in training, reserving any further escalation strictly for situations meeting defined legal criteria.
It's a framework outlining escalating levels of response — from officer presence and verbal commands up through physical control techniques and, in rare cases, deadly force — matched to the level of threat encountered.
Law enforcement officers, security personnel, corrections staff, and certain healthcare workers in behavioral units commonly receive formal use-of-force training as part of their job requirements.
Most organizations require detailed incident reports describing the circumstances, actions taken, and justification, often reviewed by a supervisor or oversight body to confirm the response was appropriate.
Part of SafetyIQ's EHS glossary: plain-English definitions of workplace health and safety terms.
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