Today, I’m excited to announce that KINETIC is launching an extension to our wearable technology to facilitate social distancing and contact tracing in the workplace. The entire KINETIC team has been driven by this single fact: if we need our essential businesses to keep functioning, then our front-line workers must be equipped with the best tools to stay safe during this pandemic. 

KINETIC was founded with a simple but ambitious goal: to build technology which helps the industrial workforce stay safe and productive, while making their work more rewarding. Inspired by my own mother’s experience as a nurse with multiple at-work injuries, I co-founded the company in 2014. I knew that while the technology to prevent these injuries existed, it wasn’t getting put into the hands of our industrial workforce because technology providers just weren’t paying attention. That’s all changed now. COVID-19 has thrust our front-line workers into the spotlight, and they are finally being recognized for what they have always been: the essential infrastructure of our nation and our economy. They build our schools and hospitals, manufacture our essential goods, and deliver them to our homes and stores. And not even a global pandemic can stop them. 

KINETIC’s commitment to these silent heroes is as strong as ever. But we don’t want to express our support from the sidelines, we want to do it in the way we know best: by providing tools to keep our workers safe during the pandemic. In 2017 we launched a wearable technology and software analytics platform to reduce injuries in the workplace. Since then 25,000 workers have worn our device in over 150 industrial facilities. With this extension to our existing wearable technology – which is done via a simple software update – we’re able to bring an essential tool to facilitate social distancing and contact tracing.

It has become abundantly clear in our ordinary lives that we must adapt to a new mode of social interaction, and that is no different in the workplace. But as many of our customers will tell you, creating new policies is the easy part. Implementing them successfully when work has to get done and demand is through the roof, is a monumental task. Our wearables will now provide real-time proximity alerts to workers whenever they come within six feet of each other, helping to create awareness on proper social distancing practices. 

When a worker becomes symptomatic, or is tested positive for COVID-19, it is critical to identify everyone who has come into contact with them, and decide who needs to be sent home and tested to prevent further spread. This process is called contact tracing and is extremely challenging given that it typically relies on trying to recall interactions between workers during the previous fourteen days. We have expanded our software analytics platform to automate precise, reliable contact tracing. This tool will create a report listing all contacts and their duration, enabling management to make the best workplace decisions to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

These tools protect front-line workers from the spread of the virus, along with the families and communities they go home to. Without this technology, we’ll continue to see more workers infected, more facilities shut down, and more shortages of essential supplies. 

KINETIC’s commitment to the industrial workforce is unwavering, and we’re proud to roll up our sleeves and provide essential tools to protect our essential workers.