"Traffic Light" Passes Keep De Beers Staff Socially Distant
November 23, 20
(IDEX Online) - De Beers office staff are keeping a social distance thanks to security passes that flash red if they stand too close together.
Parent company Anglo American has introduced the Covid technology at its global HQ in London (pictured), home to the De Beers diamond division.
The "traffic light" flash passes red and beep if staff come closer than 1.5 meters. They turn amber as a warning if they are within 3 meters of each other.
Anglo American has also issued 3,000 employees at a platinum mining site in South Africa with Bluetooth-enabled Samsung smartwatches that vibrate if they come too close.
Rohan Davidson, chief information officer at Anglo American, told The Mail on Sunday newspaper: "The wearables remind people they need to stay distant.
"People are social animals and we can remind them as much as we like. But the observed behaviour is that people like to be close."