VICTORIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY EMBRACES AUSTRALIA-FIRST BLUETOOTH CONTACT TRACING SOLUTION

2021-06-14T13:48:30Z

Contact Harald: Created page with "The Victorian construction industry is forging ahead on the road to economic recovery and taking advantage of the latest Bluetooth contact tracing technology, becoming the leader..."

The Victorian construction industry is forging ahead on the road to economic recovery and taking advantage of the latest Bluetooth contact tracing technology, becoming the leaders in Australian safety.

Despite a year of constant setbacks, The Commonwealth and Victorian governments have committed to supporting construction jobs across Victoria by jointly investing an [https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/mccormack/media-release/more-half-billion-dollars-unlock-infrastructure-jobs-victoria additional $525 million] to deliver infrastructure projects and urgent road safety upgrades.

Within the past three months, Major Roads Projects Victoria (MRPV) and their construction partners Decmil, Fulton Hogan Industries Pty Ltd, John Holland Group Pty Ltd, McConnell Dowell Constructors (Aust) Pty Ltd, Multiplex Constructions Pty Ltd and Seymour Whyte Constructions Pty have all implemented a new contact tracing system as part of a rigorous COVID safe plan across their sites to keep these critical projects on track and Victorians in work. Over 8,700 Contact Harald cards have been distributed across these worksites, with more to follow.

[https://www.contactharald.com/ Contact Harald] is a wearable contact tracing card that is given to all workers and on site visitors. The technology then records and stores interactions that last over two minutes and within a 1.5 metre radius. If a visitor declares symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19, only users with recorded close contact to the suspected or confirmed case will be sent an SMS and email via the secure Contact Harald database, owned and administered by the construction company - removing the need for external agencies and nullifying cyber security concerns.

In the event of a suspected or confirmed case, this new contact tracing system will notify in real-time only those with recorded close contact - this advancement enables construction to continue with minimal disruption and unnecessary delay.

Contact Harald has been implemented as part of the Plenty Road Upgrade, a two-year $178.6 million project set to create over 1000 jobs in the region. 200 Bluetooth-enabled cards will be in use across the Plenty Road and Mordialloc sites, with growth plans to expand to the Echuca in the pipeline.

Decmil and MRPV join five additional construction companies across Australia who have implemented the Contact Harald system and pledged their commitment to keeping their worksites and employees safer with contract tracing.

Justin Piper, Safety Advisor at MRPV said that once the initial trial of the program took place, it was an obvious choice as part of their COVID safe plan.

“The effectiveness of the Contact Harald tracing capability during the mock scenarios we ran confirmed this solution as superior to the manual contact tracing process previously implemented,” Mr. Piper shared.

“The technology not only removed the subjectiveness in determining contacts in accordance with DHHS Guidelines, but it removed potential human error, reduced time spent tracing and allowed for a more accurate risk assessment.”

“We know how important it is for Victorians to get back to work after a tumultuous year and we are confident that with these multi-pronged COVID safe plans, we can focus on rebuilding our beloved state.”

Director of Health and Product at Contact Harald Elissa Reid, said: “Now is the time for key infrastructure to take shape as we ease back into normal life. Contact Harald is the only complete and reliable solution currently available that allows those working on site to continue to operate safely,”<br />
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“Contact Harald is built from best practice, simple and smart technology to map, manage and minimise the impact of outbreaks for construction sites and businesses alike. If an outbreak were to occur on site, we want to be able to act fast and manage the breakout, in order to keep important public and private works on track.” Ms. Reid said.

Contact Harald is currently being used by large, multi-national organisations across a variety of industries that include construction, aged care, manufacturing, entertainment and mining, to name a few, both in Australia and overseas.

Contact Harald hopes to roll out the program with other construction operations around the country.

To find out more about Contact Harald or request a demo, visit [http://www.contactharald.com www.contactharald.com].

Study reveals cost of inefficient contact tracing

2021-04-13T09:48:49Z

Contact Harald: Created page with "* New research from Contact Harald, the leading contact tracing tool for business, reveals that 84% of UK-based companies and organisations lost working days to ‘potential’ C..."

* New research from Contact Harald, the leading contact tracing tool for business, reveals that 84% of UK-based companies and organisations lost working days to ‘potential’ COVID contact
* Over £11bn worth of productive days lost, costing each business an estimated £660,193
* 1.4 million lost days could have been avoided if the right tracing systems had been in place

84% of large businesses and organisations in the UK have lost working days due to a lack of effective contact tracing[[#_ftn1|[1]]], according to a new study commissioned by [https://www.contactharald.com/ Contact Harald], a pioneering contact tracing tool. The resulting lost productivity is estimated to have cost the country’s economy over £11bn[[#_ftn2|[2]]] in the last 12 months, equivalent to 4.3 million working days[[#_ftn3|[3]]].

The study, which looked at 500 UK companies employing over 100 staff, found an average cost of £660,193 per business due to absent workers isolating and waiting for test results, following potential contact with COVID-19. This includes time off for those who thought they might have been in close proximity to someone who tested positive for the virus.

Contact Harald was born out of Australia’s booming tech sector in response to the COVID crisis, using wearable Bluetooth technology to provide optimal contact tracing support across any industry, protecting employees and their private data whilst safeguarding the day-to-day productivity of businesses. According to its research, businesses have on average lost the equivalent of nearly 255 working days due to possible COVID contact, in addition to the average 142 days caused by absent staff with confirmed coronavirus cases.

The research puts into sharp focus the need for efficient, accurate contact tracing if businesses are to remain profitable. However, over a third of businesses (37%) in Britain claim to have found tracking potential contact cases difficult, or very difficult, suggesting more support is required in order to protect companies - and employees - as the world start operating again post the COVID-19 era. Unsurprisingly, 93% of businesses surveyed said that a tech solution would have prevented days lost to potential COVID contact.

Nick O’Halloran, founder of Contact Harald, commented: “More than 80% of businesses lost working days which is cause for concern to any industry expecting to re-open its doors in the coming months. Since our launch in Australia, we have worked with numerous businesses, organisations and governments to help them overcome the operational challenges inherent in lack of adequate tracing solutions. It’s poignant to note similarities between the two countries and use such insights to help UK businesses make a seamless return without hindering productivity. Our aim is to offer a solution which guarantees a peace of mind by easily identifying and isolating only those at risk, enabling businesses to remain open and operational.”

“Our research found that businesses could have reduced the amount of days lost as result of potential COVID by a third (33.5%) – if they had their affairs in order through contact tracking technology. Tech solutions could therefore have saved businesses at least 1,451,170 lost working days[[#_ftn4|[4]]],” continues Contact Harald’s Founder and Head of Product, Matt Denton. “Contact Harald is a really simple, effective way to keep workers in any industry safe, whatever size or location, while still preserving privacy. Employees are given a card to keep on their person, and if a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 occurs, an authorised user within the business anonymously notifies anyone potentially affected to isolate.”

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[[#_ftnref1|[1]]] Survey of 500 18+ decision makers in UK companies and organisations with 100+ employees in March 2021.

[[#_ftnref2|[2]]] There were 20,150 business with 100+ employees in 2020: [https://www.statista.com/statistics/675750/number-of-businesses-by-number-of-employees-in-the-united-kingdom/#:~:text=Number%20of%20businesses%20by%20enterprise%20size%20in%20the%20UK%202020&text=In%202020%2C%20the%20vast%20majority,employed%20more%20than%20500%20people https://www.statista.com/statistics/675750/number-of-businesses-by-number-of-employees-in-the-united-kingdom/#:~:text=Number%20of%20businesses%20by%20enterprise%20size%20in%20the%20UK%202020&text=In%202020%2C%20the%20vast%20majority,employed%20more%20than%20500%20people]. 84.4% of businesses confirmed lost working days to self isolation/possible COVID exposure = 17,007 were affected. Mean cost is £660192.98 so 17,007 x £660192.98 = £11,227,902,010.86

[[#_ftnref3|[3]]] Assuming 17,007 businesses were affected (as per previous calculations) x 254.71 average number of working days lost due to potential contact and waiting for COVID tests = 4,331,852.97.

[[#_ftnref4|[4]]] Assuming 17,007 businesses were affected (as per previous calculations) x 254.71 average number of working days lost = 4,331,852.97. 33.5% of 4,331,852.97 = 1,451,170.

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VICTORIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY EMBRACES AUSTRALIA-FIRST BLUETOOTH CONTACT TRACING SOLUTION

Study reveals cost of inefficient contact tracing