Contact Harald: Transforming Contact Tracing Methods at Workplace

With businesses resuming operations after the long pandemic-imposed lockdown, they are pursuing new ways to keep employees as well as customers protected at workplaces and contact racing is prominent among them. While there are smartphone-based applications available to identify the COVID-19 infected person recently been in contact with, these technologies track location details as well as store explicit user information for functioning. This has raised privacy concerns and is not deemed to be an efficient method for contract tracing. Realizing these challenges, Contact Harald, an IT solution provider based in Australia, came up with a breakthrough contract tracing solution that transforms the traditional contact tracing methods. The company provides a fast and effective stand-alone solution based on Bluetooth wireless technology that doesn’t require the use of WiFi, apps, phones, IT installation, or even charging. With secure encryption, Contact Herald ensures employee privacy and safeguard data from threats. “Our solution is a digital, single source of truth for organizations to meet their duty of care in a fast, effective, and privacy preserving manner,” says Nick O’ Halloran, CEO of Contact Herald.

Contact Harald offers smart and easy-to-use card and platform for contact tracing. Taking the name from the ancient king of Denmark who was nicknamed Bluetooth (based on whom Bluetooth technology itself was named), the company uses Bluetooth-enabled wireless technology in its solution. Each employee is issued a registered contact card unique to them that contains no personal information. The cards are similar to a key card an employee might wear on an office campus.

The striking aesthetic-pleasing green color of the cards offer a visual compliance cue which can help with staff morale and visitor confidence.
Underpinned by proximity tracing technology instead of GPS or geolocation driven tracking, the solution effectively functions within the closed environments. If an employee is tested positive or report symptoms of COVID-19, proximity data is uploaded from the card. The technology within each card records when two or more people are in close proximity to each other. Contact Harald can record distance less than six feet for more than two minutes, unlike most mobile apps that require 15 minutes of proximity. If an employee tests positive for COVID-19, the contacts tracked in close proximity of that worker are immediately notified to get tested and remain isolated until the results come in. The database keeps information of affected employees up to 20 days and supports group SMS and email communication to notify, check-in, and update.

The Contact Harald solution can be used across a range of industries, such as healthcare, manufacturing, warehouses, and educational institutions. Illustrating the efficiency of the solution, Halloran highlights an instance wherein the company helped a Victoria-based old age care home to protect its residents. With elderly citizens staying in the home, the client faced a massive threat during the COVID-19 pandemic as the aged people were prone to the infection. They installed Contact Harald solution and were able to have the ‘piece of mind’ during the unprecedented times. The real success for the company came in through the residents who appreciated the technology and the safe feeling it could bring for them. Contact Harald has also assisted nursing homes and healthcare facilities across Australia. Several media platforms have till now covered the sensational technology behind safety assurance and defense against the current pandemic.

With its innovative and disruptive technology, Contact Harald aims to mitigate health safety risks and avoid lost revenue due to closures. For the future, the company aims to expand its reach globally and be a reliable partner for businesses worldwide. Contact Harald is committed to ensuring continuity for organizations with superior-quality solutions.