Safe workplaces are increasingly important. Based on a study by AlertMedia, 73% of respondents said that feeling safe is “extremely important” when at work. However, only 53% of respondents thought their employer considered their safety as “extremely important”.
There is a significant gap between how important workplace safety is and how insignificant workers believe it is to their employers.
In recent times, the security of the working environment has become a priority amongst staff. There is an emphasis on what a business can do to assure employees that their safety is of high priority.
To this end, there’s a rise in the demand for safe buildings. These structures use different kinds of technologies and practices to establish a safe and healthy atmosphere for those in them.
IoT technology is one of the champions of safety and security and has been used to create smart buildings. By using this smart technology, one can ensure a boost in not just safety, but also sustainability.
Why is workplace safety important?
Better employee engagement: A safe building ensures that the staff is at the heart of it. Smart technology can help create better working conditions, which in turn enhances employee experience. Companies that place employee health at the core often see a boost in employee engagement – a study found an increase in engagement of 31% from employees who believe their employer cared about their wellbeing.
Reduce absenteeism: With smart technology like indoor air quality monitoring, one can ensure that employees work in a healthy environment. This in turn helps reduce health risks and illnesses, which also lowers absenteeism rates.
Efficient use of resources: By using smart technology, one can monitor air quality levels, electricity, gas and water usage, and workplace occupancy. Each of these measurements can help you understand if you can streamline your use of resources by ventilating better, employing smart cleaning services, and more.
How can one ensure their building is secure for employees?
Involve everyone in health and safety: To offer security to your staff, they must understand in what form it is being given. Be it monitoring air quality and workplace occupancy to keep any virus-based illnesses at bay, or monitoring water temperature to create a safe workplace, they must be fully aware of the steps the workplace is taking.
Identify hazards in your workplace: There are various hazards to be identified and taken into consideration to counter sick building syndrome. These include lack of ventilation, exposure to hazardous materials like Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), harmful workplace designs, and more.
Measure and maintain optimal levels: When it comes to certain elements like VOC levels or water temperature, there are certain optimal temperatures that one must adhere to. Some of these optimal levels are also part of compliance. For example, water temperature for Legionella control and such, where it becomes imperative to maintain sufficient levels.
By measuring these particular elements, you can gain an idea of whether your workplace is safe and healthy enough. If not, you can look into ways to improve building performance.
How ZiggyTec helps create a safe workplace
To help you create a safe workplace for your staff, ZiggyTec offers a range of IoT technology-based solutions, such as:
Indoor Air Quality Monitoring
The air we breathe in has a huge impact on our health. With Indoor Air Quality Monitoring, one can monitor the air quality based on CO2, PM 2.5, and VOC levels, along with temperature and humidity. This helps understand if the ventilation systems are working well and if employees are breathing in clean air.
Workplace Optimisation
Workplace Optimisation uses sensor data to show which areas of your workspace are used most often. This can help implement smart cleaning strategies and make decisions about lease renewal. Additionally, in a post-COVID era, it helps implement social distancing strategies to help prevent the transfer of airborne viruses.
Smart Legionella Control
Legionnaire’s Disease is a lung infection caused by Legionella bacteria, which thrives in temperatures between 20°C – 45°C. Water temperature must be measured at regular intervals to ensure that the cold water is below 20°C, and the hot water is a minimum of 50°C. By doing this, we can ensure Legionella compliance and assure employees of a safe and healthy environment. Our Smart Legionella Control sensors detect the water temperature periodically and send notifications in events where there may be non-compliance with Legionella control.
To learn more about how ZiggyTec can help you ensure staff safety at the office, get in touch with us.