How To Use IoT Controls To Aid Social Distancing In Your Facility

A major issue that businesses and workplaces are facing today is encouraging its workers to abide by social distancing guidelines. In larger facilities, this is not always easy to monitor and can be overwhelming. However, an LED lighting system that utilizes IoT (Internet of Things) technology can put this task at your fingertips and eliminate the need to tour your facility. This technology monitors the people and assets in your facility and reports back to you in real time, and also allows for LED lighting adjustments for worker safety. IoT controls can also make it easier for your employees to meet social distancing guidelines and stay safe.

Social Distancing Controls

Employee Location Monitoring – IoT applications are able to track the location of people in your facility and uses an advanced algorithm to provide accurate data by the room. Employees and others wear tags for tracking purposes which are detected by smart sensors. You can also use these applications to replay data and see where people have been in the past, and whether they have broken any social distancing guidelines. Searches and alerts are also available.

Occupancy Tracking – Other IoT applications make use of location tracking to calculate the occupancy of a specific room or area in your facility. Sensor networks are able to track the movement of your employees and provide accurate views of occupancy in real-time, highlighting problem areas where social distancing isn’t (or cannot be) practiced. These IoT applications can also show where employees tend to congregate over time.

Facility Insight – The ability to sense the lighting levels and occupancy for an entire facility will reveal hidden problem areas and reduce human error. Real-time and historical data is made available in one central location. Monitoring the environment in your facility, or multiple facilities is vital to understanding worker behavior. HVAC failures and other equipment failures can cause workers to abandon social distancing and congregate in more comfortable areas, and alarms can be used to alert you to potential problems before this occurs.

Safety Controls

Advanced Lighting Controls – A wireless IoT system will allow you to easily adjust lighting levels by room and area not only to enhance worker comfort and safety but to encourage workers to practice social distancing in problem areas. Different lighting profiles, made by collecting data on employee movement and occupancy, can be configured by area throughout an entire Smart Building and adjusted accordingly throughout the day.

Fine Tuning – Other IoT apps can allow for occupancy sensing and adjust light levels automatically, and can be used to program the lighting system to dim a problem area progressively during high-occupancy times. These functions can be customized room by room for easy management of social distancing and can be done from virtually any mobile device.

Conclusion

The current health crisis is one that large facilities have never seen before and innovative solutions are needed to protect worker safety, health, and productivity. Using an IoT system with your LED lighting will make monitoring social distancing manageable and offer innovative solutions for enforcing worker safety. If you have questions or need more information on how an IoT system can help you, be sure to contact us.

Reasons to Upgrade Facility Lighting

As a decision maker, you know that every decision you make for your business requires a thoughtful consideration of the costs and benefits involved. Here we will show that not only is a retrofit eco-friendly, safe, and cost effective in the long term, it is a great way to present a bright, clean, and contemporary look to everyone who enters your space.

Retrofitting will Save You Money

While the upfront cost of a retrofit may seem overwhelming, in the long term you will keep more of the profits you make because your overhead (lighting) will cost less. A cost benefit analysis of switching from fluorescent lighting to LED was done at Southwestern Oklahoma State University. They found that switching to LED would save them over $930,000 cumulatively over the course of 10 years.  The analysis shows that the savings in energy costs far outweighs the higher expense of the fixtures themselves. They also note that because LED generates far less heat, during warmer months and in warmer climates the cost of cooling is lowered.

Retrofitting Makes Your Space Safer

LED is solid state, which means there are no harmful gases to worry about. And because they are constructed from plastic, they won’t shatter into sharp shards of glass. And as previously stated they produce very little heat, so handling them after use will not burn bare skin. In addition, the light produced by LED is easier on the eyes and creates less lighting fatigue than fluorescent lights. As noted in the SWOSU analysis, this is due to their low emission of infrared light and zero emission of ultraviolet light.  All this adds up to a safer environment for your employees and customers.

Retrofitting is Better for the Environment

Less electricity used means less fossil fuels burned which means less carbon emissions. We all want to lower our carbon footprint and slow the rate of global climate change. While retrofitting your lighting may not be the most drastic green action you can make, it is among the lowest cost-of-entry steps you can take into a more carbon-neutral footprint.

Modern Fixtures for a Modern World

LEDs are bright, rich in color variety and send a message that your business is forward-thinking and environmentally conscious. When someone steps into your space, they should feel welcomed and safe. Bright, warm lighting is an excellent way to make your business more inviting. Cooler lights show a product’s true colors when on display. There are attractive solutions available for every need and purpose your business has.  And a well lit space makes people feel safer; they can see who they are with, what they are doing, and where they are more clearly.

In short, LED lighting technology is an easy win for everyone.

For more information on how to retrofit the lighting in your business contact us.

 

How to Use Lights to Encourage Social Distancing

One of the challenges that facilities face during the COVID-19 pandemic is how to monitor the health and safety of their employees. One of the biggest prevention measures for combating COVID-19 is the act of social distancing and wearing proper protective equipment. An advanced network lighting control system can help you control and monitor social distancing for your employees. This can be done by using a variety of methods from setting up lighting schedules for specific zones to monitoring auxiliary spaces.

Encouraging social distancing

People generally want to do the right thing when it comes to social distancing but they also need a little guidance on how best to accomplish that. By using what you have on hand you can set guidelines and boundaries for employees to clearly follow. For example, you can set the lights in a pattern that sets employees apart. This way they know that as long as they’re in a lighted area, they are practicing proper social distancing.

This may also mean switching things around on the warehouse floor to accommodate but your employee’s health and wellness during these times are worth it.

Controls for Safety

Task Tuning – With the proper lighting system the ability to customize and manage precise lighting parameters on individual fixtures, or override entire groups quickly and easily through the mobile and web applications. The ability to set up schedules and zones can be used to identify areas that may be restricted during certain times throughout the day.

Event-Based Alerts – Configure value-based thresholds for any single variable (such as temperature, relative humidity, etc.), and receive alerts via email, push notification, or SMS. The potential to monitor temperatures throughout facility can be a valuable asset to maintain a safe environment.

Monitor Auxiliary Spaces – Gain insight into intervening spaces or unmonitored auxiliary areas to proactively identify high traffic areas. Keeping a close eye on where employees gather is vital in determining the appropriate processes to encourage social distancing.

Protect Product Quality – Monitor critical production or storage areas to ensure that optimal and/or required environmental conditions are met and maintained, and product quality isn’t compromised. During these times promoting safety and quality is more important than ever, having sensor based controls can enhance current processes and help to determine necessary improvements.

Conclusion

COVID-19 is forcing a lot of people to think outside the box when it comes to preventing the spread of the virus. The best thing to do is to encourage social distancing with what you have on hand. Using your localized lighting management system can be a great way to accomplish this. If you need more information or need a light system that accomplishes this task, then check us out here to get the process started.