Safely Back to Work
INTRODUCTION
The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic has caused sudden and severe disruptions in the usual ways of working . As COVID-19 spread rapidly , many public places including offices and other coworking spaces were shut down to contain the infection and ensure safety of the employees . Millions of employees had to shift to remote working to ensure the safety of themselves and their families 1 . Prior to the outbreak , offices and workspaces were being redesigned with collaboration and close proximity in mind , with cubicles and rooms torn down to make way for collaborative workplaces . Such spaces however , would now become hubs prone to spreading the virus .
However , as time proceeds and things return back to the “ new normal ”, workers will need to return to their workplaces . While many workplaces have planned to transition employees back into the offices in phases 1 , additional monitoring will be necessary to ensure adherence to the regulatory norms for health and safety such as social distancing , face mask compliance , limit on occupancy , etc . Technology will play a pivotal role in this . In redesigning office spaces , space utilization data of various areas will be crucial . Internet of Things ( IoT ) and Artificial Intelligence ( AI ) will play huge roles in data collection , analysis and in the automation of otherwise laborintensive tasks such as constant monitoring . These technologies can be used to ensure that getting back to work is smooth and most importantly , safe .
MOTIVATION
Effective space management is crucial in any facility / building to ensure proper distancing between the workforce , a key component of a safe workplace in post-COVID times . A prerequisite to this is keeping track of occupancy in different areas within the office over time in order to understand occupancy patterns and redesign the space efficiently 2 .
Secondly , forming guidelines and rules around donning facial masks and maintaining a minimum distance from each other while in the facility can do only so much without a mechanism to ensure compliance to these guidelines . A count of people not wearing face masks inside the building can help us quantify compliance to this essential safety requirement , and appropriate measures can thus be taken to ensure compliance . Similarly , monitoring to check social distancing can help us better understand how to redesign spaces . However , it is expensive for businesses to physically
- 18 - November 2020