The government continues to lift many restrictions, allowing some businesses to resume their operations. As we prepare to return to work, one thing that we want to be sure of is the safety of the workplace. An essential practice that is considered a part of the new normal approach is social distancing. One effective way to minimise the effect of COVID-19 is to use wearable solutions.
As the name suggests, these devices are worn, usually on the wrist, to maintain social distancing between the staff members or workers. You can also find other products that are worn around the neck, arm, or attached to a bag or purse.
The main goal of these wearables is to promote social distancing, which is essential in ensuring the workers are not too close to one another. These devices can help in changing people’s behaviour, especially with social interactions.
Therefore, they can aid in limiting the spread of infections in the workplace. Of course, using wearables is not the only solution that should be implemented. Along with wearing the device, the workforce should also be in proper PPE. In some offices and workplaces, room dividers have been set up to increase the employees’ safety further.
Benefits of Social Distancing Wearables
Aside from getting back to work, every organisation should aim to create a safe place for the employees. It should be the primary goal to ensure that the business operates safely. Since COVID-19 is believed to be spread through close contact with an infected person, the wearables can prevent such an instance.
How do these wearables work? You can configure them based on the implemented distance of workers with each other. Then, they will be warned immediately in case of any interaction.
The benefits of these devices far outweigh the additional investment any company has to make:
- Workers can easily adhere to social distancing guidelines. It’s a great challenge, especially in workplaces, where the employees are used to interacting closely with one another. While wearing the devices, they will instantly know whether they are too close or within the specified distancing rules.
- Using wearables can reduce person-to-person contact. It is not uncommon for workers to forget that they should remain in a safe distance away from a co-worker or customer. Infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, are transmitted through direct contact. It means that the disease is transferred from an infected person to a surface or another individual. It’s a common issue with healthcare centres and other close contact workplaces.
- Anyone in any industry can wear the devices. Whether you are in the mining, construction, or emergency service industry, you will benefit from these wearables. They can be quickly deployed to workers at any job site.
- Social distancing wearables can also be helpful to employers. They can understand if the measures implemented across the workplace are working. Therefore, they will know where and what to improve.
- Wearables also offer reassurance to employees. They are more at ease when they are immediately notified in case they are in close proximity to another worker. They do not have to feel paranoid and remain extremely cautious. Instead, they can just rely on their wearable and stay away from a co-worker when the alarm is triggered.
Some businesses utilise social distancing wearables for tracking and reporting. But more importantly, they are useful in providing feedback so that people can adjust their behaviours. Social distancing, at its basic level, is unnatural for us humans. It’s especially true in workplaces where people know their colleagues.
How to Choose Your Social Distancing Wearable
The advantages of social distancing wearables are substantial. However, it all starts with choosing the correct device for the workers. Here are some considerations that can affect which wearable is best for your organisation:
- The Goal: What will you use the wearable for? If it is for social distancing or keeping workers away from each other at the correct distance, this particular wearable is for you. Meanwhile, if your purpose is to identify those who may have been exposed to the coronavirus, other technologies are more useful. Some examples are contact tracing apps and even temperature monitoring systems.
- Accuracy: Developers are in a race to give companies cutting-edge tools that can aid in the pandemic. However, glitches are quite a common issue. It is always important to choose a solution with a low risk of inaccuracies and ineffectiveness.
- Privacy: Many employees may be against the idea of having their data collected. Some wearables are connected to the person’s smartphone, which they may be uncomfortable with. It’s important to ask for consent and ensure that you and the solution adhere to consumer privacy laws in Australia.
- Worker participation: Implementation can be voluntary, but the effectiveness can be impacted substantially. As much as possible, companies should choose to execute the use of social distancing wearables as a requirement. It will not only benefit the employees but the entire workplace and business as well.
We now have extensive options at our disposal. Some are still in development, but they all play a crucial role in assisting organisations as they address the pandemic. The objective here is to provide a safe and healthy workplace. This way, workers will remain productive despite the changes in socialising and fulfilling their tasks.
Our Recommendation
We have a social distancing wearable that not only sends you alerts when you are too close with another person but also provides contact tracing benefits. It works on Bluetooth technology and worn around the wrist.
It’s an excellent solution that anyone can use, including businesses, healthcare, emergency services, mining, construction, and education, among others.
The wearable triggers an alert through light and vibration whenever a person fails to maintain the required distance of two metres (six feet).
Other benefits include:
- It has the capability to store up to 20,000 contacts
- It’s comfortable to wear and emits low heat
- It can be fully recharged in two hours with USB chargers, so it’s ready to use the next workday
- Because it uses Bluetooth 5.0, it consumes low energy and is usable for the whole shift
