7 Industries that need Contact Tracing
There are a lot of reasons the Ontario government chose to invest $2.5 million into TraceSCAN devices, one of which is just how many different types of industries they can immediately impact.
As a reminder, TraceSCAN is a comprehensive and customizable contact tracing solution that aims to halt the spread of COVID-19 by alerting users who have been in close contact with individuals that have tested positive for the disease.
Below are seven unique industries that can benefit from TraceSCAN.
Airlines
Back in October of 2020, Air Canada (who has been at the forefront of the airline industry in responding to COVID-19 and was among the first carriers globally to require customer face coverings onboard as well as the first airline in the Americas to take customers’ temperatures prior to boarding) opted to explore the application of COVID-19 contact tracing technology in its workplace by way of TraceSCAN.
Their specific challenges included: A need to mitigate the risk of shutdown of facilities due to an outbreak at its locations, a contact tracing solution that could be integrated across all operations, and a solution that needed to be adopted by a unionized workforce and seamlessly merged into existing employee day-to-day operations.
TraceSCAN, after being implemented (via wearables) across two of the company’s groups, has proven to be successful in terms of meeting the needs of the challenges, having users check in and out at tablets installed at entry/exit points, allowing the company to quickly identify exposure cases, and having a unionized workforce (part of their cargo operations) get comfortable with the potential benefits of contact tracing.
School
The challenges involved in the school industry are many: With almost every Canadian student having been forced home, they’re now missing out on traditional school fun and a normal learning environment; students’ (of all ages) mental wellbeing has taken a severe blow; children under the age of 18 are unable to get the COVID-19 vaccine, and children under 12 in Canada are unlikely to have the vaccine until summer 2022; teachers are being forced to reinvent teaching methods to educate and converse with students; government contact tracing platforms require a mobile phone, creating challenges for some students due to socio-economic reasons; there is no way to bring back recess or team sports as it’s impossible to keep track of the children.
Thankfully, with TraceSCAN’s wearables, schools have the option to safely bring children back and trace their daily interactions. This allows for the quick identification of potential spread if a student tests positive for COVID-19.
The wearables are also rugged enough to withstand the test of school (water, mud, paint, etc.), and have a battery life of 7–14 days (which ensures tracing is done even if children forget to charge their devices).
If every child participates in contact tracing, it will enable cities to reopen summer camps and sports programs, which can, in turn, be beneficial for students’ mental health and wellbeing.
Constructions
In the construction industry, challenges include a need for a contact tracing solution that complies with regulations (most notably that mobile phones are not permitted on worksites), a device that can withstand harsh conditions (such as water, dust, cold, high-pressure equipment, etc.), a device that can log interactions indoors and out while lasting for the duration of 10-hour shifts, and a need for any solutions to be adopted by a unionized workforce where privacy and security are of paramount importance.
TraceSCAN wearables tackle these issues through being waterproof, dust resistant, and sturdy enough to withstand a construction site’s harsh conditions; containing a hidden recharging port that protects the device from the elements; utilizing a Bluetooth contact tracing platform which senses all interactions of the construction crew while the band is worn; and flaunting a battery life of 7–14 days.
Foods
Of course, the Food industry has been one of the hardest hit by COVID-19. It’s dealing with challenges like manufacturing companies needing to mitigate the risk of facility shutdowns due to outbreaks; a current manual tracing solution that’s slow and requires reviewing hours of video footage to really get a feel for interactions; a lack of contact tracing solutions that can be integrated across all levels of operation; needing to be able to determine if any elements of the production line are potentially exposed so that they can be shut down and sanitized; and needing to comply with health and safety rules while also ensuring that the device won’t compromise the production line.
The solutions here are pretty simple, and yet allow companies to protect their entire workforce: TraceSCAN closely monitors and tracks the interactions of individuals throughout the day, and it tracks the movement of employees at various stages of the production line to drive new behavior from staff, leading to an avoidance of interactions across different groups.
Healthcare
When it comes to the healthcare industry, there are two specific areas to tackle in our new normal: That of COVID-19, and that of non-COVID-19.
For the former (which has impacted the provinces of Quebec, Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan the most), needs to be attacked where it congregates the most — LTC retirement homes. As of May 25, 2020, there have been 840 outbreaks of the virus in such places, accounting for more than 80 percent of COVID-related deaths.
For the latter, TraceSCAN has chosen to remain focused on the elderly community by zeroing in on the issue of falls, which are the №1 reason for injury-related hospitalizations for older adults. In Canada in particular, more than 1.6 million seniors fall each year.
The solution for both of these areas of concern is the TraceSCAN V2 Band, which allows LTC homes to monitor the conditions of residents while being alerted to potential issues ahead of any traditional means of identification. They are also able to identify if a senior has fallen using artificial intelligence and an accelerometer that is integrated into the device.
In all, there are four key parts of the band: A surface-temperature sensor, incorporated because studies show surface temperature can be an indicator of COVID-19 exposure; a heart rate monitor, which provides regular baseline readings with limited interaction, allowing for use of predictive tools; an oxygen saturation sensor, which has multiple benefits, though specifically, low oxygen levels have been a symptom of COVID-19; and an accelerometer, which provides tools for fall detection.
Manufacturing
Here’s a specific example of a situation plaguing the manufacturing industry: There is a large global power and motorsports company that fulfills all North American orders from a Canadian head office. The company cannot risk a shutdown of operations due to COVID-19, and so it is looking to implement a multi-strategy system to fully protect employees whilst in the workplace.
In providing a solution, TraceSCAN allowed for the monitoring of all site visitors’ temperatures, and the implementation of a rigorous sanitization and surface testing program.
Mining
The challenges facing those in the mining industry are not entirely dissimilar to the ones in the construction industry: There is a need for a solution that complies with mining regulations which will allow them to resume normal operation, miners are not allowed to have anything hang on their necks, the device must be robust and able to withstand the harsh conditions of a mine (water, dust, high-pressure equipment, etc.), the contact tracing system must be able to log interactions underground and last for the duration of a typical shift (10 hours), and near-field communication must be incorporated to enable access control for location-specific areas since miners cant be looking for various devices in their pockets.
To combat these issues, the TraceSCAN wearable is, as aforementioned, waterproof, dust resistant, and sturdy enough to withstand the harsh conditions of a mine; utilizes a Bluetooth contact tracing platform that senses all interactions of a band-wearing miner; contains a hidden recharging port that protects the device from the elements; has a battery life of 7–14 days; and is able to provide access control via programable devices, reducing the number of total devices a miner needs to carry.
