Study reveals cost of inefficient contact tracing
Contents |
[edit] Introduction
Research from Contact Harald reveals that 84% of UK-based companies and organisations lost working days to ‘potential’ COVID-19 contact during 2020. Over £11bn worth of productive days were lost, costing each business an estimated £660,193. A further 1.4 million lost days could have been avoided if the right tracing systems had been in place.
[edit] Impact of lost work days
According to the report, 84% of large businesses and organisations in the UK have lost working days due to a lack of effective contact tracing [1]. The resulting lost productivity is estimated to have cost the country’s economy over £11bn [2] from March 2020 to March 2021 - a number equivalent to 4.3 million working days [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.
Businesses have, on average, lost the equivalent of nearly 255 working days due to possible COVID-19 contact, in addition to the average 142 days caused by absent staff with confirmed cases.
[edit] Importance of contact tracing
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 starts operating again in a post COVID-19 era. A large majority of respondents (93%) said that a tech solution would have prevented days lost to potential COVID-19 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."
"Our research found that businesses could have reduced the amount of days lost as result of potential COVID-19 contact 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[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.”
[edit] Footnotes
[1] Survey of 500 18+ decision makers in UK companies and organisations with 100+ employees in March 2021.
[2] There were 20,150 business with 100+ employees in 2020: 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
[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.
[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.
[edit] Related articles
Featured articles and news
BSRIA Statutory Compliance Inspection Checklist
BG80/2025 now significantly updated to include requirements related to important changes in legislation.
Shortlist for the 2025 Roofscape Design Awards
Talent and innovation showcase announcement from the trussed rafter industry.
OpenUSD possibilities: Look before you leap
Being ready for the OpenUSD solutions set to transform architecture and design.
Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2025
Highlighting the continuing threat to trades persons.
Retrofit of Buildings, a CIOB Technical Publication
Now available in Arabic and Chinese aswell as English.
The context, schemes, standards, roles and relevance of the Building Safety Act.
Retrofit 25 – What's Stopping Us?
Exhibition Opens at The Building Centre.
Types of work to existing buildings
A simple circular economy wiki breakdown with further links.
A threat to the creativity that makes London special.
How can digital twins boost profitability within construction?
The smart construction dashboard, as-built data and site changes forming an accurate digital twin.
Unlocking surplus public defence land and more to speed up the delivery of housing.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
An outline of the bill with a mix of reactions on potential impacts from IHBC, CIEEM, CIC, ACE and EIC.
Farnborough College Unveils its Half-house for Sustainable Construction Training.
Spring Statement 2025 with reactions from industry
Confirming previously announced funding, and welfare changes amid adjusted growth forecast.
Scottish Government responds to Grenfell report
As fund for unsafe cladding assessments is launched.
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.