Making the workplace safer with innovative covid-19-fighting solutionsJason Sparapanion December 2, 2020 at 5:51 pm

As businesses of all sizes welcome a fearful and anxious workforce back to the office, they are simultaneously challenged with ensuring a safe work environment. The stark reality facing business owners still navigating the covid-19 pandemic is the diligence required to limit infectious spread. 

Corporations are taking note: plexiglass barriers, clearly marked walkways, and hand-sanitizing stations are now as commonplace as paper clips and ergonomic chairs. Although such measures can mitigate the risk of infection, management teams will be challenged to properly sanitize the workplace without jeopardizing human health or affecting employee productivity while also facing agency and government regulations. 

Many business owners are finding solutions by partnering with innovative organizations like J Ferg Global, an industry leader in infection control, risk mitigation, and revenue restoration. “Our mission is to help organizations and their stakeholders get back on their feet with health and safety as a top priority,” says CEO J.R. Ferguson.

Tony Ensor, president and general manager of the Amarillo Sod Poodles, a San Diego Padres professional baseball affiliate, says it has been an enormous obstacle overcoming the constant changes to covid-19 regulations and safe practices. “Covid-19 affected our community baseball teams all over the country and has had a devastating effect on our franchise. How do we move forward?” After discussions with Sod Poodles’ director of partnerships, Matt Hamilton, Ensor chose to partner with the J Ferg Global company Germinator to create a comprehensive health safety and risk mitigation plan for reopening. “We wanted to go several steps above Texas guidelines to protect our fans, players, and staff,” says Ensor.

Innovators apply here

In addition to advances made by companies like J Ferg Global, the increasing need to safely and efficiently sanitize workspaces has created an exciting opportunity for innovation.

The Greater Boston Food Bank partnered with MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and Ava Robotics to test a robotic system that disinfects surfaces and neutralizes aerosolized forms of the coronavirus. Designed at CSAIL, the custom light fixture relies on short-wavelength ultraviolet light to kill microorganisms and disrupt their DNA in a process called ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.

As a result of the endless innovations in this space, companies like J Ferg Global can provide clients with the world’s most up-to-date state-of-the-art technologies to create safer public spaces. Ferguson welcomes the advance of new technologies as they will raise the bar for everyone: “Our goal is to constantly better ourselves in the workplace and expect the same standard in our technologies. Remaining stagnant or content is never an option, especially as it pertains to infection control. As technology continues to accelerate, we must all dial in and run with it.”

Proof of J Ferg Global’s commitment is evident in its new partnerships with a variety of infection control technology companies, which are creating effective, world-leading solutions, such as an air-purification system for air-conditioning units that could have wide-ranging, positive effects across multiple industries.

It will take more than technology to restore pre-pandemic levels of employee comfort. “The biggest issue we’re dealing with right now is the unknown,” says Ferguson. Amarillo Sod Poodles’ Ensor adds that clear communication, regular monitoring, and sanitization protocols provided by J Ferg Global reassures employees that the proper precautionary measures are being taken. “We’re thankful to be able to go to work every day with confidence, knowing that not only our full-time staff are protected, but everyone that enters Hodgetown [the Sod Poodle ballpark] is protected.”

These solutions have been imperative as many businesses, organizations, and schools reopen to the public. “Businesses, resources, and schools have to start getting back on their feet, restoring lost revenues, and moving forward,” says Ferguson. “If we don’t do something to fight this pandemic, who knows what the long-term consequences could be. Although it may include new precautions and safety procedures, we enjoy seeing people be proactive and adapt.”

This content was produced by J Ferg Global. It was not written by MIT Technology Review’s editorial staff.

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