With the focus for many businesses dealing with the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis beginning to shift to “the new normal” and returning to the workplace, questions are being asked by employees and employers alike of how workplaces will be made – and kept – safe.
According to an Eagle Hill Consulting poll of U.S. employees, 54 percent shared concerns about exposure to the coronavirus in the workplace. Employers can take assurance, however, in the fact that 71 percent of those polled have confidence their employers can bring them back to work safely.
The coronavirus is a health hazard that will necessitate new ways of working for some time to come, with one of the primary methods to limit the spread of the virus being maintaining social distancing of at least 6 ft. between people.
While the coronavirus is a primary concern and must be consistently monitored in all workplaces, it does not mean that the “old” hazards of many workplace environments have disappeared.
Safety guidelines
When reintroduced into workplaces, it is essential that employers and employees continue to observe monitoring procedures for other risks to health, including noise, dust and vapor hazards. Technological advancements in monitoring methods for these hazards have presented unintended possibilities for aiding in the fight against coronavirus – namely, personal-monitoring equipment where measurements can be started, and the data checked remotely without disturbing the wearer.
It is important that employers establish protocols that allow workers to minimize close contact and ensure social distancing throughout a shift as much as is possible, while continuing hazard monitoring with minimal disruption to either procedure. Whether individual workplaces adapt social distancing into existing workflows or change workflows to introduce social distancing measures, flexibility of monitoring equipment will make either approach much easier to integrate.
Body-worn monitoring equipment allows individual units to be issued to employees in a controlled way, collected from a demarked area at the start of a shift. This, in turn, allows a restricted number of employees to be in and out at any one time while maintaining social distancing. This method can then be used for employees to deposit units at the end of a shift and prepare for thorough cleaning and disinfection.
Tech assistance
Once equipment has been issued, real-time results can be checked remotely throughout the day. Connectivity is key, as advancements such as integrated Bluetooth connections allow dosimeters and pumps to be accessed remotely up to a distance of 82 ft. away – more than 13 times the suggested social distancing minimum of 6 ft. This minimizes both worker disruption and potential close contact levels, increasing peace of mind for employees and employers alike.
Along with real-time data – such as battery level, flow rate, run time and volume sampled – safety managers are able to capture full, accurate reports of a monitored period and download these reports remotely via app connectivity.
With the ability to overview and download data from multiple devices, managers are given a clear picture of hazards across the workplace without needing to directly interact with the monitoring units and the employees wearing them.
Utilizing the app in conjunction with a sampling pump and an air flow calibrator allows users to calibrate monitoring devices and check results remotely, giving confidence in results and minimizing physical interactions from the start of sampling to completion.
Tim Turney is global marketing manager at Casella. Since starting at Casella in 1998, Turney has been involved in the acoustics and air sampling industry, specializing in measurement and instrumentation technologies.