The world is recovering, businesses are opening, and employees are ready and eager to get back to work. But the threat of COVID is still present. Part of everyone’s responsibility is to adhere to social distancing rules. Keeping track of employees is so much easier with a social distancing wearable.
These wearable solutions help maintain social distancing whilst gathering analytical data for contact tracing. A variety of devices are now available on the market. Some are worn around the neck, others on the wrist, and some can be put in the pocket. In these uncertain times, it’s still important to remain alert to protect the workplace and everyone’s health.
Benefits of a Social Distancing Tracker
The top reason social distancing trackers exist today is to limit the exposure and spread of the COVID-19 virus. That’s a huge benefit that many companies today are beginning to understand. As a result, numerous employees require employees to wear these devices. If you have not implemented the use of wearables in the workplace, here are some reasons why it may be time to do so:
- Safety: As a reliable professional, you are certainly accustomed to ensuring all machinery and equipment function properly and safely. But what about the employees? Their safety is of paramount importance. Wearable technology aims to help keep social distancing rules in the workplace intact while monitoring employees’ health and well-being in real-time.
- Easier Data Gathering: Who had COVID, and where did they go? You can easily keep track of their whereabouts to help keep them and other workers safe.
- Social Distancing: Using a wearable proximity sensor for social distancing makes everything so much easier. The smart sensors can give alerts when you or workers get closer than they should.
Knowing that employees have a lower risk of spreading the disease will allow everyone to work with confidence.
Wearable “Protection” Against COVID
The pandemic was a challenge that no one expected. Unfortunately, the devastation remains, and we can all observe the effects on the economy. But the good news is that things are going back to normal, albeit slowly. Still, we do not want the same thing to happen again. That’s why workplaces do their best to protect their businesses and the lives of their employees against the disease.
Contact tracing technologies are not new. They have been in existence for some time now, particularly in monitoring and tracking certain assets, including human assets. During the pandemic, these technologies have assisted in containing the spread of the virus.
A wearable proximity sensor for social distancing has proven its use. Despite the world moving on, these wearables have become essential more than ever. They allow workers and companies to work together to combat this global ordeal. How is this done? Employees utilise the device to monitor their health. At the same time, they can share the data with their company. This is useful for businesses across all industries, especially field, manufacturing, plant, and construction.
We’re all eager to return to normal. But for now, we should continue to contain the virus and prevent its spread. That’s why these social distancing wearables are a must for workplaces that put the safety of their employees above everything else.
Ethical Considerations
During the early stages of the COVID threat, pre-existing technologies were reintroduced to manage the spread of the disease. However, many people were against contact tracing and using a social distancing wearable even in workplaces. Some disproved the efficiency of the devices, but most were concerned for their privacy.
According to certain privacy experts, along with some surveillance scholars, these devices could be a part of the efforts of governments and corporations to put civilians under surveillance. They pointed out everyone’s right to privacy and the implications of wearable usage.
A sensible solution here is to help workers understand what the wearables are for, how they work, and why they are needed. Transparency is often crucial, so it may be beneficial to share with the employees which of their specific data will be used.
How Does a Social Distancing Wearable Work?
A wearable device to track social distancing and contact trace involves a straightforward process. First, employees wear the tracker. When the wearers get closer than allowed, the device will start buzzing, sounding off, or lighting up. It will continue alerting the wearer until the allowed space between workers is achieved. As you can see, it is an easy and effective way to maintain distance.
The safe distance is configurable, so it’s recommended that employers check the setting to ensure everyone follows the guidelines.
A good social distancing wearable device should be user-friendly. There’s no need for complicated setups and configurations for the solution to work. Typically, wearables are connected to a platform that the employer or manager can access.
An example of an excellent social distancing and contact tracing tracker is from Simply Unified, which you can find here. It’s a configurable wearable, which is great for field and plant workers. Others can use a smartphone app for their convenience. So, when an employee reports COVID symptoms and is soon discovered to have COVID, they will immediately be advised to self-isolate. With a robust contact tracing program in place, the employee should inform the employer, who then runs a Close Contact report to track possible interactions of the infected employee.
Using G7 EXO and Loner Mobile, the employer can quickly notify other co-workers who may have interacted with the COVID-positive employee. They know by then that they also need to self-isolate. Referring to the Close Contact report, the employer can easily identify which locations require cleaning and disinfecting.
Further spread of the virus can be significantly reduced with a contact tracing device. Give it a try or get a quote for your business today. Contact Simply Unified on 1300 599 540 for a social distancing wearable you can count on for your team.
