The role of smart occupancy monitoring systems in safety and wellbeing at work
What does a smart occupancy monitoring system have to do with social distancing? A lot has changed over the last couple of years. While many have embraced the ‘new normal’, it is certainly not a time to get too relaxed when it comes to COVID-19 safety precautions. Social distancing has long been posited as an effective way to avoid infection. However, the effectiveness of this precaution relies wholly on enforcement. Within the built environment, smart means of enforcement are emerging – one of which includes smart occupancy monitoring.
An(other) argument for social distancing
In response to the outbreak of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) quickly advised a world population to physically distance at a range of 6 feet. The CDC later conducted research into the effectiveness of social distancing and reported that ‘new cases, hospitalisations, and deaths were averted’. With new variants of COVID-19 cropping up around the world, social distancing and smart occupancy monitoring systems have the potential to become an abiding strategy for health and wellbeing.
Our relationship with buildings has changed
Global lockdown has drastically altered how many people work. In London, it has been reported that building occupancy dropped as low as 10% during lockdown. Forced to work from home, many people have re-evaluated pre-COVID systems to allow for more remote working, staggered shifts, and the like. In monitoring hazards for employees and ensuring their safety, the administrative burden placed on enforcing social distancing and occupancy monitoring can be heavy. Smart occupancy monitoring systems automate processes and provide actionable data to which managers can respond when health and safety rules are broken. They also stand to simplify existing processes and remove grey areas – especially around guests, customers, and contract workers’ presence within a building.
