Guides
Walkie Talkies and Social Distancing in Ireland
May
Will walkie talkies bring the population of Ireland back from being on ‘stand by?’ and allow us to ‘come in,’ to a post pandemic world successfully? Two Way Radios could allow your business not only to keep your staff and customers safe, but improve efficiency.
As the light at the end of the lockdown tunnel seems to be emerging slightly closer each day. The uncertainty that has faced many businesses is still very much at the forefront of people’s minds. As the government is set to put in place a staged re-surfacing from isolation due to Covid-19, many of us will surely be looking at how we can play our part in ensuring we continue to follow the guidelines in place, especially with regard to social distancing.
Workpace Social Distancing
With that in mind, is two way likely to be the new way? ‘Social distancing’ – a phrase that will be engrained in many of us for the months if not years to come, is probably something we had never before considered, especially within our workplaces. Are walkie talkies and two way radio systems going to be the new way to enhance communication from a distance…
After restaurants and bars were forced to close under government guidelines at the end of March, in order to prevent the Covid-19 crisis spreading throughout the country, there was increased pressure to come up with new ways of staying in business and adapt to the current climate globally. This resulted in numerous food establishments resorting to using a two way radio system, in order to abide by the social distancing measures but also as a means of keeping their now ‘curbside’ delivery systems flowing efficiently.
The use of walkie talkie radio systems is not a new invention by any means, especially within the construction industry. Earlier this year saw optimism surrounding construction, backed by the fact the government has repeatedly reiterated how housing, construction and infrastructure will be at the forefront of its political agenda for 2020.
Whilst vital construction sites remained open, and more are set to re-open in the coming weeks, the 2-metre social distancing rule is likely to still be firmly in place once workers return to their roles. Therefore, the use of two way radios provides an easy and reliable solution, to ensure employees needn’t approach each other in order to communicate. Something which will likely prove very beneficial on construction sites.
Construction Walkie Talkies
Earlier this year Ireland was set to build 60,000 new homes across the country totalling an estimated worth of €10 billion. This spiked the opinion that a housebuilding revolution was likely. However, construction ceased on all but essential projects last month to comply with restrictions aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus, stalling projects worth an estimated €21 billion, and until the current situation improves substantially this is unlikely to resume as both the public and private sectors lack the confidence to do this.
This is where the use of two-way radios could come in, they are a tool which has always been useful within the construction industry, where instant communication can have an impact on site safety, as well as productivity. However, this is more pivotal than ever given that workers still need to abide by social distancing, and in order to get back on track with a vision of completing the new homes up and down the country new measures which will allow work to carry on / re-start are being welcomed.
The two-way radio features which really make a difference for construction workers include; audio quality for noisy construction environments and allowing workers to communicate fully while not necessarily being stood next to each other, something which will prove vital in the upcoming months. Reliable radio cover for communication over large construction sites as well as the devices being robust enough to withstand rough, wet and sometimes dirty situations are also huge benefits. A long battery life for numerous hours away from the site office, as many site offices will probably remain closed for the foreseeable, however the ability to charge the radios at home and bring with employees to work will likely prove a strong advantage.
With health and safety being the main focus for many organisations within the construction industry, the use of these devices will prove essential for workers given the increased concern over personal health and precautions that employees will expect to see in place.
Retail & Two Way Radios
Retail is another industry vastly affected by the current climate. With much of the retail industry having no choice but to move online, ecommerce has won a record share of retail sales in March, accounting for 22% of total retail sales during the period. However, many retailers lack the capacity to meet such supply and demand needs from consumers. For example, ‘Tesco increased the number of its delivery slots to 1.2 million – more than double what was available at the start of lockdown.’ This is inconceivable for smaller businesses especially owner managed ones who rely solely on local custom. Many of which have resulted to warning their customers of long waits for delivery or having to close completely.
Could walkie talkies really be the answer? With pent-up demand to buy in stores likely being reflected in the waits that are still prevalent online, the use of two-way radios for retail staff could mean that they safely adhere to the social distancing guidelines while in stores, meaning retailers could open again. In the past two weeks shoppers wanting to buy online from B&Q would have had to queue for more than an hour before loading a thing into their virtual basket. The use of walkie talkies will allow social distancing to and queuing to remain in place but will likely take pressure off retail websites such as B&Q and enable shoppers to make the retail purchases that they haven’t been able to.
All in all, there are substantially clear benefits to two way radios being used to enable workers of certain industries – in particular construction, retail and hospitality to return to work safely. Unlike communication via mobile phones or tablets which are designed mainly for one-to-one communication, digital two-way radios are designed for real-time, operation-wide communication, making them considerably more efficient for the above industries. They also offer a less distracting and much more robust solution than mobile devices or tablets. But most importantly they will allow workers to feel a sense of safety and security and also that their employers are following reasonable precautions to combat these uncertain times within the workplace.