Connected Safety in the Covid-19 Era

Altogether we’re learning to embrace the power of humility in today’s changing workplace. As the coronavirus pandemic erases the familiar and redefines the future, we’re collectively understanding that our survival, security, and success depend upon how we relate and connect to one another.

This lesson has been especially apparent with our essential workforce. There’s been a public awakening to the fundamental role essential workers play in sustaining our society. At the same time, employers are placing heightened value on properly protecting crucial employees. High-performing companies are adopting a people-first culture supported by connected worker safety measures.

Connected Safe Distancing

Despite public health risks, essential workers are doing jobs that require them to be physically present at a place of work. Oftentimes, and especially in industrial workplaces, this equates to frequent and prolonged closeness to coworkers. It’s a high-risk recipe, as evidenced by thousands of meat processing plant employees contracting the coronavirus from crowded work conditions.

Industrial employers have stepped up, embracing safe distancing guidelines in an effort to mitigate the increased risk essential workers face. They’re deploying connected safety products – like smart wearables – as an essential tool in protecting the workers who keep their businesses open and running.

Wearables use interconnected technology to manage worker proximity. Employees wear a device that signals them when they come within six feet of one another, helping them to establish awareness and habits that will keep themselves and their coworkers safe. Additionally, connected software provides data and analytics that allow employers to play an active role in reducing illness by decreasing the duration of contact between employees.

Distinct, Data-Driven Solutions

A June survey by Willis Towers Watson shows that 39% of U.S. companies identified workplace safety as a top priority. As businesses continue to navigate new changes and challenges in the Covid-19 era, wearable safety products provide distinct solutions for industrial employers.

Smart devices designed to reduce injury for the industrial workforce help close the gap between consumer-facing tech solutions (like smartphone apps) and on-site, industrial workplace needs. These wearables are ergonomic, durable, and offer enterprise-level support. Furthermore, the connected technology produces data that allows managers to effortlessly create contact tracing reports – another key tool for safeguarding essential workers.

This contact tracing solution streamlines what is otherwise a time-intensive and unreliable process. It equips management with quick and accurate reports on interactions among employees, allowing them to make the best workplace decisions to keep essential workers safe and reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Evolving Workplace Safety

Amidst a global health pandemic, our essential workers are helping people maintain a sense of normalcy. They produce our food, deliver our goods, and ensure our well-being. The need for business leaders to protect and empower these workers is greater than ever, prompting a push to evolve workplace safety programs that will move through and beyond Covid-19.

Connected safety tech engages an entire workforce – from worker to manager to executive – in bolstering workplace protections, enhancing employee confidence, and identifying opportunities for innovation amid disruption. These smart solutions foster a sense of collaboration and collective accountability, helping to create a culture of connection that will last far beyond this difficult time.