With employees returning to offices amid the global-health crisis, organizations worldwide are embracing high-tech personal protection measures to keep their workforce safe. New apps, gadgets, and wearable devices are helping employers with tasks like electronic contact tracing and taking temperatures. For instance: Few wearable devices beep when two people come within six feet of each other. Thereby, creating a high-tech force field to remind people to abide by social distancing guidelines. Now, let’s look into the different tech solutions that ensure employees’ safety in this COVID-19 struck world.
Here are a few tech solutions that ensure employees’ safety
Prescreening App
Many organizations today are investing in prescreening apps that employees need to download on their phones. The logic of this app is simple – to screen the activities of an employee even before he/she can come to the office. For instance, even before going to the office, the employee needs to punch in his/her present temperatures and activities they participated in over the past 2 weeks, like dining out, etc. Depending on the risk factors, the employee will get a message like,
- Cleared to come in
- Stay home and check the next day, or
- Contact your physician
HR leaders believe this is one of the best measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. However, the only drawback of this app is that it relies on the data that the employees provide – which can either be accurate or not.
Temperature Monitoring App/Device
Domo, a cloud-based software company in Utah has come up with an entire suite of “Get Back to Work” apps, including one that allows employees to record their temperature at home and then again at the entrance of the workplace. Not just that it also offers a Safe Worker App, which you can use to communicate directly with your employees. Likewise, there are many temperature monitoring devices available in the market today. And many organizations are using these devices on a primary basis to monitor the spread of Coronavirus and keep their workforce safe.
AI-Powered Thermal Cameras
AI-enabled detection cameras are capable of conducting mass screening and provides real-time updates of an individual’s body temperature. For instance, the AI Fever Detection Camera from IN Depth offers quick and accurate detection of elevated body temperatures. In other words, the IN Depth AI-powered thermal cameras leverage highly advanced artificial intelligence and scene analytics for real-time detection and assessments of elevated human body temperature.
Contact Tracing App
Contact tracing apps are a boon to all HR professionals. Here’s why – it might take an HR professional nearly 15 hours to make a single trace, whereas a contact tracing app can do the same in just 15 seconds.
Companies today are buying electronic tracing apps and wearable devices as a measure to keep their employees safe. Did you know? Pricewaterhouse Cooper (PwC) has sold the contact tracing app called “Check In” to more than 60 companies now!
The contact tracing app basically tracks the employees’ time, distance, and frequency of contact with co-workers. It also alerts each employee of his or her risk level with a proximity score. And employers can use these proximity scores to determine who should stay at home, who should get tested, etc. However, the app only works on company property. So, to help employers track employees who work in warehouses or factories where they don’t carry phones, PwC is unveiling a lanyard with a tracker. This value addition has made HR officials stress-free who were previously overwhelmed with the nonstop job of contact tracing.
Other Technological Innovations
Every day, people are working on different innovations to make life simpler. And most importantly to contain the spread of COVID-19. Kenzen, a New York city-based company, makes wearable devices that track physiological changes to keep employees safe from heat and overexertion. The good news is, it may expand its service into early illness detection next year. Also, the company is in talks with large corporations about the possibility as it works to address worker privacy concerns.
In addition, companies such as Wigle Whiskey, a Pittsburgh-based microdistillery, have introduced technology such as air filtration systems to keep the employees safe. Likewise, there are many technological innovations in the making intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and monitor the existing cases effectively!
Final Thoughts
Only relying on tech solutions won’t help! Companies need to educate their employees on safety and hygiene measures. Sanitize the entire building on a daily basis. Also, ensure employees wear masks (at least while interacting with others) and maintain social distance at all times. Let’s fight COVID-19 in unison, and practice safety and hygiene measures to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe!
