The Covid-19 pandemic has affected businesses, workplace and education across the world. Initially, the expectation was that everything would be back to normal if people stayed at home for a while. However, it is now clear that the reality is the pandemic will last much longer and it is here to stay for some time to come. Although we’re seeing progress and lockdown is now easing up, it will have changed the way we live and work for a long time to come.
In order to avoid economic collapse, businesses are reopening, and employees are returning to work. There are many workers getting the vaccine depending on their positions and risks, in which you can check the COVID-19 vaccine requirement to see which employees are closer to getting the vaccine.
Of course, some businesses have been able to run as usual. But saying this, they might have to put more safety measures in place to protect others going forward. Cleaning expectations are at a very high level, where you’ll find a lot of companies looking for local help, using commercial floor cleaning services in San Diego, CA for example. Everything from floors to work surfaces have to be deep cleaned much more frequently.
There has also been lots of outdoor workers who do joinery, the council who work on fixing and improving the streets and roads, and those who keep our public places looked after being busier since the pandemic. In a bid to keep social distancing in place, there may be an increase in the workload for those working outdoors, where there has been more demand for them to work on public jobs. These can be putting up more fencing around workplaces to mark out social distancing, like fibreglass coated fences or stairways, or those who work on shopfittings installing barriers and plastic shields etc.
As COVID-19 is only going to become a more talked about topic, let’s examine six technologies that can help to keep workplaces safe while the COVID-19 pandemic is still around, and even when it starts to calm down hopefully this year.
Thermal Scanning
Thermal scanners used to be installed only in places like hospitals and airports. However, today, they are becoming increasingly common in areas of business and work. While a handheld thermal scanner scans an individual at a time, an image scanner having a large screen can check a group of workers together.
These devices, when installed in workplaces, can monitor each employee and provide an indication that someone may be unwell by using a numeric display or a colour-mapped image. In some cases, the thermal scanner is combined with a hand sanitisation stand so that the workers undergo the scanning process the same time as they disinfect their hands.
Access Control
More and more touch-free devices are coming to the fore, because we know that the COVID-19 virus is spread through contact. Therefore, contactless access control devices have become essential in workplaces and business centres. A facial recognition system, eye-scan or smart card are touch less systems that can be used by authorized personal to gain access into the workplace.
Another technology aimed at reducing unnecessary contact between people is a lift control system that restricts people to different floors on a large business building. The smart card systems can be integrated with the lift so that it stops only at their work floor, thereby restricting their entry to unauthorised floors. In this way, contact with people is kept to a minimum.
Devices for Social Distancing
IoT or GPS-enabled wearable devices are being used in workplaces to ensure proper social distancing. Such tools can work well in many different types of workplaces. However, in certain occupational situations, it may not be possible to maintain the distance between people all the time. Smart PPE kits are also available to help workers to comply with social distancing norms. Various other technologies can also help achieve social distancing, such as AI-based solutions that can help in maintaining the right distance between people.
Virtual Reality for Familiarisation
When people return to work after a long hiatus at home, they are going to have to adjust to the new work culture and environment. They have to learn new practices that are being applied in the workplace.
Strict compliance with the safety norms will take some time and technologies like Virtual Reality (VR) can be used to make things easier. Its programs can create virtual work environments which employees can use to get familiar with the new setup. As technology evolves, metaverse is the next step in the evolution of virtual reality, so you may start to see this become the next step when it comes to virtual worlds, therefore metaverse development companies will be on the rise.
Covid-19 Mobile Apps
There are many COVID-related mobile apps that have been released over the past several months. They have mostly been created by government authorities or private organisations to encourage awareness of the pandemic, and also to generate alerts if people come in contact with an infected person. Such apps can also be used in workplaces to comply with the pandemic-related regulations.
A company can develop its own dedicated COVID-19 app to help its employees. The organisation can provide timely alerts through this app for people on the move, and in times like this, it is advisable to pass instructions this way instead of calling a crowded meeting.
When teams build workplace-specific apps they also need to decide where those services will run and who will manage them. For many developers of Windows-based internal tools and safety apps, weighing uptime, compliance and ease of deployment early on is crucial — there are multiple ISV hosting options that balance managed support, on-premises control and cloud scalability.
Picking the right hosting model affects how quickly updates roll out, how the app integrates with existing access-control or thermal-scanning systems, and how data protection is enforced. An intentional hosting strategy helps keep notification and tracing features reliable without adding operational overhead.
UV-C Disinfection Boxes
This device is a convenient chamber that disinfects small objects like mobile phones and wallets. Such items are not easy to be sterilised otherwise. For instance, alcohol-based sanitisers may damage LCD screens of mobile phones. The disinfection of such objects using a device like a UV-C chamber can be helpful as it is often through such small items that microbes spread from hand to hand.
There are a number of technologies that are being used to create safe work environments for employees, clients and guests. Even high-end emerging technologies like the AI and ML are taking part in the process. The use of various technologies and their convergence will most likely lead to the development of completely new workplace processes and systems. We’re already seeing how the “new normal” means that things will probably never be the same again. Luckily, we have the tools and technologies to support us as we move into this new, unfamiliar landscape.
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