Capterra and Software Advice
Get a demo Get a demo

Daily Occurrence Book (DOB)

Every entry counts. Every shift, covered.

Zinc’s Daily Occurrence Book (DOB) replaces paper-based logging with a fast, digital record-keeping platform. Built for operational teams that can’t afford gaps, errors, or lost information.

Every shift starts with clarity. Every handover ends with confidence.

Operational processes digitalised

Trusted by teams where every detail matters.

22 Bishopsgate
Amazon Studios
ISS & City of London Corporation
Graff Diamonds
Virgin Money
The Crown Estate
Allied Universal
JLL
Knight Frank

Zinc Systems

Every decision starts with a clear, credible record.

Speed

Accurate entry
Fast and clean interface that reduces manual errors and admin effort.

Resilience

Full compliance
Capture exactly what legal, insurance, and regulatory require. No Gaps.

Control

Full visibility
Every action logged. Every shift accounted for. Every record ready for audit.

Recovery

Better insight
Identify patterns, strengthen handovers, and address risks before they escalate.

Key Daily Occurrence Book Features

loader-icon

Capture all site activity in one central log. Keep shifts running smoothly and give teams the context they need.

  • Record incidents, observations, and key events in structured entries
  • Automatic timestamps for every log entry
  • Attach photos, files, and detailed notes for full context
  • Flag entries for escalation or supervisor review
  • Search and filter by type, team, or date
  • Export reports for briefings or compliance reviews

Small observations logged today prevent large incidents tomorrow. Every entry builds a complete operational picture over time.

Track routine site activity. Maintain accountability and security awareness across every shift.

  • Log patrols, checks, and observations, including hazards or maintenance issues
  • Maintain CCTV review logs with officer and location details
  • Link entries directly to incidents for full traceability
  • Generate reports for auditing or internal reviews

Recurring patterns in your activity log signal where to focus patrol resources and where risk is quietly building.

Centralise control room operations with accurate records of staff, assets, and access.

  • Log staff sign-ins and shift handovers with timestamps
  • Note purpose of access and authorisation levels
  • Link logs to incidents or patrol activity where needed
  • Prepare for inspections with templated reports

A well-maintained control room log is your first line of evidence in any compliance review or post-incident investigation.

Manage lost property securely. Close the loop every time.

  • Register all lost or found items with full descriptions
  • Log time, location, and the person reporting or finding the item
  • Add reference numbers and photos for visual identification
  • Track return history and record proof of ownership
  • Set reminders for unclaimed items
  • Export reports for internal records or handovers

A clear lost and found record protects staff, builds trust with occupants, and demonstrates duty of care.

Zinc Systems

Are you ready for a more efficient Daily Occurrence Book?

Zinc Systems

Built for teams who rely on it most.

  • Chronological.
    Real-time, paperless logging of every activity, observation, and request.
  • Faster.
    Cleaner shift handovers. Incoming teams pick up exactly where the last shift left off.
  • Smarter.
    Contextual linking connects entries to related events and incidents.
  • Accountable.
    Built-in audit trails ensure transparency and compliance by default.
  • Ready when you need them.
    Export-ready logs for compliance reviews, insurance, or legal use.
Zinc Systems
Operational reporting & digitalisation of processes

One view. Every module.

Zinc brings every module together in one dashboard. Your DOB data sits alongside incidents, patrols, and everything else, giving you a complete operational picture without switching between records.

The full picture, in one place
Patterns that aren’t obvious in isolation become clear when the data is combined. A DOB entry, a patrol record, an incident the following day, together they tell a story that supports smarter planning and faster reviews.

  • DOB entries, patrol records, and incidents surface together in one analytics view
  • Supervisors see the full operational picture across shifts, not isolated records
  • Patterns across modules become visible without manual cross-referencing
  • Post-incident reviews draw on DOB, patrol, and incident data in one place
  • Analytics highlight trends that individual logs would never reveal alone
Zinc Systems

Our impact in numbers

75%Reduction in reporting time
Digital logging replaces handwritten entries, saving hours across shifts.

60%Faster shift handovers
Structured, searchable entries provide instant operational context for incoming teams.

50%Fewer disputes or escalations
Clear, real-time documentation reduces ambiguity and improves incident resolution.

90%Improvement in audit readiness
Time-stamped, tamper-proof logs provide a defensible record for compliance and investigations.

3xFaster retrieval of historical data
Advanced search filters replace manual logbook reviews. Intuitive dashboards bring data to life.

22%Improvement in control room staff retention
Providing intuitive, modern tools boosts morale, reduces frustration, and helps retain high-performing staff.

Zinc Systems

Case studies

Media City, Salford UK
22 Bishopsgate, London - Protected by Zinc
Mansion House, London

MediaCityUK is a 200-acre mixed-use property development on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal and its principal tenants are media organisations such as ITV, BBC and also the Quayside MediaCityUK shopping centre.

Integrating Zinc into the MediaCity security team, is a significant step forward in safeguarding the vibrant hub where security is paramount in such dynamic environments.

Read more

22 Bishopsgate is the tallest skyscraper in the City of London standing at 278 m (912 ft) tall with 62 storeys. It's game-changing workspace occupies a prominent site in the financial district.

As Britain's smartest building, Zinc manages and controls all security, safety and risk events, as well as providing critical alerting to occupiers during fire evacuations.

Read more

Mansion House is the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London. It is a Grade I listed building and used for some of the most formal official government functions located across from the Bank of England and the Royal Exchange.

Zinc enhances safety/security operations and during critical incidents supports protecting high-value assets that require special attention.

Read more
Zinc Systems

Why Zinc?

Join our growing community of world-leading customers and unlock rapid ROI with Zinc's innovative platform. Easily adaptable to your unique challenges, Zinc empowers your organisation to accelerate success and drive measurable impact.

Why Zinc? Loved by users

Loved by users
Outstanding usability and flexibility, ensuring a positive experience every time.

Why Zinc? World-class support

One unified platform
Expand at your own pace with an industry-leading and award winning modular platform.

Why Zinc? Reliable & secure

Reliable & secure
Highly trusted for reliability and robust security - providing complete peace of mind.

Why Zinc? Agile & Innovative

World-class support
Delivering exceptional rapid support, assistance - ensuring customer satisfaction.

Why Zinc? Join our community

Agile & innovative
Consistently delivering cutting-edge solutions evolving market and customer needs.

  • Ready for better shift handovers and cleaner DOB logs?

  • BOOK DEMO

Daily Occurrence Book (DOB) Insights

How to Write a Security Occurrence Log: Best Practice for Officers

How to Write a Security Occurrence Log: Best Practice for Officers

Every security team deals with incidents. Disturbances, access requests, equipment faults, visitor logs, shift handovers: the list is long, and the stakes of missing something are high. Many teams still rely on handwritten notebooks, inconsistent formats, or after-the-fact recollections to document what happened on shift. This occurrence log writing guide covers everything you need to […]

What is a Daily Occurrence Book? A Guide for Security & Facilities Teams

What is a Daily Occurrence Book? A Guide for Security & Facilities Teams

The daily occurrence book is one of the most important tools in security and facilities management, yet it is often misunderstood or poorly maintained. This guide explains what a daily occurrence book is, what it should contain, how to maintain it to a professional standard, and why more security teams are making the move to […]

The Digital Daily Occurrence Book: Why Your Security Team Needs One

The Digital Daily Occurrence Book: Why Your Security Team Needs One

A complete guide to security log best practices, shift logging, and what a modern occurrence book should do for your team. In this guide: What the occurrence book is – and what it isn’t Every security team has one. The daily occurrence book, sometimes called an ops log, duty log, or shift log, is the […]

The Complete Guide to Incident Management for Security and Facility Teams

The Complete Guide to Incident Management for Security and Facility Teams

Introduction: The cost of getting it wrong Here is a fact worth sitting with: most security and facilities teams are not failing because their people are bad at their jobs. They are failing because the systems around those people were never designed for the environments they now operate in. Fragmented tools. Manual processes. Disconnected data. […]

Incident Management System Features: What to look for

Incident Management System Features: What to look for

Introduction Most organisations already have some form of incident logging. But logging isn’t the same as managing. And most systems weren’t built for the complexity security and facilities teams face today. The incident management system features your platform includes — or lacks — will determine whether your teams respond with precision or scramble to catch […]

Case Study – Unitrust Roll Out Zinc Connect

Case Study – Unitrust Roll Out Zinc Connect

We sat down with Jonathan Moore, Director of Operations at Unitrust to talk to him about the roll our of Zinc Connect model across 30+ of his locations. In this interview, Jon shares first-hand insights into the rising demand for higher standards in security management, the challenges facing providers, and how Zinc’s latest product, ‘Connect’, […]

Why Every Modern Business Needs a Daily Occurrence Book (DOB)

Why Every Modern Business Needs a Daily Occurrence Book (DOB)

The power of logging – the importance of a Daily Occurrence Book (DOB) to a business. In any business, maintaining clear, consistent, and accurate records of daily operations is critical for ensuring accountability, compliance, and operational continuity. A Daily Occurrence Book (DOB) serves as a vital tool for achieving these objectives, particularly in environments where […]

What really defines an incident?

What really defines an incident?

Understanding the signals before the crisis Most teams know how to respond to incidents. Fewer have agreed on what one actually is.That gap matters. Because if your frontline staff can’t recognise when something crosses from routine observation into a genuine incident, no amount of incident management process will help. You’ll always be late. This article […]

What is a Digital Operations Platform (DOP)?

What is a Digital Operations Platform (DOP)?

And why it matters for Security and Commercial Property Operations Most security and property teams are still running operations the same way they were a decade ago. Radios. Spreadsheets. Paper logs. Disconnected systems that don’t talk to each other. That’s a problem. Not because the people aren’t capable, they are. But because the tools are […]

A day in the life of a corporate estate’s security control room.

A day in the life of a corporate estate’s security control room.

In today’s corporate world, security control rooms serve as the front line for safeguarding assets, ensuring employee safety, and maintaining operational continuity. Equipped with Zinc’s integrated platform, operators manage a wide range of activities from incident response to compliance and health and safety.  Let’s dive into a day in the life of a corporate estate’s […]

Explore our modules.

Incident Management software

Navigate Crises, Maintain Continuity

Incident Management

Mass Notification system

Inform Quickly, Protect People

Mass
Notification

Case Management System

Secure Evidence, Connect The Dots

Case Management

Patrol Management system

Secure Operations, Ensure Compliance

Patrol
Management

Audits Checks Inspections

Get compliance right, everytime

Audits, Checks & Inspection

Task Management software

Get things done, the right way

Tasks &
Procedures

Daily Occurrence Log

Stay Agile, Ensure Resilience

Daily Occurrence Book

Keys & Asset Management

Smart tracking, protect assets

Key & Asset Management

Visitor Management

Smart, secure visitor experiences

Visitor Management

Postroom Management

Full traceability, track every parcel

Postroom Management

Threat Intelligence

Seamless Actionable Intelligence

Threat
Intelligence

Data Analysis Software

Smarter insights, stronger outcomes

Data Analysis & Reporting

Artificial Intelligence

The future, intelligently engineered

Artificial Intelligence

Admin Console

Configure Fast, Adapt Instantly

Administration
Portal

Integrations & APIs

Connect Systems, Scale Smarter

Integrations

Resources: Frequently Asked Questions

A Daily Occurrence Book (DOB) is a structured log used by security, facilities, and operational teams to record key events, incidents, and routine activity during a shift. It provides a clear timeline of what happened, when, and who was involved, supporting handovers, audits, and incident investigations.

Typical entries include incidents (alarms, trespassing, lost property), key events (contractor access, deliveries, drills), and routine activity (patrol checks, lock/unlock procedures, CCTV checks).

Log entries promptly and accurately. Use objective language. Keep formats consistent across shifts. Attach supporting evidence where relevant. Review logs regularly to identify patterns and follow up on open items.

Digital DOBs give teams real-time access, faster entry, and instant search across all records. There's no risk of lost books, illegible handwriting, or gaps in the audit trail. Compliance is built in, not bolted on.

The DOB provides the chronological foundation for any incident review. Reviewers use it to reconstruct the sequence of events, assess decisions made, evaluate response times, and identify gaps in communication or resource deployment.

Because Zinc's DOB links directly to your Incident Management module, review teams can move between the live incident record and the underlying DOB entries without switching platforms.

Zinc brings together data from your DOB, Incident Management, and Patrol Management in a single analytics view. Managers can see DOB entries alongside related incidents and patrol records without switching between modules, giving them the full context for any review or investigation.

Yes. Zinc's DOB is built for multi-site operations. Filter logs by site, team, or location. Supervisors get a single view, regardless of how many sites they manage.

Access is role-based. Operatives log entries. Supervisors review and escalate. Managers access reports and exports. Administrators control permissions. Every action is tracked against a named user.

Zinc's DOB helps venues and operators meet their documentation and record-keeping obligations. Detailed audit trails, timestamped entries, and export-ready reports support compliance reviews and inspections.

Find out more in our Guide to Martyn's Law.

Yes. Zinc works across desktop, tablet, and mobile. Operatives can log entries on-site in real time, without returning to a desk or waiting until the end of a shift.

Read our guide to security log best practice: What to record, how to structure entries, and how to get more value from your daily logs.

You are In safe hands

  • ISO 27001 & Cyber Essentials
  • G-Cloud Government Framework Approved
  • Crown Commercial Service - CCS
  • Google Partner
  • AWS - Amazon Web Services Secure Hosting Infrastructure
  • SIA - Security Industry Authority
  • OWASP - The Open Worldwide Application Security Project
Request
Case Study